Shallow, clothes-oriented post

[ceebeegee]

WHAT is the deal with sizing in women's clothes? I ordered some pants from J. Crew, some cute chinos with flared legs. As my mantra is "Order in the Smallest Size Possible Because Everything is Too Damn Big" I ordered them in Zero Petite. They came on Friday, I tried them on and they were a little tight (although I must say, they hugged my ass quite nicely). I was going to exchange them via email, then I found out that J. Crew stores accept catalogue returns, so I went down today. I tried on the size 2--HUGE. I could've been pregnant in those. WTF? Now, these were a 2 Regular, not 2 Petite, but still--Petite means they're shorter, not smaller around the waist. *throws up hands in disgust* I give up. I decided to keep the zero and just diet.

I also had ordered a sweater--it was described as orange on the website but when I got it, it was more of a salmon color. Too pastelly, didn't pop out at you. So I exchanged it for a thin, merino wool turtleneck sweater that's a much brighter orange, a real citrusy, warm, delicious color. Veryveryvery happy with it.

Comments

[mysticblaze.livejournal.com]

Why can't women's clothing be made in standard sizes, like men's clothing? You always know that a shirt in size 15-32/33 will be the same from one label to another.

I usually find that I do best with Jones NY and Liz Clairborne. I know that anything that I pick up in my size will fit.

Also, if the size 2 is too big, it may be worthwhile to take the pants to a tailor instead of having to diet.

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

For one thing, men's sizes are absolute--the numbers indicate the measurements. Whereas women's measurements are relative and much more coy (because culturally women have more invested in what size we are) so size 2 isn't absolute from brand to brand. It's just always smaller than size 4.

I like Ann Taylor Loft and yes, Liz Claiborne.

I'm tired of going to the tailor--I've funded my tailor's last three vacations, I go there so much. But thanks for the suggestion.

[wonderpanther.livejournal.com]

If you buy label clothing, you get a better sizing system. The meaurements are the waist measurements.

I will never wear a size zero.

My big issue is that nothing is ever long enough. I either have to buy expensive clothing or have things taken in so that I can get the length of a longer size. I want inseam measurements. Some places make "tall" or "long" so that is good but they are few and far between. Sometimes I end up looking like I am dressed for a flood.

Size zero: Divide by waist error!

[jayspec.livejournal.com]

I used to date a girl who was a size zero. Until then, I had no clue that such a size existed. I mean, yeah, she was skinny, but I didn't realize that her waist was a singularity!

[minstrel70.livejournal.com]

"You always know that a shirt in size 15-32/33 will be the same from one label to another.

Actually, not entirely true. The measurements tend to be approximate, which should be pretty obvious if you just consider how the sleeve length is indicated.

But more to the point: would you really like your choices in most cases to be limited to S, M, L, XL, and XXL? And have a look in my closet one day: I have shirts in sizes S, M and L -- and they all fit perfectly. Quite the range, no?

[mysticblaze.livejournal.com]

I would rather my clothes be labeled with the exact measurements that they are intended to fit. For example, if my pants were labeled for a 27 inch waist and hips between 33 and 37 inches, I would know immediately whether it would fit. Whether it would look good, on the other hand, would mean trying it on. But think about how much time it would save women all over the country in trying on clothes as long as they accept their measurements for what they are. Too many women try to fit themselves into clothing that is way too tight and does not fit properly. You have been around me long enough to have heard my myriad of comments on the fashion atrocities that end up at Farside.

Needless to say, S, M, L, XL and XXL are completely worthless labels because there is no standard.