…all over the map. When will they develop a universal sizing standard?
Eventually almost every guy will buy some women’s clothing. Not always for himself:-), but for his spouse or girlfriend. The wonders of the internet is that he can purchase something online without having to go into women’s retail store. You women know how much us guys love shopping.
I want to buy my wife something for x-mas, birthday, valentine’s, whatever and the easiest way is online. So I ask what is her size. I’m told it can be anything from a size 2 to size 18 or so depending on the manufacturer. She’s 5’4" and about 120 lbs or so.
I know that sizes in the women’s clothing industry in recent years have been “upsized” due to the rise in societal obesity. What used to be be for example called a size 10 is now called a size 4 so women that have gained 30 lbs don’t “have to feel bad about themselves”, but the fact remains that any three items that fit her will have a three different size stickers on them.
I’m thinking about ordering a clothing item online for my wife. Obviously the best solution is to take her to a store and try items on, but if it’s to be a gift or surprise that’s not an option.
Quite often, online retailers don’t even have sizing charts.
Any of you gals have any sizing secrets when ordering online? I could use some help here.
Argh, don’t even get me started. Even the same designer will have a radical difference based on the “cut”. I’ve been doing more returning of items that I’ve ordered online lately. My advice is to order it, compare it to similiar items in her wardrobe for size and exchange it if necessary. If it doesn’t fit, do all the work to do the exchange. Fill out the return form, take the box to the post office and ask the store to fedex the new size.
wow
your wife is lucky she has a sensitive guy like you! we should all be so lucky.
Your observations are correct. But what are you looking to buy? and from where? what store/company? I bet the collective here could help with specifics.
One thing you can do is check and see the labels on her existing clothes to see if she tends to buy from any favourite clothing companies, and try to order on-line from them with the sizes she already has. Often, we gravitate to certain stores where we tend to find good fits and cuts for our particular figures.
Yep, for most women revealing our dress size is just about as emotionally loaded as any triathlete discussing their bike split…
One of my favorite on-line/catalogue dealers has a great sizing chart for many brands of “sporty” clothes: http://www.mountaingear.com/pages/product/sizechartpage.asp
Unfortunately, they don’t sell any tri clothes.
From my experience, DeSoto clothes are sized on the small side.
I’ve found that if you are buying from a chain store that sells it’s own brands like JCrew, Gap, Banana Republic (it is the worst offender), etc. the sizes run big. I typically wear a size 6 but can wear a 2 at Banana Republic. However, if I buy from a boutique that carry a lot of different brands which are smaller then my sizes are closer to my true size. Buying European brands is any eye opening experience. Do no women in Europe have broad shoulders?
The one thing that I’ve learned through past experience is never, never ever try to purchase a woman a bathing suit, no matter how much a guy might think it would look great on her.
What garment and from where are you ordering? Can you peek at some other stuff in her wardrobe to see what size she is wearing, esp if you are shopping with a maufacturer she already uses?
(for example if you are shopping from Gap, pull out some of her Gap stuff, Zoot, Speedo, Ann Taylor, etc). Although sizes vary widely between brands, a good manufacturer will keep their size spec consistent.
The one exception I have seen is J Crew – OMG awesome styling but their size spec looks like my blind grandma is doing their QC. But usually , as a rule, the mark of a quality manufacturer is consistent sizing.
Wise, wise words. Add to that blue jeans and a bra and you are way ahead of the game. I echo what others have said about looking at sizes/labels in her closet if you can. And when in doubt, err on the side of bigger. It’s not nearly as traumatizing to have something be too big as it is when it’s too small. (at least for me!) If could fit into a size 2 (not going to happen unless I’m dressing my skeleton or it’s severely mis-labeled) I would buy that piece in a heartbeat. Just because. Back in my teenage dancer days, Danskin was my favorite apparel company because they didn’t have a size large. They had something like petite, x-small, small and medium. Brilliant! But I’m a tall girl, so my issue is clothes generally being too small, I’m sure my petite sisters have equal issues in the opposite direction.
The day the manufacturers of women’s clothing find some way to coordinate clothing sizes with body measurements like they do with guys, oh what a glorious day that will be. I’m soooooo jealous of guys being able to go into a store and buy a pair of pants without even trying them on.
Brilliant idea, to snoop in her closet…And: Look for items she has more than one pair of (or that she raves about).
It’s not just the sizing; it’s also the cut. Zoot bottoms will never fit me because they are made for women with no hips. But the Desoto unisex shorts fit me great while the Desoto women’s version does not. Go figure. Does she have a long or a short torso? Long or short arms? Lots of different cuts where that is concerned…Then there is the bust. Does she need substantial anti-bounce support or will any basic shelf bra work?
Don’t get me started on jeans. Again: Not just a size issue, but the cut. Anything that fit my thighs and hips tended to be two sizes too big in the waist. It is only recently that someone pointed me to a few cuts of jeans that actually work for me. I went 8-10 years never wearing jeans, before this wonderful discovery.
Women’s sizes really are all over the map. But it would be wrong to think that sizes are consistent within a brand or company. My girlfriends and I often purchase Terry bicycle apparel. I guess it depends on where the garmet is manufactured, but I own Terry gear ranging from size XS to L, and I’M the same size!
Rather than bang my head against the wall, if I really like the garmet, I order the same thing is several sizes and just plan to return those that don’t fit. But before I return them, I take them to a ride or two and ask my girlfriends if they would be interested in the shirt before I return it. That way, they get to try it on before they buy it (from me at the same price I paid) if they like it. If nobody is interested, no problem. I return the merchandise just like I originally planned to when I ordered multiple versions.
It gets even worse in the bridal industry. Public opinion says that bridal sizes run truer to “real” sizes (aka - how they used to size back in the 50’s before the American public). However, I just had to call in a bridesmaid dress since I’m not local to the bride. I gave the bride’s store my measurements and they said that it would put me in a size X but since it’s always best to have extra room they would bump me up to Y. I had to explain to them that I don’t give a damn what the actual number was but that Y was a full ten sizes larger then the wedding dress I wore this past summer (with no extra weight gain). Since I would assume that the wedding dress was also “bridal” sized and we had to have it taken in a bit I though that the 10 size increase might be a little excessive. They argued with me for awhile until I explained to them that since I live 1000 miles away from the bride, I would not be going in to their store to get alterations and all of the sudden they were fine with me getting size X. X is still 8 sizes larger then my wedding dress but I figure if that’s the way said designer sizes then so be it though I’m fearful that alterations may cost more then the dress itself…
sorry, bridal industry rant over…
With regards to sizing in the “everyday” wear industry, it’s gotten so that I can no longer buy clothes online because everyone’s sizes are so all over the place. The only ones I’ve found that tend to run “true to size” are sporting-type companies like Patagonia, Horny Toad, etc.
Yeah jeans are tough. I find that MENs Levis 501s buttonfly fit me great (yes MENS jeans). But women’s jeans that fit my thighs and small waist? forget it. Major exercise in frustration. Stretch jeans are the way to go.
BF wonders why I buy virtually all my clothes at Mexx - I like their style and I understand their sizing.
I find it really frustrating when I try to go shopping. I feel like I am some kind of freak because often I can’t find clothes that are small enough for me. I have to buy nice clothes for work, but most stores that sell these types of clothes have made the size 0 more like what a 4 used to be. So I just wear baggy pants with a belt cinched up tight. Like everyone else has said, it is inconsistant between different brands and even within a brand it depends on the style you are buying.
It is very nice of you to buy something for your wife. Try to get as close to the size as you can and make sure to save a receipt.
I’d suggest finding something from a brand she already has a few items from. Get the same size she already has. I find that most brands are pretty good about having the sizing be the same throughout the brand, and if she already has a few items from that designer/manufacturer, she probably likes that brand.
For many people the only answer is a sewing machine. My sister is very short so she has to adjust/hem everything. When we got her a machine we never though she would use it (she was a slacker 10 years ago) but now she’s pretty expert and can’t live without it.
a good clue is the type/expense level of the store you are ordering online from. department stores online ( bigger, cheaper) will tend to have bigger sizes - aka your small wife will def be a small. Store that are high end, high fashion (think cache, even victorias secret) will tend to run smaller, since most of the people buying from those stores are more on the skinny side than the heavy side. There she’d be more likely to be a medium perhaps.
I wear a size 2 or 4 and have never had to size up to 10 or 18! Most women know what size they wear in what stores. At Banana Republic, even the size 2 pants are too big, I have to go to 0. If I’m shopping Title9 (my favorite) most of the size 4 stuff fits (prana, horny toad). When I’m shopping in a teeny bop store like Abercrombie or Hollister–nothing fits! My thighs are muscular and evidently teen girls have small legs:) I wouldn’t get hung up on size. If she is small, order the smaller size. She can always return it.
some way to coordinate clothing sizes with body measurements like they do with guys
ha, sure, like the “32in waist” pants that are actually 34, or even 35 sometimes (especially in the various ‘comfort’ cuts): nowadays rather than just grabbing the ‘usual’ size when I buy a pair of jeans I have to try at least 3-4 minimum to find one that fits (not that looks good, that fits period) and they supposedly are all the same size. I think guy clothing is fast becoming like gal clothing in terms of sizes.
And to the OP, I strongly suggest keeping your ears open for any mention of ‘oh, this pair of pants fits me so well’ and then get out your tape measurer next time you’re doing the laundry or something: size is very advisory, but if you’re in a store and you know that the inseam should be x, the thigh circumference y, the waist z, and the ‘hip’ q, you’ll have a much better chance at finding something that fits vs if you just went by average sizes. Same thing for tops (sleeve length, waist, chest, etc.)…
Imagine shopping for clothes like fitting her for a bike over email and it should all come together
