Tag Archives: sizing

And Here We Thought Women’s Sizing Was Messed Up

Leonora EpsteinSeptember 8, 2010 //

Clothing sizing drives me insane because it gives designers a God-like upper hand in defining you. Helmut Lang likes to compliment me by allowing me to squeeze into a 2 from time to time, but Alexander Wang basically thinks I’m obese. Turns out designers are no kinder to men, and there’s all sorts of lying going on in the menswear sizing department. Apparently, there’s a huge discrepancy in the sizing of men’s pants, which often display a far smaller waist measurement than their actual measurement. An Esquire blogger made this handy chart to spell out just how honest and dishonest retailers are. The biggest liar: Old Navy, whose jeans (advertised for a 36-inch waist) physically measure five inches larger at 41 inches. We feel for you, dudes. [Esquire via Gawker] Keep reading »

Petit Bateau Sizes Its Clothes By “Years,” Stops At Age 18/20

Leonora EpsteinAugust 10, 2010 //

French clothing company Petit Bateau is famous for their adorable children’s clothing and mastery of the marinière striped shirt. And although the brand is largely focused on its younger audience, there is adult merchandise that’s ever-popular with the ladies in France (and here as well). Have you ever noticed, however, that Petit Bateau’s sizing for its “adult” wares is, well, unconventional, shall we say? Click on the “women’s” section of the website and you can choose from the smallest size, 14 years old, to the largest, 20 years old. On the French version of the website, in the merchandise for “adultes,” female sizing stops at “18 ans” or “20 ans.” (“Ans” means “years” in French, as you’ve probably guessed.)
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Same Size, Different Fit: Why I Can’t Buy Clothes Without Trying Them On

Catherine StrawnOctober 14, 2009 //

I have often regretted not buying more than one pair of a beloved style of jeans, or the same shoe in brown as well as black. Because sometimes, when you find something good, it’s good to have a backup so you can wear your favorites all the time without worrying about them falling apart. So, lately I’ve been buying the same thing twice. Only it hasn’t been working out for me.

Two weeks ago, I finally found a pair of skinny-ish jeans that worked on me — a feat, to be sure (Madewell ’37s, if you’re on the hunt). On the way to the register, I picked up a pair in black since I liked the dark denim ones I had tried on so much. But when I got home, I couldn’t even get the black pair on, let alone zip and button them. Even though the label on the jeans said they were the same size, the dark blue ones fit and the black ones did not. Keep reading »

A 4 Here, A 6 There: Does Designer Sizing Disturb You Too?

Leonora EpsteinSeptember 15, 2009 //

It being Fashion Week and all, it’s a bit inevitable that we’re thinking about size. As much fun as it is to watch beautiful designs come down the runway, there’s always the underlying thought, Wonder if that would fit me?

And so, we’re getting hung up on how designer sizes are never consistent! You know the dilemma: You pick up a garment to take to the dressing room and find with horror that some designer “expert” has decided to tell you, “Dear Shopper, you are actually a size 1,000 XXXXL.” Why do so many designers size down their clothing? (Seems like a bad marketing tactic.) But then again, there’s always the secret joy of finding labels that make you think you’ve just magically lost 30 pounds.

After the jump, our experiences behind the dressing room door. Share your own experiences in the comments! Keep reading »