This is my mini-rant about women's clothing!

[azmouse]

The sizes are all screwed up!! Really!! And it's driving me nuts! :banghead:

So I went to look at clothing this morning. I'm the same weight I was 6-7 yrs ago and I have polo shirts I bought that many years ago and they still fit just fine. So why do I need to go up 3 sizes... yes! 3 sizes to get the same fit.
Ok, so I don't like my clothes to fit skin tight and that seems to be the style today. But I'm not wearing things that look like tents either. I just like a soft fit with a little room for movement.
Most of the tops and blouses for women look like they should be hanging in the children's dept. If American's are truly getting fatter the way we're told why are they making clothes smaller and smaller?

[MissMillie]

1. you'll be told that the clothes are actually larger

I've been told that today there are "vanity" sizes. So Marilyn Monroe who wore a 12 in her day, would wear a 4 today--or something like that.

[azmouse]

2. I think that might be true with pants and maybe dresses

but blouses and tops... they are so freakin' tiny! I've asked my mom and a friend what they thought and they feel the same way. Tops are much smaller than they used to be. They think it's to save fabric and force some women into Women's sizes where clothes cost more.

[DixieBlue]

4. I think a lot depends, too, on where you're shopping.

I'm different sizes different places and I'm about the same weight I've been since I was 22.

But I'm with you on the shirts getting tighter. I was shopping somewhere last fall, can't remember where, but I was trying on t's and polos. I still had t's and polos I'd bought from there the year before, the same size, that fit well or were loose. The new polos/t's that were that size were def. smaller. It's frustrating. My SO hates when I go shopping because I always come back a wreck.

[azmouse]

7. That why I try to shop in the morning.

I have the whole day to recover from the experience. I did find a few things but it's so frustrating.

[SeattleGirl]

10. It is frustrating. I swear, some stores use funhouse mirrors in the

dressing rooms. I can get dressed to go shopping, look at myself before I leave, think I look okay. Then, I get into the dressing room, and damned near burst into tears. It's as if between the house and the store, I gained 50 pounds. :cry:

Penneys is the absolute worst for mirrors. Any more, I go try something on and if it feels right, I'll get it, but I don't look in the mirror with it on until I get home.

[azmouse]

13. OMG! I've noticed that too.

Clothes never look right in the store's mirrors. I try to take a friend with me when I can so I can get an honest opinion of how the clothes look. Don't worry. I take a long-time friend so she knows I won't be angry if she says I look like a lump of potatoes. :) LOL

[SeattleGirl]

15. Good idea, azmouse.

Better the opinion of a trusted friend than a traitorous mirror. :-)

[DixieBlue]

17. I've been known to breakdown in Penneys dressing rooms ...

They have the worst mirrors ever! I can feel totally fine going into the store but I feel like a pachyderm going out.

[SeattleGirl]

19. Yup.

OTOH, Nordstrom mirrors are pretty good.

[EFerrari]

47. Fluorescent lighting makes everyone look dead. It's not you.

That's one reason I don't put myself through that. It's just sadistic!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

27. So it's not just me!

That explains why the "large" blouses I bought this year are tighter than the "medium" blouses I bought five years ago. :lightbulb:

[crim son]

25. You are exactly right.

I am not a misses but a junior's pants size 11 - 13 now, whereas in the old days I was a misses size eight. Dresses, size four. But tops? Large or extra-large. I think the idea is we are supposed to wear the things clinging so tightly to our torso that under fine fabric the outline of a freckle can be perceived. The young girls do it, no matter what their body type but unless I'm dancing I'm not interested in that kind of exposure.

[Bridget Burke]

24. Snopes said Marilyn was probably close to today's Size 12 (at her "fattest")

The rumor? She was size 16.

www.snopes.com/movies/actors/mmdress.htm

[Pithlet]

3. Fortunately, that trend is showing signs of reversing.

It's particularly a problem with lower end stuff. I blame it on the infernal low-rise pants/belly shirt fad. For the past 8 years or so it seemed tops were getting smaller and shorter. Trying to find a top that didn't fit tight and reached down to the waistline was almost an exercise in futility unless you went up a couple sizes, and then the cut wasn't right. It seems like the cut of clothing is getting looser and tops are long again now that the L-RP/BS fad is on the way out. Thank God.

[azmouse]

9. That makes a lot of sense.

I think it's also a problem for women my age. I'm 45 and don't want to dress like a teenager but I don't want to dress like my 68 yr old mother either. It seems the stores don't have a lot of classy clothes for women my age.

[Pithlet]

16. Yep. There aren't as many options for us as there used to be.

I'm in the same boat as you. I'm 34 so I'm definitely out of the juniors market, but I'm not ready to look matronly yet by any stretch. There used to be stores for us, but more and more they're catering to the younger crowd, unless they're upscale. I find I have to pay a lot more now for the look I want, which means I don't buy as much.

[EFerrari]

51. That's interesting. I have been treating myself to a post divorce

new wardrobe and I shop at stores that cater to jrs even though I'm 5'6+ and 130 lbs.

But I definitely have to SHOP harder than I used to, buying for the same body type/size.

Most of the clothes I see seems to be made for eleven yr old anti-gravitational girls.


I hadn't thought about the pricing. Duh.

[tigereye]

106. exactly!

thank you for saying what I have been thinking for, oh, about a decade!

:yourock:

[SharonRB]

26. Nice avatar!

:hi:

[Pithlet]

28. Looks better on you, though.

:hi:

[SharonRB]

30. Are you an alum?

Go Blue!

[Pithlet]

32. No, just a big fan.

My mom is, and I grew up watching the Wolverines with her. BCS, schmeeCS, they're the champs. Go Blue! Are you an alum? Great school. If I could go back and do it all again, I'd go there.

[SharonRB]

39. Yes, I am

Graduated in '71 (guess that gives away my age!). We still go to football games.

[dropkickpa]

80. In defense of low rise

I have a REALLY short waist (well, I'm really short too), so when they started doing the low-rise thing, I was ecstatic. I can now purchase jeans that DON'T sit right under my boobs (hello mom-jeans http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3rA2jOGhGw ), but rather at or just below my waist! I'd buy ultra low for an inch lower, but they don't make those with enough booty coverage (the infamous "crack gap"). But the belly top shirts? YUCK! I am big on top, and whenever I'd try those on, the front rides about 3-4" higher than the back. NOT a flattering look. 99% of my shirts are men's shirts for this reason.

[Castilleja]

82. Yes! Short waist + Low rise = Great!

I'm with you, I like the lower rise pants, but not too low. I don't care for the tiny and short little shirts, either.

[Pithlet]

83. I actually don't mind low-rise myself for the same reason

as long as I can find shirts that are long enough. Low-rise doesn't actually fall so low on me, either, but I still risk showing bit much every time I bend over if my shirt is too short. I think part of the reason shirts were getting so short is because they felt we were all going for the ass-crack look.

[SeattleGirl]

5. I know what you mean!

The clothes in my closet still fit, but I go shopping and to find something now that will fit me, I have to go to Omar the Tentmaker, and even HE is making clothes smaller and smaller. :banghead:

[Zookeeper]

6. Yes, I've been purchasing larger shirts lately, too....

because the style has been short and tight. I don't mind a little shape, but I don't want to feel confined. And after all these years "they" still make some women's pants without pockets. (You can tell I'm not part of designers' target market.)

Yesterday, I found two great shirts from the young men's department. Not baggy, not tight. Perfect length. Retro western/cowboy style...in black...at 50% off. :woohoo:

[azmouse]

11. I've considered trying the men's dept too.

For sportswear it could be a good idea.

[Momgonepostal]

8. I just bought my 11 year old daughter a fleece jacket...

"warm-up" style. It was her first piece of clothing from the women's section, a size small. She decided the extra small fit too snugly to give her any growing room. The kicker is, my daughter is about 4'10" and weighs about 70 pounds. No wonder the thing was on clearance for less than $5. :crazy:

[azmouse]

14. I've noticed that the only items left on the sales racks

are small and extra small.
You'd think the retailers would get a clue that the other sizes sell better. :shrug:

[Kat45]

37. I have the same problem as you, but in reverse:

For me, the only items left on the sales racks are large and extra large! :shrug:
I'm only 5'1" so that doesn't work for me.

[EFerrari]

52. I think we all need to be reintroduced to sewing machines.

I know this may sound silly but when I made my own clothes, lol, I didn't have these damn problems.

They've made it too expensive to do that now. We don't have the time, skill or $ to buy materials. In the early 70s, as a young mom, I still could. :shrug:

[Pithlet]

66. I can remember when some family members sewed clothes.

I remember going with them as a kid to shop for Breck patterns. I remember the big sewing machine that folded into a table that my grandmother had. No one does that anymore. I've actually thought about learning to sew myself, but you're right, it's expensive nowadays.

[EFerrari]

71. It's way more expensive than buying off the rack.

And, we don't figure in the cost of our time. When I had my chops up, I could whip out a skilt or a shirt in a couple of hours and it was fun in a way. A chore, but you could make it fun.

Now, the fabric alone is more expensive than the whole item we need to buy. Argh.

[lildreamer316]

102. It's a shame they don't use fabric for flour sacks anymore.

Down at my grandmother's house that my cousins are living in; there is still a closet full of stacked fabric from flour sacks. Pretty cotton patterns; they are. My mother used to tell of the embarassment of wearing dresses made of that to school. I suppose it could be embarrassing; but if they were made in the latest style; who would know these days? "special mail order"!!

[ThomCat]

18. That is a sad comentary on the sizing of women's clothes.

If a 70 lb girl is wearing something larger than the smallest size then the sizes are too damned small to be realistic.

[Momgonepostal]

23. And this is the women's section

the clothes are allegedly made for adult sized people. So should the smallest size even fit someone who weighs 70 pounds? How many adult women, not on their death beds or living in concentration camps weigh 70 pounds?

[schmuls]

12. Right on Azmouse! Why did I weigh 35 pounds less in High School

and yet now after losing 20 pounds wear 2 sizes less than High School? The previous poster was correct - clothing now being made larger and sized smaller!! Confusing!

[1gobluedem]

20. And why do they have to put lyrca in EVERYTHING?

Even button down shirts have a 'stretchy fit' now. I don't want lycra in my t-shirts, button down shirts, skirts, and sweaters. I loathe clingy clothes.

[azmouse]

21. And that lycra means the shirt can't be put in the dryer...

unless you want the shirt 2 sizes smaller. I end up putting a lot of my shirts on drying racks over the tub so they stay the same size.

[1gobluedem]

22. I air dry all of mine

I only have about three shirts I put in the dryer. Not because of lycra; mostly for length. My dryer shrinks stuff.

[LostinVA]

112. Lycra in JEANS????

Ugh.

[skippysmom]

29. Sizes are so frustrating

I hear a lot about vanity sizing, which may hold true for some items of clothing like jeans. After all, I have gained some weight since I graduated from college over a decade ago and still wear the same size jeans.

However, I have found that buying any item of clothing that involves the top half of my body -- shirts, blouses, jackets, etc. -- I have to go up a couple of sizes. They are too tight in the armholes, too narrow in the shoulders, and always far too short. I've picked up shirts in size large that look like they would be a better fit for my cat. I've been trying to find a new long wool coat to replace the one I bought in the mid-90s and I can't find anything that fits me remotely as well. And it's a size 12 -- today it would probably be in the plus sizes!

The funny thing is, every time I read posts on blogs or message boards on finding clothes that fit, it seems that women of all sizes and ages can't find clothes they like. So who are they designing these clothes for?

[azmouse]

33. I'm so glad I started this thread.

It's been like a sanity check for me. So many women are having the same problems with clothes. It's reassuring to know it's not just me.

Clothes seem to go through so many changes each year. Some years I can find clothes I like but most years (especially the last few years) it's been a real struggle to find simple, classy clothes.

[smirkymonkey]

41. So am I - I thought I was going crazy.

I still fit into 6's and 8's of sized I purchased only a few years ago (or mediums) and now I am at least a size bigger in newer clothes. I have a big bust, so I don't know if they are only designing for teenage bodies or if the clothes are shrinking, but it's really depressing.

I can't ever find anything I like - the manufacturers think everyone wants to look like a slutty teenager. :grr:

[EFerrari]

43. Maybe because they are being made in China?

I wonder if having most of our clothes made in a place where people in general tend to be smaller has something to do with it.

:crazy:

It's not like there's a shortage of lycra in the world.

[lildreamer316]

49. Pssst..

Believe it or not; I have had really good luck with Speigel/Newport News for sweaters and coats. No clue why. I have a swimmer's chest and not small boobs(36 to 38C); so I have to wear a large or extra-large even though I'm not "overweight"or whatever it's supposed to be. I know it sounds like a big chance; but I was pleasantly suprised. The larges were Large. The X Larges were really Large--like they are supposed to be. Roomy.
Good luck.

[skippysmom]

97. I'll have to try that

I also have a swimmer's chest and largish boobs and have almost given up! Thanks for the tip!

[NewWaveChick1981]

31. I have the same rant...

:grr: A size 8 in one style is NOT a size 8 in another, and it doesn't translate from one manufacturer to another. And button-up shirts used to be fine on me, but not any more. You're right; they should be in the kids' section because they make no allowances for female attributes.

I wear a size 8 now in most (but not all) things. That same size would have been a 10 in the 80s.

[azmouse]

34. I hate having to try on every item of clothing

because all of it fits differently.

I get jealous of my husband. I can buy his clothes for him and it doesn't matter who the manufacturer is.
It all fits the same. aaarrgghh!

[EFerrari]

56. It must be some kind of scam. Because, I don't need to try anything on.

I can look at it and know if it will fit or not. The numbers go all over the place but my eye is usually right.

They really jerk women consumers around. :mad:

[Mrs.Matcom]

35. I agree!

I had to go out and buy tank tops and tee shirts to wear under my dress shirts, because I can't button them closed! If I buy an extra large, then I look like I am pregnant. Everything is so clingy, I work in a bank and I do dress business casual, but still...It's a BANK!! I don't want my girls popping out or getting mashed! I only order online and try on in my house if it doesn't fit, I send it back. At least I am comfortable in my own house with a mirror I trust! :hug:

[Nikia]

36. I usually have to try things on

Jeans and pants are bad enough with different brands and styles fitting differently. It isn't that they all have the same sizes, but just a sliding scale. Some brands and styles are made for taller or shorter people. They also vary in their hip to waist measurements.
As for shirts, I am usually somewhat safe if I get a size medium shirt. Shirts vary hugely though. Sometimes I wear small shirts that fit on me the same way that large shirts in other brands fit. I also found out that I have big shoulders because some even at my thinnest, some medium button up shirts did not allow arm movement even though I am neither tall or large framed.
I do think that women vary more than men in body type but perhaps there should be measurements on clothing rather than arbitrary size.

[greatauntoftriplets]

38. J Jill clothing is cut generously...

They're not cheap, but they have great sales and styles.

http://www.jjill.com/

I also like the fact that their catalog models look like real people...thin ones, but some even have grey hair.

[Pithlet]

44. They sometimes have good sales.

Good suggestion. I've been happy with their stuff.

[EFerrari]

53. I'll have to try that. I don't buy much or very often and only like

sort of basic things -- to have. To look at in windows, that's something else. :)

But to buy to use, my needs are pretty simple. It's good to hear about something new that might work without making me wish I had fur already. lol

[EFerrari]

40. That part just cycles over and over - too big, too small. That will always happen.

It's how the fashion industry jerks itself awake every nine months or so.

What I really hate is NO POCKETS!

What the heck am I supposed to do with my keys and cigs and dog treats and all those things I ferry from one end of this little world to the other?

Why can't women be allowed to have POCKETS? Sometimes I don't want to use a whole hand or to screw up my spine with a damn handbag. And, Rhett seems to be late.

:wtf: We INVENTED pockets and now we can't have them?

:rofl:

[greatauntoftriplets]

45. I hate no pockets, too!!!

I like to carry a Chapstick and at work I need a slide card to get entry to the building.

[EFerrari]

48. Really, there's this fantasy at work that women do nothing with their hands

and so, need no pockets!

I have a whole mini sewing bar set up to sew POCKETS into my clothes. Argh!

We constantly are taking something to someone or holding something for someone or otherwise being handed something we didn't ask for! Okay, I'll work on saying "No!" In the meantime, I need a pocket!

[tigereye]

107. I won't buy clothes without pockets....

[malta blue]

42. I had to order a bridesmaid dress

4 sizes larger than what I normally wear, and pay an extra $150 for the plus size (which I do not wear) and another $60 for being too tall (I'm 5'7").

:grr:
I hear ya....

[Nikia]

46. My mother order me a bridesmaid dress for her wedding

I had never tried it on until the day of the wedding. I barely could get the zipper up because it was so tight a couple inches below my breasts where my ribs stick out. She gave me a hard time about being fat since I barely could fit into it, being size 8.
For some reason I kept it. When I became very thin, I tried it on. The dress was much bigger on me in general but was most form fitting in the same place. It was the smallest part of the dress. I realized that the whole dress design was odd really wouldn't fit most body types. Who is thinnest a couple inches below their breasts? If it would fit at that spot, the person wearing it would probably have it hanging baggy in other areas.
It seemed as though it was made to be altered.

[Left Is Write]

50. That's about right for bridesmaids dresses/bridal gowns.

[SeattleGirl]

55. I'm also 5'7", and to get pants long enough, I sometimes have

to pay $60 to $90 for a pair, because my legs are long. Sheesh, not EVERY woman is a petite! :grr:

[EFerrari]

57. Are you serious? I'm about that height, too. But, I guess I only buy jeans

as I work at home and don't need suit or other kinds of pants. Man. :mad:

[greatauntoftriplets]

58. I know the feeling......

I am 5' 10" and my height is in my legs. Sometimes I buy men's pants because they are the only ones long enough for me!

[EFerrari]

60. My best friend is 5'11 and I don't know how she manages it

but she dresses beautifully. Not fancy or eye-catching exactly, but when you look at her, you're glad you did.

I have a hard enough time just being an AVERAGE height -- with short jacket sleeves or pant lengths and a below average interest in the whole enterprise.

[SeattleGirl]

68. One of my sisters is 5'11", and very, very slender.

She has a very difficult time finding pants that fit her! You'd think she could, 'cause lots of models are tall and slender, but noooooo! "Regular" women like her have a difficult time.

She has been able to find jeans at the country clothing store (she calls it "The Weed 'n' Feed" :rofl: ). She works in a hospital, so doesn't have to worry about work clothes. Our mom makes her scrubs for her, so she's okay there.

[EFerrari]

72. Great, so women actually shaped like models can't buy clothes that fit them.

:crazy:

[SeattleGirl]

78. Yeah, go figure THAT one out.

Drives my poor sis insane!

[BluePatriot]

99. My husband has the same problem

...why why WHY can't they make tall jeans in anything but cowboy cut? 32x36 isn't that odd a size, is it?

I lucked out and found him a 32x34 pair of Arizona dark-washed jeans. He was so happy. He is sick of Wrangler and Lee.

Dress slacks in 32x36 do not exist. He owns one pair of tailored suit slacks and an irregular pair of 32x34 khaki Dockers. The rest, jeans. At least he does not need nice work clothes.


edit: he's 6'4 and 135 lbs.

[lildreamer316]

104. Mine too. Every now and then I can find them at

Aeropostale or even Gap--I find 33X34 and even sometimes a 33X36. It takes a bit of hunitng but they are out there. Sometimes they can even send them from another store.

[Left Is Write]

59. I'm on the cusp. I'm 5'4"- right on the border of petites.

I am not, however, a petite. I'm short-waisted and have comparatively long legs for my height. Getting the right rise to the right inseam length can be a challenge.

[SeattleGirl]

67. Wow, you DO have a challenge.

Petite sizes probably work for shirts, tops, etc. But finding pants has to be a challenge!

[Left Is Write]

69. Petites don't usually work for tops either, because my arms are long.

I'm a freak. :)

[EFerrari]

75. No, you're not. My mom has always had the same problem and

she's got lovely proportions.

These clothes are obviously made for 10 year olds who aren't scary to the old bald guys who sign the checks.

lol

[LibDemAlways]

85. I'm just about 5'4" too and buying pants is

a literal pain in the butt. Petite makes me look like I'm up for high tide, and regular sizes are cut so that the knees hit me mid calf. I dread dressing rooms.

[LostinVA]

113. Join the club on that

[stanwyck]

81. I'm 5'7", also, and I've found

that Penney's and Express have short, medium, and tall for each size. So, you can buy a size 10 tall -- which I do. I have long legs for my height and I often wear boots with a high heel with pants. So, I need the tall size -- which fits perfectly. And the pants at Penneys and Express aren't expensive.
I wish women's sizing would be more like men's -- based on the waist measurement and the inseam. Then, you could buy a 29" waist with a 34" inseam. Or whatever. But, no, all size 10s get the same inseam. If you're a short size 10, you go to the tailor and get your pants hemmed. If you're a leggy size 10....you hope the pant runs long or you wear flats.
Silly.
Try Penney's or Express and look for your size -- in tall.
Good luck.

[lildreamer316]

103. Oh! I'm 5'7". Another store I use is Lerner New York.

I actually got suit pants and a jacket to match from there that fit. You might want to check them out...part of the Limited line of stores.

[skygazer]

54. I went shopping recently for work pants

I tried on 3 different brands and found that in each brand, a different size fit me. The ones I bought are 3 sizes larger than what I normally wear and what I already have at home that fit me.

Makes no sense. There should be standardized sizing.

[Pithlet]

61. They need to size like they do for men's clothes, especially pants.

All my husband has to do is know his waist and inseam measurements, and he can go into the store, grab pants with those measurements and he's done. He doesn't even have to try them on. Heck, he sometimes tells me to just grab a pair for him if I'm going out. And they always fit.

[skygazer]

63. Actually these WERE men's pants

I normally get them for work because they wear better and the pockets are deeper. I normally wear a 31 waist - I found sizes ranging from 31 to 34 that fit me. I grudgingly bought the 34's because they were the best price but I sure hated buying something that "big."

[Pithlet]

65. Yikes

Men aren't safe from shrinking clothes size, either. When will the manufacturer's learn?

[Skittles]

62. YES

I wear a size SIX but I have to buy my shirts "EXTRA LARGE" - WTF!!!

[Elaine]

64. I hate shopping for shirts

Jeans I can find in my size and they look good, shoes in my crazy size and width I can find.. but shirts, they are either too tight or look like a potato sack when I put them on. I HATE shopping for shirts!

[EFerrari]

73. Welcome to Du, Elaine.

:hi:

[SeattleGirl]

79. Hi Elaine! Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[Pacifist Patriot]

70. Sizes mean nothing, 3 sizes on either side.

I kid you not.

[XemaSab]

74. When I went shopping for a rain jacket

all the extra large jackets were both too tight and too bunchy at the same time, and the only jacket in the whole store I could find that fit was a size small! :cry:

[EFerrari]

76. Find a different damn store.

:mad:

[XemaSab]

77. It's the same manufacturers in every store

Colombia, marmot, helly hanson, etc. :P

[LibDemAlways]

84. My 14-year-old daughter is a big girl - not

fat - just tall and broad shouldered. A trip to the teen department of Macys is a nightmare. My sister-in-law bought her a "Roxy" jacket for Christmas - size L - too small. We returned it and she received $31.00 credit to buy something else. Could not find a single top or jacket in the entire deparment that fit. All were teeny tiny and clingy - apparently designed for anorexics. Ridiculous.

[EFerrari]

86. We must have bought the same jacket and you're right.

And I'm not all that tall or broad shouldered. It's tight through the shoulders and feels like a straight jacket.

What an awful thing to do to teen girls. :mad:

[LibDemAlways]

87. Yep, and try and convince the teenager it's not

her fault that the clothes are too snug. Not easy.

She has 8th grade graduation coming up in June and I'm already dreading looking for a dress.

[EFerrari]

91. Do you have a college close to you? I'd find out where the women

there shop for cool clothes and DUMP Macy's. I remember there were several shops across the street from Cal that offered pretty things that you could MOVE in. And there's the value added of shopping where the college kids shop. :shrug:

Urban Outfitter's, for example, has several brands that also try to straight jacket women but they also carry things that a healthy woman with joints and shoulders could wear, too.

[LibDemAlways]

93. When the local mall opened years ago there were

four different anchor department stores and a bunch of small clothing boutiques. Now there's only Macys - and the selection is crap. The smaller stores have all closed or been replaced by chains like The Gap - which is also full of size 0. My daughter's at the age where she favors band t-shirts from Hot Topic, so no problem there. However, there isn't a store nearby that has a cool dress that would fit and look good on her. Probably time to get ahold of some pattern books and hire a dressmaker!

[EFerrari]

94. That's a good idea. I learned to sew because at the time, that was

the only way we could afford to dress me. Mom was really struggling during those years.

And, it was funny because I learned that design was the coolest thing, that I was good with tools and machines and that there are always enough random objects laying around so you don't actually have to pin to cut out your pattern. lol

/oops

[LibDemAlways]

95. I am totally unable to sew. Can't even

stitch a hem. Pitiful, I know. In 8th grade we had to make an apron in "home ec" class, and mine was so awful my mom took pity on me, tore it apart, and redid it so I'd have something acceptable to hand in! You are fortunate not to be intimidated by the process.

I think I'll ask my daughter to sketch out what she wants and see about getting it made. No way am I going to rely on the pathetic stores around here to have something appropriate. That of course is another problem. Most "special occasion" dresses for teens look like they belong on escort service employees.

[azmouse]

88. I started noticing that tightness across the shoulders

a few years ago. The manufacturers have changed how sleeves are attached. So if you keep your arms down at your sides the blouse or jacket lays smooth. But God forbid you actually want to move your arms or lift them up. That's when you see there is no movement built into the clothes. I have broad shoulders so I always have to make sure the sleeves are big enough and the back is cut wide to have enough room for movement.

[AlCzervik]

98. me too, same exact problem, i wear about an 8 or 10 on the bottom

but for shirts i always need to go 2 sizes up for the shoulders and then the rest of it hangs like a frigging tent.

[BluePatriot]

101. Getting out my sweaters for the cold weather...

i realized this about my juniors' dept. sweaters. They are cut like boxes. The one I am wearing today bares my midriff if I move! I love hubby, he got me some cashmere sweaters when they were on a doorbuster sale at Kohls for Christmas, and I never knew a sweater could fit so well. I guess the answer is just to hold out for higher quality items or check out the clearance areas of dept stores for decent stuff.

[tigereye]

108. yeah, I wondered what was up with that

all my older jackets are not cut like that.


I don't understand it. There are thousands of designers and clothing stores. There are millions of women who are not models. Most women are a size 14 (or so I have read)

Why in God's name can't someone make clothes that fit real women, in all their complexity???!!!

It's damned infuriating.

(Chico's isn't bad, though.) They have those 0,1,2 sizes.

[azmouse]

110. Are those the 0, 1, 2 sizes that are really 14 or 16?

That could be fun!

[tigereye]

111. yes, I think so (unless things have changed)

they have nice styles, too.


A friend dragged me into Anne Taylor not so long ago, and they had some nice things and not as expensive as you would think.

[Sparkly]

89. I find that's true in the Jr's department especially

Tops with any stretch are incredibly small -- I get the largest sizes and they're still snug. But the "vanity sizing" is definitely true on bottoms. I used to be a 6/7, now I'm a 2/3, and I'm sure I'm no smaller.

Maybe the manufacturers think we'd like buying clothes that are large on top, and small on the bottom? I dunno. But I reeeeally wish there would be some uniform industry standards for clothes sizing -- same goes for shoes!!

[azmouse]

90. I have shoes in every size from 8 to 10.

If anything was a standard size you'd think it would be shoes.

[GirlinContempt]

92. It's happening in mens, too. However

a huge amount depends on fabric and cut. Each designer or line usually has their own set of sizing, and within that it can fluctuate by cut, fabric, style. While I too find it frustrating (especially since depending on what it is, I can go between about 4 different sizes) I also have designed and fitted garments, and it can be very difficult. Women are nearly always harder to fit than men with a far wider variation in proportion, height, and also style. The fact that people are far less likely than before to get anything altered means that often lines are going for a niche market and basing sizing and fit on that niche, best they can. Some clothing is getting bigger, when I go to the US to shop my size drops down lower than it is here. Yet, in mens things, anything that isn't waist/chest measurement sized I find wacky. I have mens stuff in s/m, and mens stuff in xl that all fits.
One of the biggest boons in clothing shopping is knowing your own measurements, and even taking a tape measure with you, learning to eye things for size, and figuring out through trial and error what cuts and fabrics fit which way.

[caty]

96. It's all about the $$$

If you compare the prices of tee's and other tops, you will find that the one's on the women's dept. cost more than the ones in the misses dept. They have adjusted the sizes of women's clothing so that more women will buy from the women's dept. They make more money that way.
I try to find tops in XL in the misses dept. because I don't like tight fitting clothes and because these tops will shrink a little. I also have bought tees and sports tops in the men's dept. A lot of women buy men's tops because of the fit.

[ChoralScholar]

100. Sometimes I buy Khaki slacks

for my kids who can't afford them for their choir uniform. I hate buying for the girls. Not only do they never know what size they wear, it wouldn't matter if they did. 10? 10 what? Petite, Regular, Womens, Ladies, Juniors, Misses, Girls?

I rest my case. I wear a size 44 pants. Chances are, if you find pants with a 44 on them, I can wear them. That makes sense.

[mark414]

105. the solution to this problem is quite obvious

from now on, women should just refrain from wearing clothing B-)

[azmouse]

109. You must be a Ferengi.

Maybe when the weather is warmer I'll consider joining Camp Sunshine but until then... well, clothes are a must. :)