What do you think of vanity sizing?

[Veritaserum]

You know, the sizing that labels a size 10 as a size 6 or a size 6 as a size 2, etc. Poll to follow.

[Garga]

It's irritating to have to keep track of which size fits in which store.

 

It's manipulative and I resent it.

[Crimson Wife]

It is super-annoying for those of us who are naturally petite. There is something majorly wrong with the fact that my sewing pattern size is a 12 while my ready-to-wear size is a 4 or even sometimes a 2.

[ThatCyndiGirl]

It makes about as much sense as Vanity Grading. ("Let's give 'em all A's so nobody feels bad about themselves!")

[LauraGB]

I think it completely stinks. It makes shopping an even more of a Pita experience than it already is. I really don't care what size I am, as long as I'm always that size, no matter what brand or which store.

 

That's why I like shoes. I am always an 8 (well, since my pregnancy, anyway).

[grace'smom]

I don't know why they don't do our pants like they do men's pants: waist size by inseam. Then we'll all get a good reality check with our shopping.

[Veritaserum]

It is super-annoying for those of us who are naturally petite. There is something majorly wrong with the fact that my sewing pattern size is a 12 while my ready-to-wear size is a 4 or even sometimes a 2.

 

There are some women who have been "sized out" by vanity sizing! I know there actually are size 2s and size 0s walking around, but I'm not one of them. I'm happy with my body (mostly :tongue_smilie:), so it's simply irksome to not be able to order a certain size (based on measurements) and be done with it.

 

I think I'm a size 6 because I recently lost 10 lbs. and my size 8s are loose, but some size charts put my measurements as a size 2 or 4. :glare: Since I never make it to a clothing store I buy almost all my clothes online. Do I trust the size chart and risk a return? :confused:

[elegantlion]

Hate it, even in vanity sizing I'm not a four, but if my body were considered a four something would be terribly wrong with the world. :glare:

[Paige]

There are some women who have been "sized out" by vanity sizing! I know there actually are size 2s and size 0s walking around, but I'm not one of them.

 

I have been sized out in most stores and it is awful. I really can't shop at 99% of the stores for adult clothes anymore unless I pay extra for alterations. A lot of styles/fabrics, and especially casual clothes, can't be altered. When I was about this size and in 7th-8th grade (almost 20yrs ago!!), I could wear a 5. Now, I can sometimes wear 00 or 0, but a lot of those have become too big these days. I'm really not all that scrawny either.

[AuntieM]

It would be different if you wore a size tag on the outside of your clothes, like a big scarlet letter. But c'mon, who are we really trying to fool when no one sees the tag but the person wearing the clothes?

[kewb]

I chose other because I think it is ridiculous. I do believe there should be some sort of industry standard for sizing but the vanity sizing is just silly.

[radiobrain]

I must be shopping at the wrong stores or something, as I have not noticed this. Except that sometimes, the sizes get B I G G E R.

 

:tongue_smilie:

[Kim in Appalachia]

Clothes should be sold by measurements, the way men's are (though, I know they are not always accurate either!). The size should be what it is supposed to be.

 

I remember when I started sewing and read the sizes on the back of the envelopes. It was a bit of a shock. But it would be so much nicer to know that a size was the same all the time.

 

I do not feel flattered when I need a "smaller size" in the store, I feel stupid for not knowing my size.

[dripdripsplat]

Hate. It. :cursing:

 

I fourteenth the idea of an industry standard!

[Parrothead]

I must be shopping at the wrong stores or something, as I have not noticed this. Except that sometimes, the sizes get B I G G E R.

 

:tongue_smilie:

:iagree:I've never seen this. I shop at Macy's, JCP and Christopher and Bank for the most part. I'm pretty much a size 12 across the board for the past 20 years.

[Tabrett]

There are some women who have been "sized out" by vanity sizing! I know there actually are size 2s and size 0s walking around, but I'm not one of them.

 

This is why I have voted other. I have been "sized out" of the majority of stores. 15 years ago I wore a size 6. I weigh the same now, plus I have a lovely "baby pooch" that is with me for life (unless I miraculously can afford a tummy tuck) and now wear a 0 or 2.

 

I can shop in the junior department, but yuck!:tongue_smilie: Junior department clothes are made very cheaply and are way too trendy for my taste. The only places that carry sizes that fit me are out of my price range, so I end up having to wait till super sale to get clothes at a price I can afford. It is very, very annoying!

[Krista in LA]

Ah, you must be talking about the fact that my teenage dd is the same height and weight as I was at that age with a similar build but only wears a 4 while I wore a 7 or even 9. Yep, sizes have definitely changed but I don't like to think about that with regard to my current size....

[Britomart]

I've been jealous of how easy it is for my husband to buy pants - just find the one that matches his waist measurement and there you go! I would love that, though I think for women it would need to be waist and hip.

 

Sewing was a revelation to me too. I'm a 6 or an 8 in ready-to-wear, but a 14 or 16 when I sew! Still, the idea of being able to easily buy clothes that fit well . . . it'd be worth being a higher size.

[mcconnellboys]

I said I hate it, but I will say this also: back in 1998, when we moved here, my husband had a cousin who was regularly spending the price of a car (a nice one back then) on her yearly wardrobe. She absolutely wanted such sizing. And since I've lived here I've known another woman just like her (although she doesn't spend as much on her clothing)..... so evidently there are enough people who like this make buyers continue to use it.....

[Retired]

I hate it

 

Currently wear

 

 

Gap Size Jeans 4 new in store (I just picked up some old gap jeans at a thrift store that are 100% cotton before the stretch) I can't get into them they are size 6. I would wear the old gap size 8

 

Current

Old Navy jeans and pants Size 6

Walmart sleep ware size 8-10

Kohl's Daisy Fuentes Size 8

 

So I am going that I am a traditional size 8 but vanity size 4:D

 

I just wish I could order online or go to the store without trying on 4 different sizes to get a good fit

[Crissy]

I don't care.

 

Because styles from even a single manufacturer are drastically different, I always buy jeans in person and only after trying them on.

I'm looking for something that is comfortable and flattering. The number on the tag makes no difference to me.

[Dawn in OH]

I don't know why they don't do our pants like they do men's pants: waist size by inseam. Then we'll all get a good reality check with our shopping.

 

 

Every time I have to buy clothes I say the above. They have it so much easier. I know my waist, hip and inseam measurements. I could work with that. I have no idea what each individual store considers a size 5, 7, or 9, or even a S, M, and L anymore. Give me measurements!

 

I just got 2 new pairs of Levi's (thanks Mom for doing the unbearable task of shopping for them!). Both pairs are the same cut, style and size. Both pairs are labeled "short", yet one pair is easily 4 inches longer than the other. :001_huh:

[Melora in NC]

Theoretically I think it is absurd -- an obvious ploy to use my vanity to get me to buy more than I otherwise might. In practice, it is sort of convenient! I've been wearing Levis for about twenty-five years now, and except for a few years when I wore a two (which required way too much exercise and deprivation to keep up forever!), I've worn a size six. The Levis (or, most recently, Old Navy -- they seem to be about the same) keep getting bigger at about the same rate I do. As I said, silly, but it makes buying my jeans easy!

[5kidsforME]

I think it is ridiculous and stupid. Lane Bryant, where I shop, does this. I am fat, I am under no illusion that I am a size 4 or 6 or whatever the heck size they tell me I am when I walk in there.

 

If they truly believe it makes me feel better, for them to resize me to a 1/3 of the size that I actually am, they must think I'm a pathetic moron.

 

Can you tell it pisses me off?? :lol:

[Mejane]

According to Gap, I'm a size 0. What am I, a hologram? :glare:

[Daisy]

In theory, I dislike it.

 

But as someone else mentioned, I don't really notice this.

 

I think it is because I loathe shopping so I buy the same name brands every time. I just want to get in and get out.

[Retired]

According to Gap, I'm a size 0. What am I, a hologram? :glare:

 

You get to be a teenager forever;)

[Paige]

Every time I have to buy clothes I say the above. They have it so much easier. I know my waist, hip and inseam measurements. I could work with that. I have no idea what each individual store considers a size 5, 7, or 9, or even a S, M, and L anymore. Give me measurements!

 

Since I have been sized out of most stores, I always check the size charts for brands before I buy or even go into a store if I can. I know my waist, hips, bust, etc., and it doesn't matter. They lie! Even when you look at the measurements on the size charts they are inaccurate and vanity sized and useless.

[amyrjoy]

Interestingly enough, I discovered I now dislike vanity sizing. I usually wear an 8 but after shopping at kohls the other day, it's a 10. I have not gained weight so why the heck did I have to go up a size? I have a 6 that fits me and everything else is an 8, and now you have me to believe I'm a 10? Kinda depressing when you totally didnt expect that. Grrr.

[gaillardia]

I said other, because I don't know if I even get it.

I weighed more a few years ago and had size 8 dresses and skirts, capris.

Then I bought size 10 jeans, weighing about 10-15 pounds less. Now I weigh less than that and got a pair of new size 12 jeans. Hm.

Vanity sizing, heh. I thought it was a clear paint you put on your vanity...huh? Or a special coating for the inside of oh whatever.:D

No, vanity sizing. Where they tell you the size but it is actually the big thinking they are fitting into the smaller?

YES, I've noticed it more with kids' clothing. duh. I get it now, thanks.

[myfunnybunch]

I voted annoying. Mostly because I hate to shop, and I particularly hate trying on clothes endlessly trying to find something that fits. Bleah. I'd rather just grab my size off the rack, take it to the register and be reasonably sure it will fit well enough.

 

But I have a friend who brags about "still" wearing the same size (as in the number size) she wore in high school. I too wear the same number I wore in high school. But my actual size?? Twenty-five years later, I'm a healthy weight but nowhere near the toothpick I was in high school.

 

Cat

[Audrey]

I hate it. I think it's funny, though, how people keep mentioning the Gap's sizing. I worked at a Gap in high school. In the women's clothes, every size was "big" then -- meaning, if you wore a Gap 8 it was usually a really, really roomy 8. There was a size chart for the public to see, and there was a size chart for us to see. They weren't the same measurements. Men's clothes, on the other hand, were quite accurate, IIRC.

 

I haven't been in a Gap in well over a decade, but it sounds like they're still playing the size games. It was a pain back then (listening to customers insist they weren't THAT size, and then trying to help them find something that actually fits right) and it sounds like it's a pain now. To be honest, I never liked the clothes at the Gap. They really are not very well made and they're ridiculously overpriced for what you get. I later worked for a tailor and learned an awful lot about clothing construction. There, sizing isn't an issue because everything is made for you or altered for you. Well dressed men really have it very easy.

[Food4Thought]

I've also been sized out of most stores - and it annoys me beyond reason! I used to wear a fairly normal 5, sometimes a 7 when I wanted a relaxed fit, but now I'm in 0 or 2 (and the 2 which is the smallest size at Eddie Bauer is still a large 2!). I've stayed the same height, width & weight (except pregnancies) for the last 15 years, but I've been degraded down to Juniors clothes. Boo...

[IsabelC]

I think it's shocking and horrible that to be thought perfect, a woman is supposed to be zero, or nothing. You are only OK if you officially take up no space in teh world. Have we jumped back 50 years? (AFAIK, we don't have that size yet over here. Size 10 is considered ideal by many women, with size 6 being the smallest adult size available in most shops. The average woman is size 12 or 14. So either Aussie shielas are all humungagungous, or the sizes don't correspond.)

 

As for vanity sizing, it's irritating not to know what size is likely to fit you, and it's insulting to women's intelligence if they expect women to take it seriously.

 

In my ideal world, all clothes would be individually made to measure. Realistically, I'd like to see a worldwide standard sizing so that a size x would be the same dimensions in any country and in any brand.

[Peela]

I actually find that most clothes here in Australia, are fairly standard. I often wonder if they have become a little bigger, since I have and I still fit an Australian size 12 as I did 20 years ago...but overall I find there is a consistency.

It would annoy me no end to have inconsistency in sizing.

But...that is obvious isnt it? I am not sure why the question? Wouldnt everyone be annoyed by it? How could one actually enjoy it?

[flyingiguana]

I know exactly what size I am from my sewing patterns. I'd love to walk into a store and know which size to try on from that. Then I could tweak up and down a bit if the fit was a bit off.

 

But, no, I have to try on an entire store to figure which size I happen to be in that store, in that style, on that day. As a result, I shop as little as I possibly can. They may be picking up more business from a few people, but they're losing mine.

 

It must drive the employees crazy to have so many clothes to put away.

[TXMary2]

I find it annoying and I think it is a marketing thing.....that if women try something on and it is a smaller size that fits her, she will buy it.

 

I have jeans in my closet from 15 years ago that don't fit yet, but the same number size in today's stores fits more than comfortably and almost too big.

[Garga]

I just got 2 new pairs of Levi's (thanks Mom for doing the unbearable task of shopping for them!). Both pairs are the same cut, style and size. Both pairs are labeled "short", yet one pair is easily 4 inches longer than the other. :001_huh:

 

I think that's because in the magazines, women wear heels with jeans. Like on a date: you wear your jeans, a cute top, and heels.

 

And a lot of boots come with heels. The jeans are supposed to go all the way to the floor (just a tiny bit of clearance at the bottom), so if you're wearing heels or heeled boots, the jeans need to be longer than if you're wearing sneakers or ballet flats. Of course, FOUR inches are some pretty high heels!

Edited October 13, 2010 by Garga

[Alenee]

I can't make heads or tails out of sizing. I wish there was one standard and that it was based on something real (like actual body measurements).

 

And what is up with the fact that many stores don't sell pants by length for women, but almost always do for men? Yes sometimes they have petite, medium, and tall, but sometimes they are just one length. I hate hemming pants!

 

:iagree: I need the Tall pants and can't seem to find them unless I want to spend an awful amount of money. :glare:

[Mejane]

You get to be a teenager forever;)

 

Yup, just what the world needs: another 50-year-old in ripped skinny jeans and a belly shirt. :D

[Pretty in Pink]

I hate it. I have no idea what size I wear from brand to brand because it's so confusing trying to remember them all. I have to go in the store and pick three sizes to try on just to figure out which one fits. Forget about shopping online.

[Dawn in OH]

I think that's because in the magazines, women wear heels with jeans. Like on a date: you wear your jeans, a cute top, and heels.

 

And a lot of boots come with heels. The jeans are supposed to go all the way to the floor (just a tiny bit of clearance at the bottom), so if you're wearing heels or heeled boots, the jeans need to be longer than if you're wearing sneakers or ballet flats. Of course, FOUR inches are some pretty high heels!

 

I wear mostly heeled boots (although not 4 four inches!). The jeans are still too long, I'm stepping on the backs of them.

 

My biggest issue was that the two pairs are so drastically different in length even though they are the same size.

 

I'm going to have to hem both pairs. I just hope they are still "boot cut" after the hemming. Not because I need the wider cut at the ankle, but because I like the look.

[Dawn in OH]

:iagree: I need the Tall pants and can't seem to find them unless I want to spend an awful amount of money. :glare:

 

Where I live they always have TALLs. It's finding SHORT that's a challenge!

[WarriorMama]

According to Gap, I'm a size 0. What am I, a hologram? :glare:

 

:lol: I hear you. The Gap 0 is too big for me now. So are the zeroes in most adult stores. :confused:

 

I'm also too tall for most junior departments. This leaves me shopping in stores geared for teenagers, where I fight an uphill battle trying to find something that wont make me look trashy. Bah humbug!