What is up with the sizing in shops......

[CurlyTop1980]

So, I decided to 'pop to the shops' to buy a few bits for my holiday. I have lost about 30 kilos over the past two years and am unsure of my current size, so I thought, 'Well, just go and try on.' I haven't bought any new clothes in an age and was surprised.

M&S bras- the ones like Sports Bars, all size 16.

Uniqlo, I bought a dress and 2 t-shirs and the best fit was an XS.
Primark- I bought 2 pairs of shorts, one a size 14 and one a 10.
A dress in size small and a shirt in small and 2 vest tops in XS.

I then went to Zara and only size 16 fit me, but I didn't buy anything. Mango was size 10. Then Oliver Bonas, size S/XS absolutely swamped me.

No wonder the queues for the changing rooms are so long, with no one knowing what size to buy!!!

Has anyone else found this an issue?

It’s a joke and total vanity sizing

i am a size 10 in vintage clothing but most supermarket clothes swamp me- I’m not small, athletic and 5ft 6, so not petite as my frame is large, it puts me off the high street to be honest

Combination of vanity sizing, outsourced mass produced clothing for the lowest cost and different fits in different styles of clothing. I’m from a 12 to a 20!

Vanity Sizing- I have never heard of this! I also tried on clothes in H&M. Didnt buy anything, but all the clothes I tried were in different sizes and none fitted me. I remember as a young adult/teen (way back when), a size 14 was considered large- I am honestly so confused.

Yes Im over on style and beauty right now discussing this.

Sizing has been inconsistent for years. We need to start sizing women's clothing as men's clothing is sized - get rid of 8,10,12, 14, XS, S, M, L etc - all letters and numbers that have acquired psychological baggage - and start sizing by measurement. A '30 inch waist' skirt, a '36 inch hip' pair of trousers, a '34 inch bust'. Cuts out all the baggage and all you need is a tape measure to know if a garment will fit you.

I went shopping for work trousers yesterday. I tend to buy quite a lot from Zara so went there first. Couldn’t do up a size 12 in one style, size 10 in another was too big. Got a 10 in M&S. I seem to be a S/M these days or anywhere between an 8 and a 14 so I don’t think it’s vanity sizing as such.