To say vanity sizes should be rolled back?

[amoreoamicizia]

I bought some vintage St. Michael shorts this weekend in a size 12 which fitted me perfectly. In current sizes I'm an 8 or sometimes- incredibly- a 6 (looking at you, Boden).

As flattering as it is to think of myself as a size 8, it's simply not the truth or a reflection of reality. A small size 12 does seem about right, as that was my size as a slim-ish teenager in the 90s.

Who is this vanity sizing really helping? Who does it serve? Isn't it about time clothing manufacturers were held to account and forced to roll back sizes to what they were in the early 00s, at least?

@fc123 , indeed. The general increase in girth is far more obvious.

People are also shocked that clothes tend not to be made in the UK. They would cost a lot more if they were because labour is cheaper in places like India and China.
We could buy less and buy better.

Ah- I know the answer to this! What happened with shoe sizes is that we used to follow British shoe sizes (4/5/6/7 etc.) and the manufacturer's model for the shoes was made according to this standard. Then when production shifted overseas EU sizing was followed and it doesn't align exactly with British sizing, and the second most common British size - a 6- was often aligned with EU 39 for convenience when in fact a British 6 is larger than a 39. A British 6 is actually more equivalent to 39.5, so people who thought they had size 6 feet may find 39s too small and sometimes when a 40 is labelled as a 6, it's too big.

This is also contributing to clothing waste. Buying online, so much has be returned because you have no idea if you’re going to need a size 6 or a size 16

You are not being unreasonable. I have to buy underwear and T-shirts from the M&S children’s range. I initially bought T-shirts for 15 year olds. Too big. I have to buy for a 13 year old. Adult small is massive. It’s beyond ridiculous!

Oh gosh. A whole new thread here 🙂.
I traded through it all ( also had shops for 22 years) and remember the price deflation post the world trade agreement in 2005. It was always circumnavigated around prior but in 2004/5 floodgates opened.
I'll post later tonight as I remember er the change in customer behaviour and expectations happened over the following 2 years.
Then came the credit crunch

I feel the same, it's only a label after all.
If you're offended by the label, cut it off.🙂

I’m glad you picked up on this. Labelling women very large based on a size 12 - the mind boggles!

I can remember when the clothes in M&S were made in the UK.
Shopping practices have changed a lot since then.

2004/2005 sounds about right for when it changed.

😂

I'm an M and S size 12.

I am not VERY LARGE, my waist is 27 inches

I'm just an hourglass shape

@willieverlevelup
I’m glad you picked up on this. Labelling women very large based on a size 12 - the mind boggles!

Size 12 is Ms Average/majority and she's just changed over the decades.
She's taller and 'fleshier'. Sorry for that description but I work with bodies .
It's just fact .
No clothing retailer wants to piss customers off. Our aim was to sell as much as possible each style......every time.
Size 12 in Victorian times would have been 4'7" and less than a current size 4. I base this comment on having actually seen and touched Victorian clothing a long time ago.

So what do you do if you're between 5"3 and 5"10 and the other ranges are all the wrong lengt?! I've always needed tall trousers etc, but post weight loss, turns out it was just my arse holding stuff up! Saying that, I apparently have very long legs, according to the lymphodema nurse.

FeelingSoOverwhelmed
I'm also 5'8 and wear an M&S 12. Broad shoulders and bust so occasionally take a 14 on top! 😱 I'm around 13 stone though so my BMI is closer to 30 than 20 so I'm basically crippling the NHS single handedly with my big obese body. If it was the 1980s I'd probably have to head to an outdoor shop and buy a tent.

Made me laugh.
In the 80's you'd have actually been catered for. Everything was loose fit/oversized and we frequently shopped in menswear departments to get the look we wanted.
Tents were actually a design inspo in 1983 🙂

That sounds sensible - like mens clothes.

Anyone know if mens clothes have experienced vanity sizing? Is a large t shirt 20 years ago still a large now??

A relative says every woman's wardrobe is in a range of sizes. She's at least a 16 but claims to be a 12. I wonder if her clothes actually are 12s, but vanity sizes? She definitely goes up and down!

Yes, men's clothes have got bigger too.

The clothes that haven't got bigger are youth sportswear from the popular brands.

@roses2
That sounds sensible - like mens clothes.

Anyone know if mens clothes have experienced vanity sizing? Is a large t shirt 20 years ago still a large now??

Yes they have.
Same changes.
Men that are muscular so broad with a flat tummy and slim hips ( but have power thighs) struggle to find good fitting formal wear still.
This was Ted Bakers USP back when he launched his label in the late 80's.
Shirts for builders basically. They were actually incredible when they launched

People are also shocked that clothes tend not to be made in the UK.

Er, are they? I thought it was pretty common knowledge.

I think this picture explains well how height can have a factor in dress size. All these women are a size 16.

Primark I can never get right and New Look I have to go up 3 sizes to a 16! H&M is a nightmare and I don’t even bother with Zara. Far too small and overpriced.

I wish shoe sizes would grow a bit! I've been unblessed with elephant feet and always have struggled to find size 8s that fit ok or even in stock. They have also got smaller so now need a size 9 which is top of the size for women. I'm not young either, sizes haven't caught up with people getting bigger in feet anyway! Suppose I see a few more size 9s now than when I was younger i guess.

I'm surprised that the weights, where known, are that similar.

Are they all wearing the same size trousers?

Yes they are all wearing the same size trousers (which shocked me)

@NonPlayerCharacter the article said they are all size 16. So assume so.

This is the article:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/living/4140313/these-four-women-all-size-16/amp/

I am 5'8 and would say my body size probably looked similar to the 4 foot 10 lady before I started to lose weight. I was in about size 22-24 and weighted around 17 and half stone. Don't know for sure what size I was in as in the end I lived in leggings and dresses as my size 20 jeans no longer fit me and I was too ashamed to go shopping and find out my size! I am a size 16 now, weigh 13st and would say my body looks closer to the tallest lady. So my point being, height really can effect the size of clothes you can get.