Clothes sizes and measurements

[goteam]

I don't usually order clothes online but due to lockdown in the process of ordering leggings and a few comfy tops for wfh. I am a size 12 and all clothes I buy in shops and try on are a size 12 and fit perfectly with the exception of a handmade dress I own which is a 14. Very stiff fabric with no give! I have been 11 stone and a size 12 for the last 5 years.

I thought I had better check measurements before ordering online as I cant be doing with the faff of returning clothes. My measurements (38-32-39) make me a size 14 and a 16 in some stores! I'm really shocked as I literally bought some new dresses and joggers a few weeks ago and haven't put on weight.

Do people go with the size given according to the bust / waist/hips measurements?

I don't really want to have gone up a dress size although objectively I guess it doesn't matter but I was just a bit shocked!

Check if the measurements are for the garment itself or your body. Try and find an item you already own from the same brand you're looking at (not completely foolproof!) and measure it , then compare with the size chart you're looking at.

Lots of brands now have size finders which will ask you your height weight etc and what size you take in other brands. Again not foolproof but a good indicator.

Obviously I don't know how tall you are or your frame size but 11st/size 12 sounds about right to me.

Thanks @Zinnia I'm 5'5" and I think the sizes were generic measurements for dress size. I have clothes from the shops I was looking at (M&S, Next a few others) and always been a 12 with them.

Well if you're usually a size 12 in M&S etc you probably still are... worth checking the reviews on the items you're looking at as well, M&S are quite good for this. Comparative sizing is one of the main things people tend to comment on, and lots of sites have a sliding scale indicator to aggregate reviewers' opinions on the size.

Worst case scenario, Next will collect returns from your house via Hermes, and M&S have free returns via Royal Mail and another carrier (can't remember which, sorry!) and you don't need to print off the label yourself.

A lot of shops are not truthful about this though, this is what vanity sizing is. Their size chart will put you at a 14 but when you try things on you fit well in a 12. It's terribly annoying.

Vanity sizing - what is now a 12 in lots of shops would have been a 14 or bigger twenty+ years ago. I'm 35-30-41, 5'4" tall and weigh 10 stone. I'm a 12 on my top half and 14 on the bottom in the majority of places according to size charts. Depending on the fit I can wear size 12 jeans and trousers a lot of the time. I'm not hung up on clothes sizes though - I wear what fits and I think looks good.

A while back someone here linked to this site which I found really interesting sizes.darkgreener.com. (you need to close the question about the shoe site to open the clothes sizing charts)

Whilst I agree that in reality many stores actually cut bigger than they publish - vanity sizing - this site is accurate in terms of consistency of fit.

For example if you put in your measurements you gave above, it puts virtually all stores at size 14 (some going into 12). You say you consistently fit a 12. So now you know that you could pick a 12 wherever it says 14 and be confident it should fit. If that makes sense?

Fit is also about height and shape distribution too though isn't it. I'm 5'8 and almost exactly the same measurements as you (1inch more on hips) and I am a 14 in the majority of stores.

That link is great - I've seen it on here before and it's very useful.

Interesting that you talk about shape distribution. I am short-waisted which means some dress styles never fit me as the waist of the dress sits too low and the hips are in the wrong place. You can lift some dresses at the shoulders and make alterations, but often the cost and the aggro outweigh the benefit. I also find fitted skirts can be huge on the waist in order for them to fit on the hips, so I don't buy them.

Hi @Fluffymule yeah that is the site I found before that out me at a 14/16 at the stores where I know I'm a 12 and own recently bought size 12s. I think you're right, I will just stick to buying a size 12 in those stores.

@wowfudge I don't get too hung up on dress size either but would like to know if I'm buying the right size online. I also dress for my shape and know what suits me but I also don't want to sleepwalk into the next size up and actually will consciously try to keep my weight down now!

Hmm, I'm very short (5'0") and have never been 11 stone in my life- even at 42 weeks pregnant- but have been a 14 at times.

Personally I check the garment measurements every time (well- I used to physically try every item on, back in the old days, eh?) - even if buying two items the "same size" but in a different colour. It's the only way to be sure it will fit, as the sizes on the label just don't correspond to anything like reality from most shops.

It's utterly infuriating when trying to order stuff online, as lots of companies don't do garment sizes, just give you their sizing chart, which doesn't appear to match up in lots of cases. I own "8"s which are larger than other "12"s in my wardrobe

Leggings and comfy should be a bit more forgiving than formal dresses if the size is a bit out though, at least

If you like the thing, buy it in the size that fits and sod the label. Sizing between shops/brands is pretty inconsistent. A 12 in M&S will be different to a 12 in Topshop

Size guides always put me at a larger size than the one that actually fits too. Vanity sizing makes it really hard to order online.

@thedevilinablackdress that's what I do in normal times. Try it on in store and buy the size that fits. Cant do that right now though.

Yep it's a pain. Not a massive fan of online shopping. Apart from eBay.