My tops are too small and my bottoms are too big

[largeprintagathachristie]

Just a very mild rant to myself, really.

With the last two pairs of jeans I've bought, I remembered, "size down and get the waist and bottom fitting tighter than you'd like because they'll likely stretch." So I bought the size down, where I had to struggle quite hard to do up the waistband. These were jeans from Whistles (the Hollie style) and from Albary. My waist is probably my best feature.

Within a few wears and washes, however, both pairs of jeans are loose on the waist. They tighten up a bit after a wash but halfway through the day they're loose again; I definitely wouldn't be looking to wash jeans after one wear. Should I be buying the size that I can't do up at all???

Conversely, on my top half, it turns out that my jumpers are all looking a bit tight. I think it's a combination of the current trend being towards jumpers being oversized, my jumpers shrinking slightly over time and washing, and an extra pound or two on me. I used to buy a piece of cashmere in the sales each year. I thought these would last me forever and instead they're just looking a bit wrong and I'm cross with myself. I was probably buying a size 12, which fitted exactly, whereas a 14 would have had more longevity.

Do the jeans have lycra in them? I've heard/read somewhere they can be worse for this sort of thing. Have you tried just denim, without? Don't know what the answer is. Just musing that M & S, certainly years ago, used to do jeans in half sizes, which would perhaps help. Haven't seen them lately, but maybe some other brands still do? Are your tops genuinely tight, or just 'tight compared to current jumper trend of really quite baggy'. For me, anything too big just looks like I'm fatter.

Jeans always do that on me too. First wear after washing fine, next wear falling down. A belt is the only solution.

I think the baggier, looser styles do tend to fall down more. I don’t get it as much with skinny jeans. Skinnies people tend to pour themselves in. Looser fits needs very good fit, and finding good fitting jeans is hard. But I quite like a slouchy look and it not being too tight on the waist. I tend to buy petite length as my legs are already short and I know the length will grow as the jeans slip. Belts are very useful. Also agree they say no more than 2% elastane.

You're right, the one pair of jeans I own where this doesn't occur have that very thick denim, no elastane or lycra. And even then, they were a spendy pair from Selfridges where the assistant talked me into buying the size that I could barely do up. I thought I was going to break the zip. But she was right.

Belts ok but grrr to the excess material.

I have a belt that is marginally less bulky. It clips round the the belt loops, then goes round the back, so effectively the fly part of the jeans has no belt, iuswim. I think I got it from Ebay, no idea what its called. Cheap as chips though, and definitely reduces the bulk.

Same here.

I'm an inverted triangle with a defined waist so buy size 8 jeans and size 14 tops.

I find the waist is too big on everything and the shoulders and arms too small/short.

Its a nightmare and the main problem with stretchy clothes unless you wash them after each wash.