I just took k my measurements to buy the right size of jeans and apparently I should be buying size 20 even though..

[Hungrycaterpillarsmummy]

I'm a size 14 and all my trousers are a 14.
Wtf. This is the size guide for Levi's jeans and honestly I'm in shock. I am absolutely not a 16 let a lone a 20!
My husband then went into fact checking mode and also measured me and couldn't believe it.
No wonder I bought a size 14 river island jeans and they didn't fit!

I discovered how bad this is when I started trying to make clothing. My actual measurements are always at odds with the guidance.

I’m a 14 by waist and a 6 by hips on that chart. I’m usually an 8 or 10 in jeans depending on the brand

Bunch of reasons. Original 501s were higher waisted for men and women. If you look at photos you’ll see how much higher rise men and women wore jeans. Also the denim was raw. It was shrink to fit so they shrank to a much smaller size. So if you pick up a vintage pair of say 32 they will be smaller than now

not necessarily as the denim is so different. Old denim was rigid and shrunk to fit. New denim is preshrunk or has Lycra/elastane. That makes the fit wildly different.
wierdly I’m currently wearing a not skin tight pair of 2024 501s at a size 25. 100% cotton. No stretch. I could squash myself uncomfortably into a 24. The 25s are a perfect fit. Not loose. Not tight. I’ve never fitted a 25 jean in my life. I’m a size 8 bottom half. Sturdy thighs for my size but a solid size 8

@redshoesredlaces mine are all old, soft and worn in, Levi's are not meant to be tight. I remember friends in the 70's lying on bed using wire coat hanger to zip up and squelch themselves into jeans, hardly able to stand until the denim eased. One friend deformed her hips her jeans were so tight and thrush was rife. I don't like thin stretchy denim, my old comfy jeans should see me out.

Brands can have weird sizing. Maybe try a pair in your usual size and a pair in your measurements, see which one fits and return the other one. You can always cut the label out if you're self-conscious about it. A clothing size is just a quick reference for things, not a measure of self-worth. Go with how you feel and what works for you.

You look a 14 to me OP! Just wear what fits and don’t get bogged down in the numbers, they’re all over the place.

Early 70s sizes were
12 bust 34, waist 26, hips 38
14 bust 36, waist 28, hips 40
16 bust 38, waist 30, hips 42
At least, that’s what I remember. Sizing in most clothing was far more consistent, as well. Jeans were always a bit different, though (and often bought secondhand or artificially aged and ripped at home) for that authentic look.

That's really interesting. Thanks for posting that.

I reckon I'd have been a 12 top and 10 bottom in those days.

I only buy Levis jeans as I like the fact they go by measurements rather than sizes. I'm a 10 and wear a 27 in Levis and find their sizing consistent and reliable.

Vanity sizing is definitely a thing though as my Mum was the same height as me (5'7) and for most of her adult life was a size 12 at 9 1/2 stone. I'm 10 stone and wear a 10 in trousers and an 8 in tops these days. It's mad.

Just measured my 32" waist Levis 501 and they are exactly 32". I'm also 32", but they sit quite a way below my waist so they don't actually fit.

Regarding jeans measurements, an assistant in Weekday showed me that if, with the button done up, your closed fist to elbow fits inside the flat waistband or you can put the waist around your neck so that it meets at the back, it's a pretty reliable gauge of fit.

Worked for me - just one trip to the changing room!

And you to Levi's not changing their sizing. I've always been 28" waist in Levi's, despite having to get smaller and smaller sizes in other shops/brands without changing shape.

How interesting that in both photos it’s the men’s cut of jeans that looks dated. The women’s cut you could buy today.

25 years ago I was measured for a wedding dress. I wa 38/26/38. Was told I was a “big girl” by the woman in the shop 😫

I was always referred to as a 'big girl' because of my height! I'm actually quite slim.

The waist thing makes sense, if Levis actually mean hip size, not waist, because a man's waist is nearer his hips.

Who is wearing them tight? I haven’t recommended anyone wear their Levi’s tight. Although if people want they can do what they want I guess.

Right now yes. But if we were in the early 2000s looking at those photos the women’s jeans would look very out of style.

I don’t get the arm measure one. We can pile on masses of body fat or lose masses but our arm length with stay the same

That looks like US sizing to me. Is a UK2 even a thing?

I usually take a 25 or 26 in jeans, and either an 8 or 10 in UK sizes, or a US 4 (sometimes a 2, never a US 6).

I bought a size 10 pair of Levi's on vinted and can't get them over my thighs. I'm a standard size 10, occasionally an 8, in other brands. I wondered if they'd been incorrectly labelled but maybe their sizing is just bizarre.

As a size 8 I’ve always been a 25.

Their size guide says 25 is a (not surprisingly) 25 inch waist and is an XXS. They only go down to a 24.

my 501s are pretty high waisted so they sit on my waist. I’m not a 25 inch waist. I’m almost 60 and have had 3 dc. I’m also pretty sure I’m not so small that I am wearing one size up from their smallest size. I’m pretty slim. I work out but I’m not skinny by any means.
I find it very peculiar.

True. Maybe she said it because she knows that it works with my body shape.

They might have been vintage? Also I think Levi haven’t changed their sizes, whereas most places reflect that a size 12 is the average size for a woman, and better nutrition since the war means means women are mostly taller with bigger bones and therefore just bigger, so a size 12 is bigger and all the other sizes too. Doesn’t mean people are fatter (though of course some are), just if most people are taller then they will be broader. When women were an average of 5’2” a size 12 having 26” waist might have made sense, now the average is what? 5’8”? Maybe even more? That would be pretty skinny!