M&S jeans? What’s with these sizes?

[HellybellyMelly]

Hi all, usually an EVA 16 / 18, tried out the mom and boyfriend jeans and could barely get them over my bum let alone zip up. Is there something vastly different between the types?

What’s EVA mean?

Im currently a size 14 in just about everything but M&S jeans I recently had to buy size 16! I’ve never been size 16.

I’ve got the Eva and the boyfriend jeans in the same size and they both fit. The boyfriend jeans are a loose fit which I would expect.

@cramptramp maybe I tried on a dodgy pair as the eva and wide legged ones fit easily but the above wouldn't pass my bum!

Looking on the website the wide leg and the Eva both have elastane and the boyfriend doesn’t. So you’re probably slightly over the measurement for the standard size and the elastane is more forgiving in the first two pairs but means the fully cotton no stretch boyfriend jean doesn’t work in that size for you.

I had the same thing! Bought a size 14 pair a few months ago and fit fine, if a little on the baggy side. Went to M&S last week, tried on several size 14 jeans and shorts and couldn’t get any over my thighs! Not sure what’s going on with their sizing but felt a little off!

Thank heavens! I've got a pair that I can't get on in my normal size. I guess they're skimming on material. I'm reluctant to size up.

I bought a pair of size 16’s really comfortable so bought another pair , exact same style and size and couldn’t get them over my thighs , bizarre .

Exactly the same here - drives me mad. I’ve been a 14 reg in M&S straight jeans for ages. A recent autograph pair is far too big, and the standard pairs won’t go over my bum and are the wrong length. The 16s are too big. I need a new shop!

Why wouldn’t you buy a pair that fit you better though? Obsessing over the label size is half the problem.
There is no one measurement for a size 8/10/14 whatever. The makeup of each woman’s body will differ, some will be a 12 on top and 16 on bottoms, some will be a 12 going by waist sizes but with larger thighs that push them up a size. Some body types just won’t fit well into different shaped jeans across the same size.

M&S are known for their generous sizing perhaps they are just returning to proper sizing? If the jeans don’t fit just size up or go to other generous size shops like Next. It’s just vanity sizing.

Sometimes when they have a really short zip I can’t get them on over my bum, even though they would fit.
Also - elastane content makes a difference. Allows you to squeeze into sizes that may otherwise be too small.

I’m so happy to have found this thread! I’ve been working really hard on going to the gym and eating healthily - went to m&s yesterday, tried on some jeans in the size I would normally wear and couldn’t get them up past my bum… and then I almost couldn’t get them off again! It really bothered me - and I think I would have to have gone up two sizes to get them
on.

I look at the shape of a trouser and then pick the one that looks about right before I look at the sizes. My trousers are generally a 10 that I get tailored in at the waist, but they range from a 6 (one Toast pair, but usually 8 in Toast) to a 14 (vintage find that is slightly tight in the thigh).

@goz so id be a comfortable 18 normally because i have a bloated belly look but I would say the boyfriend one would have to be about a 22 upwards to get it on. Shame as I find m&s so convenient for jeans so this has put me off.

But the two that fit you in the smaller size have elastane and the one that didn’t fit you in the same size had no stretch in its composition.
That’s not the same issue as there being no standardised sizing, you’re literally stretching one item over your body to fit and the other needs to accommodate your widest part in order to go up over your thighs and bum and fit.
It’s like comparing leggings with a structured fit.
I just think it’s crazy that people are so obsessed with the number that when a particular fit of an item doesn’t work for them they claim to never want to shop in an entire store ever again.

I’m glad to find this thread as I had exactly the same experience. I went to buy my usual style of m & s jeans and they were far too tight. i have several old pairs in the same size, all which fit fine. I didn’t buy.

@goz youre amazing actually as I just filtered on elastane and im only going to pick from these, thank you!

You’ve made me feel so much better, my usual size I bought online are wedged to me and I’m so sad. Thanks at least it’s not just me.

Sometimes it’s just a case of figuring out what works for you!
Structured denim straighter fits like the boyfriend jeans just won’t suit all women’s body types, it’s not even a size issue imo it’s just knowing what works for your shape.

Think about actually putting on bottoms with no stretch, the narrowest part of the waist opening still needs to go over your bum which is going to be difficult with no stretch if you have wider hips.
It’s a style that suits a lower hip to waist ratio.

So pleased to see this. In last few months ordered two pairs in my usual size 12 and could hardly get them on. Was gutted as I thought m&s was generously sized.glad not just me! Thought i must've ballooned without being aware!

I purposefully seek out 100% cotton jeans for a couple of reasons - without the elastase they don’t go baggy around the bum/hips over the course of the day/once they’ve been out of the wash for a while, and also they just keep everything sucked in a bit better. I remember reading an article by Alexa Chung on this very thing and she said she only wears vintage, pre-stretch fabric jeans for this reason and it made sense to me. I’m also keen to avoid synthetic fabrics for environmental reasons so try to only buy single textile natural textiles if possible.
also - nobody knows the number on the label except you, so pointless to worry about it 😊

Last autumn I bought a pair in store that fitted perfectly and then ordered an identical pair online a month later that I couldn’t get past my thighs. I did wonder whether they were changing factories or something.

The biggest issue is that our local m&s doesn't stock most sizes. I need 10r in jeans sok have to order online as I have never seen any trousers in that size in the store. But the sizing is so random k would have to order anything from 6s to 16long

Years ago I read that in an economic downturn, sizes get a little smaller. They have to cut more sets of the pattern out of the same size fabric roll to make a profit, so the selvage also gets thinner (the seam fabric) and they try to reduce the offcuts/remnants too. Vanity sizing (where we’ve been buying size 12 when we are really a 14) tends to only be a thing in times of prosperity, ie when the fabric/labour costs are cheaper.

I find that M&S runs large but there are a few items that are true to size.