Bonkers clothes sizes

[Idontpostmuch]

My wardrobe is divided equally between sizes 8, 10 and 12, with two 14s and one 6. They all fit. How can this be possible. All UK sizes.

It's rediculous!
Today I have got size 18 and size 12 on.
And then retailers like ASOS have the cheek to send letters out of the sizing was more accurate and across the board it would be so much easier.

I bought some size 8 trousers from Tu. I am not size 8.

I’ve had to return two pairs of size small trousers this week because there was so much excess material around the hips and legs, I looked like a clown. I’m an 8-10 and usually a small is either a good fit or slightly tight on my stomach.

My wardrobe varies from a size 18 to 26. I consider myself to be 18 bottom 20 top. And my DH wonders why I hate clothes shopping!!

Isn’t it well known that there are no standard women’s clothes sizes? Different brands use different sizing for different reasons. Then there’s whether things are meant to be oversized or fitted and so on.

My regular rotation of clothes includes clothes from size 6 to size 16.

Most of my clothes are size 8, sure, but you absolutely can’t rely on the sizing at all, even in the same shop.

My mum made all her own clothes and dress sizes used to be standardised, but that’s now not the case. Clothes manufacturers can stick on whatever label they want.
Our modern bodies have changed and as a nation we’re much thicker in the waist.I’m buying size 14 now but in the old days it would have measured up as an 18.
An original size 14 was 36” bust and a 29” waist!

Most people don't get the hang of the oversized fit, or draping, or pleating. I've seen women in changing rooms trying on a top with pin tucks or pleats and declaring the size 8 to fit with a smug smile despite the whole point of the top, the pin tucks all stretched out and looking awful. Would have looked great in the size 14.

Or buying trousers a size or 2 too small because of the elasticated back band and the wideness of the trousers.

Maybe thats what's going in here.

my pal shops in a particular shop as “im a 20 but im only a 16 in that shop”.

shes fallen for the hype.

shes the exact same size as she was before she went in the shop. nothing has changed except a label that could easily be snipped off. why shop there for that reason lol. just silly.

Yes, clothes are definitely vanity sized. I wear a vintage 1970s kilt which is labelled size 12, 24 inch waist.

@Elieza presumably she also likes the style of those clothes and finds things she’s happy with.

“Vanity sizing” is one thing but women have certainly become taller and wider than several decades ago, not just fatter, so changes in sizing have accounted for that too.

I tried on loads of dresses recently for an event I’m going to. I’m usually a size 12, sometimes a 14 in bottoms to accommodate my backside.

I kid you not, everything from a 10 to an 18 fitted me. Sizing was so wildly variable it was a joke! Then even within certain stores, the sizes that fitted me were massively different. Zara is a number one offender!

I've been a 10 all my life and am certainly not getting any smaller at age 50 but increasingly have to buy XS or 8s.

It’s nothing new. My DD only shops at charity and thrift shops and she’s keen on 70s fashion. She fits into 6/8/10/12s depending on brand.

Best to just ignore the sizing and go with what looks good IMO.
I bought two t shirts from the same shop the other day and they are exactly the same size despite one being a M and an XS. It's just the design though.
Alot of clothes these days are designed to have a baggier, looser fit.

I bought 2 plain black tops yesterday. Both fitted nicely to my body without being tight.

One Small, one Large. (After I initially tried Medium in both.)

My measurements normally match up to a 14 in online size guides but increasingly I need to size down regardless of what the guide says.

I’ll be honest, I haven’t really found this.
My clothes are either an 8 or a 10 with one exception which was a massively oversized playsuit bought on vinted but it’s from free people, lady was selling it because it was it was labelled as an equivalent of a 4-6 but way too oversized and said it could be worn to a size 16, I bought it, it’s even hugely oversized on me but in a good way so that’s the only anomaly really.
Otherwise I shop in my normal size and everything fits fine tbh!
I buy a 10 in bottoms if it’s low waisted but an 8 if it’s high waisted but then I also need them in a longer length.

I have been thinking about this and I certainly noticed the vanity sizing. I have several vintage skirts and they are 3 sizes larger than what I currently buy.

On the other hand I have very few stretchy clothes, most of my things are made from woven fabric, not jersey (except knitwear of course). I use a wardrobe management app so I know the exact stats of my wardrobe and most of my clothes are the same size. I have a few exceptions that are either 30+ years old or that I deliberately bought in a larger size to get an oversized fit in standard length.

Thanks to everyone who responded. Relieved to learn it's not just me.

It's because there's nobody to "standardise" clothing and they're made in different countries. When I worked as a buyer for a footwear retailer manufacturing in Portugal, the 4 factories had their own lasts. We then had to pick the one closest to a UK size 6 from each (which does not exist in Portugal so could have been a 38.5, 39 or 39.5).

The odd company deliberately makes sizes smaller so only small women wear them (looking at you Zara and allSaints). The most consistent sizing across a store is when they own their own factories - so big brands like M&S.