Ok. I am wearing a size 12-14 (mostly 14) pants, and L-XL top with a couple of M's thrown in to confuse things. I went to the Goodwill to try on some pants... and had to try on about 20 other things too of course... it was 40% off day so..... I was flipping through the jackets and saw one that was cute... tried it on and it fit.... SIZE 6. WTH? Then saw another I liked, tried it on SIZE 8. I guess this is what they are talking about (vanity sizing that is). Kind of makes it hard to figure out what is real... I guess trying them on is how to get the job done. I can say I "wore" not "wear" a size 6 now.... perhaps this is how brands get customers addicted to them.....?

I think that's part of it! I have an Ann Klein suit (one of my favorites!) that was a size 8. It fit me perfectly. I had clothes that were a size 16 that I couldn't even get my butt into! It was crazy. I have a pair of jean shorts that, the tag says a size 20, but if I hold them up to a pair of men's pants that are a size 32, they're smaller than that. I typically wear mens jeans because i can get an inseam long enough (I have a 33 inch inseam so I go with 34's) Mens clothing sizes haven't changed because they're measured by the actual waist. There's a conversion chart somewhere of what womens clothes should be in mens' sizes, I'll have to find that.

I'm with you feedyoureye! I'm so confused. Like Chicos with their size 1, 2 and 3 for women that wear more like an 8! (I buy stuff for my stepmom there and she's a 7 or 8) It's weird. My mom is 70 and she says that when she was a skinny, skinny teenager (in the 50's), she wore a 14!!. When I was a skinny teenager (in the 80's), I wore an 8. I'm just curious to see what size I will land in. Whatever it is, I'll be happy if it's "off the rack" and not Lane Bryant or Woman Within or Roamans. OH I CAN SMELL THE FREEDOM FROM HERE!!!

LOL ... I know it's vanity sizing, but .... well, it appeals to my sense of vanity! :blush5:

Vanity sizing drives me nuts too!! I was watching a news program and there was a segment on Marilyn Monroe. They say she wore a size 14 back in the day which is equivalent to a size 4 today. The show mentioned that as the population "grew", the vanity sizing became rampant.

LOL ... I know it's vanity sizing, but .... well, it appeals to my sense of vanity! :blush5:

I felt a cheep thrill there for a minute too.... hehe...

I have never heard of this? I guess because I could only shop at lane Bryant . What is this?

I hate vanity sizing. Even as I get in smaller sizes, I still know it is all up to the manufacturer. That's why I don't really want to pick a size goal. It is all dependent on who you buy from.

I have never heard of this? I guess because I could only shop at lane Bryant :smile1:. What is this?

Some brands just make their clothing have smaller numbers for sizes. I wear a 12-14 in most modest priced clothing but could wear a 6 or 8 in vanity sizing.

Different brands run differently, even the same brand, GAP jeans for instance, different styles jeans fit differently. I wear a 4 in two styles and a 6 in another. I wear regular length in two of them and have to buy a long in the other and then I have to have that pair altered just a little because they are TOOOO long. It's nuts. I had no health issues. Surgery was totally because of vanity, I do hope that I avoided any future health issues....but vanity sizing or not, slipping into a four makes me smile every time. It's been a year and I am still amazed and lovin' it!!!! :biggrin: I say "CELEBRATE VANITY SIZING!!!!"

Some of us are obsessed with numbers and need consistent sizing, darn it! HAHA I need to know exactly how big I am!! (or small;)

Different brands run differently, even the same brand, GAP jeans for instance, different styles jeans fit differently. I wear a 4 in two styles and a 6 in another. I wear regular length in two of them and have to buy a long in the other and then I have to have that pair altered just a little because they are TOOOO long. It's nuts. I had no health issues. Surgery was totally because of vanity, I do hope that I avoided any future health issues....but vanity sizing or not, slipping into a four makes me smile every time. It's been a year and I am still amazed and lovin' it!!!! :biggrin: I say "Celebrate VANITY SIZING!!!!"

I totally understand, you're talking to someone who weighs daily. I'm all about numbers!! I don't know how much the sizes have changed over the years, but my size 9 wedding dress from 1979 swallows me, so when my size 8 jeans are way too big, I figure that's pretty accurate. I know for sure foreign made, high dollar brands run small. I found a pair of Italian made jeans for a steal, my GAP jeans are a 4, these are an 8. They fit good, but they are definitely different. I don't think they're quite as comfortable. Anyway, shopping is fun for the first time in my life!!!!!!!

Some of us are obsessed with numbers and need consistent sizing, darn it! HAHA I need to know exactly how big I am!! (or small;)

I did get a thrill fitting into a 6. I just didn't really believe it all the way.

"Vanity sizing" is exactly what you all think it is... smaller numbers appeal to (generally women's) sense of vanity. Wikipedia has a good article on the subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanity_sizing

I first learned about it when I was doing period costuming in high school and early college... it's really absolutely ridiculous and makes it so hard for shoppers that they have proven it leads to higher levels of brand loyalty, because you can't figure out what size you're supposed to try on.

Vanity sizing even extends to toddler girl sizes...my 3 year old daugher's clothes are about the same size as an 18 month old boy's clothes, and she's not a petite girl. Conversely she's still wearing some of her size 18 month knit pants. So does that mean that vanity sizing goes in reverse with very young children? Because it's somehow better for little babies to be "big" for their age?

Long ago, when the numbers really bothered me, I used to cut them out of my clothes. I also made a lot of my clothes, and by the time I finished altering the patterns they weren't a off-the-rack dress size anyway, but a frankenstein of three or four different sizes.

I guess the rule of thumb is to TRY EVERYTHING ON!

Ahhh the vanity sizes lol...Today I wear a 4-6 which is REALLY a size 8-10 from 20 years ago (that's what I use to wear back then). I would have had to weigh 120-125 back in the day to wear a 4-6. But I will tell you it feels great to say 4/6 LOL

I love the smaller #'s. I know it's just a #, but never the less, I'm wearing a size 8 slack and a medium top. YAYYYYYYYYYYYY! I'm happy.