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.....?

It's very frustrating! I hate trying on clothes. I want to pick a size and know that it fits.........unfortunately that is not the case, lol.

I love that I wear a small or 4/6, sure, because I know darn well I was never that small even when I weighed fifteen pounds less than I do now!

That said, I live overseas and order my clothes online. Vanity sizing is a PAIN. Mail can take 6 weeks each way and often I'm out of the window to return an item by the time it gets to me. Luckily, a lot of stores accommodate me and at least offer a store credit, but yes, it's a pain.

Nowadays I get out my trusty measuring tape. I check the online size charts for each store before I shop and almost everything fits. In some stores I wear a medium instead of a small, but if I rely on their sizing charts I usually do pretty well.

I do see one issue, though, and that is if I'm a small already what on earth comes after plastic surgery? XS? I can start to see the validity of some very thin women complaining that vanity sizing has sized them out completely!

OH! And I am CONVINCED that bras are vanity sized, as well. Honestly! I was a 40DDD/E and despite the fact that my bosom is nothing near it's former grandeur I'm still a 32/34D...that's just crazy talk!

~Cheri

OH! OH!! YA!!! Why don't WEEEEEEEE get vanity sizes?? Fat girls don't like to pretend we're smaller than we are?? That's not cool!! If a size 8 can pretend to be a "1" at Chico's, I want to go to Avenue and pretend to be a......a.......a.........well, a NOT 28!!! So there.

OH! OH!! YA!!! Why don't WEEEEEEEE get vanity sizes?? Fat girls don't like to pretend we're smaller than we are?? That's not cool!! If a size 8 can pretend to be a "1" at Chico's, I want to go to Avenue and pretend to be a......a.......a.........well, a NOT 28!!! So there.

Target womens are sized 1-4...they are getting on board!

Target womens are sized 1-4...they are getting on board!

REALLY?!? I guess I've really given up on clothes shopping except when absolutely necessary. Oohhhh....no wonder I couldn't find the Plus Size clothes when i went there looking for workout pants! Ooooookkkkkk makes sense now.

While we're on this topic, what happens when I am getting too small for a 14/16 in the women's section but I'm too big for a regular 14/16 in the misses section? I tried on various pairs of size 14 jeans at Goodwill and couldn't even get them over my butt!!

Any suggestions for jeans that are inexpensive that are made for curvy women? I have a full rear end and generous hips.

I bought jeans at Target and Walmart. Workout pants too. And tops. Target has a new thing with marking jeans for a certain fit type. I'm a pear shape and will remain that way no matter how much weight I lose so I went with Fit 4. I also had good luck with the new Levis Denizan jeans.

Lynda

While we're on this topic, what happens when I am getting too small for a 14/16 in the women's section but I'm too big for a regular 14/16 in the misses section? I tried on various pairs of size 14 jeans at Goodwill and couldn't even get them over my butt!!

Any suggestions for jeans that are inexpensive that are made for curvy women? I have a full rear end and generous hips.

No suggestions other than thrift stores or yard sales, unless you can get your WLS support group to have a clothing exchange. Those are awesome!

Once I hit goal, I grabbed some of my old professional suits from over 15 years ago. Imagine my horror when my old size 10 skirts fit like a glove when I just took off a size 4 jeans from today. Almost had a meltdown.

Here is a great article from Yahoo about Vanity sizing.

http://shine.yahoo.com/fashion/what-size-are-you-really-the-truth-behind-vanity-sizing-2532831.html

I have embraced my "new" size. Whatever the number, I am healthy.

Once I hit goal, I grabbed some of my old professional suits from over 15 years ago. Imagine my horror when my old size 10 skirts fit like a glove when I just took off a size 4 jeans from today. Almost had a meltdown.

Here is a great article from Yahoo about Vanity sizing.

http://shine.yahoo.c...ng-2532831.html

I have embraced my "new" size. Whatever the number, I am healthy.

Ok. THis is making more sense now. I didn't THINK I was crazy!!

Once I hit goal, I grabbed some of my old professional suits from over 15 years ago. Imagine my horror when my old size 10 skirts fit like a glove when I just took off a size 4 jeans from today. Almost had a meltdown.

Here is a great article from Yahoo about Vanity sizing.

http://shine.yahoo.c...ng-2532831.html

I have embraced my "new" size. Whatever the number, I am healthy.

That's right! I measure ME by my health and fitness. I fit all kinds of number sizes, it's all how they are cut. I'm a pear shape so not all jeans are going to fit equally. I have to either make time to shop by trying everything on, or like CLK mentioned - knowing before going.

The Women's sizes are changing too. I think in that case they are just dropping the X at the end or something. Not sure, but of course they don't fit 1's... I mean c'mon. Let's get real!!

That said I don't mind shopping anymore, so I have fun trying on clothes. Whatever size it is, I'm sure a LOT smaller than I was, and I can fit so many cute clothes and styles and that's all that matters.

I remember when vanity sizes really took on. Express used to carry up to a size 16 back in around 1998. I used to wear a 7/8 in their clothes, which is probably anywhere between a 2-6 now. In any case, they got rid of all of their 16s (don't want to be associated with a plus sized store!) and just relabelled them a 14. All of the clothes got bigger. I only noticed it at express because I used to shop their religiously. I had some size medium knit tops that I gave to my mom who is a size 8 (sometimes 6), she is a small woman. They were tight but looked good before washing. After washing, they shrank a bit and were too small. It used to be that the size roughly corresponded with the waist size. So a size 6 was a 26" waist. I had about a 27-28" waist at that time so my clothes were always an 8, except when I did shrink into a 6. Now sizes are all over the place.

Let's say I get annoyed when I see my mom, who I think is pretty small unable to wear clothes that at the time I thought I was fat *sigh*

In any case, from buying old clothes in the past, vintage sizing started at a 12. The sizes corresponded with bra band size. So a 12 was a 32 bra. Today it would be about a 0 or 2. So a size 12, 14, 16 were pretty small women.

The whole issue of sizing is crazy. I think the shine article from Yahoo was a great explanation. I remember when I was graduating highschool in the mid 1970's, I wore a size 14 when I weighed around 135. Now, I weigh 145 and am wearing either 10's. I definately agree with iegal that the 10's from the 1980's/90's are the 4's of today. I have always said my body would never be a 4, but since I starved down to a 6 - 8 back in 1987, that was probably a 2-4 by today's standards.

Oh, well. I am pretty happy where I am, and will be happier when the last few pounds are gone. Shopping is much more fun now than it was - although I hate the poor quality and workmanship in some of the garments now. (a pet pieve of mine).