Sizes
Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2023 6:41 am
Guys have it so easy. Dress shirts come in neck sizes with a sleeve length and slacks come in waist size and inseam. They even have athletic cut or standard cut suits. There are even more and more manufacturers offering separates for mens suits. Women on the other hand are saddled with the non standard size 6 or 8 or 10 or whatever. It is even further muddled with the proverbial junior sizing, 5, 7, 9, etc. I have skirts in size 6,8, and 10 and all of them fit me. I can even think of a couple of size 6's that are looser on me than a couple of the size 10 ones!
Even bras that at least come in band and cup size can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Trust me here not all 36B's are created equal! Some manufacturers 36B fit me fine yet with other manufacturers they girls are swimming in there! It's like the apparel industry accepts men come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes but women are totally the same so they give us the proverbial "number" size which is best a suggestion where to start. Oh sure they give us a little leeway with petite and tall sizes in some garments but even there it can widely vary.
Maybe I am a little more sensitive to the absolute of sizes because of my height. I'm 5'8 the between height. It means a standard sized skirt that is knee length on a 5'5" woman is 2 inches or more above my knees. The same skirt in a tall that is knee length on say a 5'11" woman is calf length or longer on me. Don't even get me started on long sleeve tops! Most regulars end well above my wrist while many talls come halfway down my hand. If I find a long sleeve top that works for me my first question is "Does it come in other colors?" If it does I buy one in every color. It's not quite as bad in sweaters and I have even bought a couple of men's sweaters as they work with my larger than average for a woman shoulders and the sleeves generally the right length.
Dresses are even worse! As I said I have big shoulders for a woman which means certain styles and cuts just don't work for me at all. Then there is the bust to consider. I am not that "hippy" so it may fit fine up top but be baggy through the hips and butt. Many times I find Junior size dresses fit me better than Misses sizes. Also I'm not that endowed, 36B, so that doesn't present the issue of being too small or button gapping however some dresses lately seem to be cut for bustier girls so they hang unattractively on a more moderately busted woman. However there are a multitude of issues for the endowed woman like my sister who is a 36DD. Her complaint is many times if she finds a dress that works through the bust it is baggy through the hips.
At least with some slacks and jeans certain manufacturers offer a tall that works with my 33" inseam. Their talls are more aimed at the woman that is 5'7" to 5'10". Granted they are generally more expensive brands but still there are options available to girls like me but there are many women that can't or won't pay $80 to $100 or more for a pair of jeans. Two sources for more moderately priced tall slacks and jeans are JC Penney and Old Navy. Both have a good selection of styles and sizes and are of a decent quality usually.
This method of size approximation women have endured forever has always been a pet peeve of mine but reared it's ugly head just the other day again. Had lunch with my sister and we roamed the mall after. She found what was a cute dress so she tried it on. Her usual size 10 gapped at the bust even though she was wearing a minimizer bra and the size 12 was huge through the hips and hung to a very unattractive length. She suggested maybe it would work for me so I grabbed my usual size 8. I couldn't even get my shoulders into it and while the size 10 worked there, it was way too big everywhere else. C'est la vie!
Pantyhose manufacturers learned long ago "One size fits all" really means it "may" fit a few of you kinda sort of. What's wrong with clothing manufacturers? I realize we all have unique bodies and there is no perfect here however how about a few additional sizing factors such as bust and hips, not just giving us a number and making all of us figure out what it really means?
Even bras that at least come in band and cup size can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Trust me here not all 36B's are created equal! Some manufacturers 36B fit me fine yet with other manufacturers they girls are swimming in there! It's like the apparel industry accepts men come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes but women are totally the same so they give us the proverbial "number" size which is best a suggestion where to start. Oh sure they give us a little leeway with petite and tall sizes in some garments but even there it can widely vary.
Maybe I am a little more sensitive to the absolute of sizes because of my height. I'm 5'8 the between height. It means a standard sized skirt that is knee length on a 5'5" woman is 2 inches or more above my knees. The same skirt in a tall that is knee length on say a 5'11" woman is calf length or longer on me. Don't even get me started on long sleeve tops! Most regulars end well above my wrist while many talls come halfway down my hand. If I find a long sleeve top that works for me my first question is "Does it come in other colors?" If it does I buy one in every color. It's not quite as bad in sweaters and I have even bought a couple of men's sweaters as they work with my larger than average for a woman shoulders and the sleeves generally the right length.
Dresses are even worse! As I said I have big shoulders for a woman which means certain styles and cuts just don't work for me at all. Then there is the bust to consider. I am not that "hippy" so it may fit fine up top but be baggy through the hips and butt. Many times I find Junior size dresses fit me better than Misses sizes. Also I'm not that endowed, 36B, so that doesn't present the issue of being too small or button gapping however some dresses lately seem to be cut for bustier girls so they hang unattractively on a more moderately busted woman. However there are a multitude of issues for the endowed woman like my sister who is a 36DD. Her complaint is many times if she finds a dress that works through the bust it is baggy through the hips.
At least with some slacks and jeans certain manufacturers offer a tall that works with my 33" inseam. Their talls are more aimed at the woman that is 5'7" to 5'10". Granted they are generally more expensive brands but still there are options available to girls like me but there are many women that can't or won't pay $80 to $100 or more for a pair of jeans. Two sources for more moderately priced tall slacks and jeans are JC Penney and Old Navy. Both have a good selection of styles and sizes and are of a decent quality usually.
This method of size approximation women have endured forever has always been a pet peeve of mine but reared it's ugly head just the other day again. Had lunch with my sister and we roamed the mall after. She found what was a cute dress so she tried it on. Her usual size 10 gapped at the bust even though she was wearing a minimizer bra and the size 12 was huge through the hips and hung to a very unattractive length. She suggested maybe it would work for me so I grabbed my usual size 8. I couldn't even get my shoulders into it and while the size 10 worked there, it was way too big everywhere else. C'est la vie!
Pantyhose manufacturers learned long ago "One size fits all" really means it "may" fit a few of you kinda sort of. What's wrong with clothing manufacturers? I realize we all have unique bodies and there is no perfect here however how about a few additional sizing factors such as bust and hips, not just giving us a number and making all of us figure out what it really means?