I found this wiki page today and thought it was interesting, so here it is:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_standard_clothing_size

I think the sizes in this page used to be the standard one back then (at least it was correct for my size of 10 years ago.)
So yah, since I heard a lot of people complaining about not knowing their real sizes (for many reasons) etc...maybe you could check with it?
Hope you have fun

p/s: this page is also very interesting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Size_zero

Thanks! I was just thinking about sizes this morning... I was going through some of my pants and it is amazing to me how sizes really don't matter. I have 16's that are too big, 16's that fit, 14's that fit, and 14's that are too small.

I especially agree with this part:
"With the average American woman's height at about 5'4" (163 cm), both standard and catalog size ranges attempt to address a variety of weights / builds as well as providing for the "shorter-than-average" height woman with "petite" and "half-sizes". However "taller-than-average" women may find their size-height addressed by manufacturers less frequently, and may often find themselves facing issues of slightly too short pant legs and sleeve cuffs, as well as waist lengths."

Ugh! Yes! There are women taller than 5'6" . I've been tempted to sew lace or some other fabric to the ends of my sleeves and jeans at various points of my life! G'ah! Some of my pants look like they should be capris! That was the only upside to being obese, for me, the pants fit!

Interesting! I'm a nerd and actually keep a spreadsheet of my current measurements along with the measurements for different sizes so I know how many inches I need to lose before I fit into them.

One thing that annoys me is that by measurement, my hips always fit into the next size down sooner than my waist. This seems weird to me since I have a pretty small waist in comparison to hips (borderline hourglass). So when I actually try on the pants, the hips will fit and the waist will be gapping awkwardly, unless I'm lucky enough to find some jeans with a specifically "curvy" fit.

Ahh, well. Shopping for pants is always a pain. lol