OMG ... I just vented about this. I went shopping today to get a couple more pairs of pants because when I did my initial weight loss, I didn't buy any jeans in between -- just used a lot of belts! Now that I gained a little back and can't seem to get it off, I needed to get a few in between pairs. I went from a size 10/12 to a size 4/6 and I have a couple of pairs of 4's from Express (LOVE them, btw). However, I went to get just some cheaper jeans today from JCPenny and Kohls'... not a single 4/5 even came close. I couldn't even get into the 6/7's -- even the stretch denim ones didn't work. That's what got me so upset in my other post. Anyway, Express is added to that list.
You may have been in different size ranges. Express uses Misses sizes, with even numbers, and it looks like the other clothes you tried on were Juniors, with odd numbers. All Juniors stuff runs small.
My Express jeans are actually my "tester" jeans for weight, because they are the smallest version of my size I've found. If I can fit in an Old Navy 8, but not an Express 8, I'm in trouble!
Also, I should say that because of the different cuts, e.g. high-waisted skirts, low-riding jeans, may also account for some of the differences in sizes, because of where they measure your "waist" - lower or upper torso.
However, in my opinion, there should be a standard, either in cm or in, and a picture that shows you where they are measuring.
I'm glad I got some people talking. I was at dinner yesterday, and I talked to my colleagues about vanity sizing who were blissfully unaware of it happening.
Final thought, I'm just as much as not a fan as different stores, like Hollister that deliberately cater to smaller sizes, so when you try to fit into their jeans, you feel like a porker. Whenever I try clothes on, I take at least two sizes in, so as to avoid embarrassment, but sometimes the people who work there look at me strangely for taking 3 items that look the same into the dressing room, and maybe even think I'm shoplifting.
Then they're just inaccurate? I don't know. Old Navy is probably one of the shops that are most guilty of vanity sizing. Not that it matters greatly. It's just that you need to bring a lot more sizes into the change room
The Gap family (Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic) is terrible for vanity sizing. Mind you, I kind of love going into Banana Republic because I can try on "small" sizes and their mirrors make me look like a supermodel. But yeah, the sizes - they LIE.
I find that when I shop for jeans, I get better results if I go with brands that actually list the waist and length measurements (Mavi, Silver, Seven for all Mankind) than ones that just say a random "6...8...10".
I lived in the UK for several years, and that was a shock - their sizing is one or two sizes above ours, so you could be a six in North America and a ten over there. My ego took a serious blow.
I tend to stay away from pants and jeans in stores like Hollister or American Eagle, and just stick to the tops or hoodies, because the pants sizing is frustrating. And I'm 31 and not sure if I'm too old for their stuff (even though it's cute, and inexpensive for the most part).
I actually work at Old Navy and absolutely notice a lot of customers who are completely unsure of what size to get. One woman last week bought a specific pair of capris in 4 colors but different sizes in each. She felt like they all fit differently although they're supposed to be the same, and I definitely recognize that. As far as Old Navy's womens' jeans go, I feel like it's mainly the fabric that they are made out of. If I bought the bigger size that felt more comfortable, I know the jeans would stretch out into a baggy mess within an hour of wearing them. That's why I buy a size smaller than I could ever wear in any other store!
Someone told me that cheap clothes tend to vary more because when they cut the cloth, they cut a stack at a time. If you've ever cut a stack of paper, you know the bottom piece ends up slightly larger than the top. This would explain why two pants on the same rack, with the same size, can vary.
There is a saying I like: Never attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence." I tend to assume that wildly varying sizes have more to do with shoddy, apathetic quality control than with any sort of dastardly psychological plan.
I blame a lot of my weight gain on vanity sizing over the years. I went from a healthy 125 pounds to 160 pounds and never changed clothes sizes, I was a size 14 the entire time. When I jumped to ~170 I went up to a 16 and then when I got close the 200 I was fighting not to get into an 18. If I shopped around and tried on just about everything, I could find a 16 that fit-tightly but at least the zipper would close.
Sewing patterns have standard sizes, which I absolutely hate sometimes because at my highest weight I was a size 24. Which I think is probably more accurate.
If the sizes had been standardized, I would not have been able to ignore the weight gain by saying "hey, it's just a little weight, I'm still a size 14"
I don't know if they still sell these in regular stores, but I'm wearing a pair of Gloria Vanderbilt jeans that I got at Costco in a size 16. In other pants, I can wear an XL or even the occassional L when it's a knit but in other jeans, I can't even get the 16s pulled all the way up yet!
It's not a store but a line. Wal Mart has this line called George and I love it! lol. I'm a size 4 in their jackets (That's all I've ever tried on from WM)
I just love clothes, I'm not too concerned about the size as long as they look good. Of course I like seeing myself in smaller sizes but I don't put too much weight on it since sizes vary so much from store to store. I've just come to terms with the fact that if I want to buy a piece of clothing I have to try it on. I'm sure I will have to do this no matter what size I am.
Okay, I definitely have to add something my friends and I have noticed about Old Navy's jeans/pants. The cut of them is not made for women who carry most of their weight in their tummy. I had a pear-shaped friend who wore a size (sometimes 2) up from me, yet she could fit just fine into a size 16 ON jean, but I couldn't even fit a 20 correctly, let's not discuss the 18. A few other friends I have, including my mother, noticed the cut just isn't for women with more weight around their waist than their hips/butt. Unfortunate.
