Vanity sizing: NYTimes article & awesome chart
 

The point of the article (that sizes mean NOTHING because they are so inconsistent) we should all know, but the infographic is fantastic! http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/25/bu.../25sizing.html


http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/...c-popup-v2.jpg

I KNEW that Gap, Banana republic, and Old Navy had different sizes! I would try to use my one size at all 3 stores and just thought that maybe I was crazy and bloated.

I would love to find my measurements and get a print-out of what size I wear at which store! That machine sounds amazing.

Very cool article!

Thanks so much for posting this - interesting to see HOW much discrepancy there is and it's not just in my mind (why I can fit into SOME of my 12s and no chance for others...) ... :)

Great post, very interesting.

Yeah, that's weird. I was just talking about this! I bought a "size 8" yesterday, and I was very excited about it. Then, I tried on some 12s that were in my closet from 10 years ago. Too small! What? I have to admit, it took the wind out of my sails a bit. :(

Works for shoes too. I noticed that in designer shoes you usually have to get one size up from your shoe size. This is so frustrating. I wish companies would stop 'vanity sizing'. It's very misleading.

thanks for posting this! I don't go by the size of the closes I go by how i look. like I've lost almost twenty five pounds, and I somehow went up in pants size! when I started my journey I was wearing a 14-16, and last week i bought a size 17.
but i look amazing and feel skinny in them and that's all that matters to me! ((:

Thanks for the infographic, it's great! I am consistently in size 8s and almost in 6s yet I wore my homecoming dress from high school (9 years ago) for the royal wedding and It barely fit at the rib cage/waist and it was a 9/10! I bought some tight (for motivation) size four pedal pushers a week ago SIZE FOUR that is so not right.

With regard to going from a 14/16 to a 17, odd numbers are juniors and are smaller always. I wear a 4/6 generally but wear a 7 or occasionalky a 9 in juniors. So even not thinking about vanity sizing, i would not consider that going up a size.

I went shopping last weekend and was surprised to see that in three stores the pants sizes were all over the place. I try pants (different styles too) in all three stores and size 11 to 15 (!!) fit. WTH?? I had a 16 before I started (37lbs ago) and now I am somewhere between 11 and 15? It was kind of discouraging especially since the one pair I liked (colour and style) and bought was a 15 :-(

And who the h*** came up with making most pants without zipper/buttons and belt loops and pocket??? grrrrrrr
I definitely need pockets and right now belt loops are very helpful!!

By the way, I am wearing the new pants (zipper, belt loops but no pockets *grrr*) today and noticed that they are getting lose already :-) YAY! One week and I need a belt.

PS: The store I bought the size 15 has only odd sizes no 14, 16, etc. And it is definitely not junior sizing there.

agreed. I bought the pants at Target.
and oddly enough I needed new pants to see my mom for mothers day, and i went and bought a size 17 in the juniors dept at JCpenny, while on TOM and those pants were bigger then the ones from Target. and are too big on me.

go figure.

That is very confusing. I have pants from Macy's, Ann Taylor Loft and JC Penny. They are 14's. But, I can rarely find pants that fit no matter what size. It's ridiculous. Now shirts! Ugh. The sizes vary like crazy. I can put on an XS that's too big and a M that's too tight.

I just came back from GAP and I bought pants size 10. Insane! My closet now features size 15 to 10.