I think as well as the fact that sizes by different brands are all over the place, people have their weight in different places. 2 people could weigh the same, but one is 2 sizes smaller in pants because she carries her weight in her chest, and the other is 2 sizes smaller in tops.

I also agree that people like to talk about how small they are. I have a friend who lost about 25 pounds and is down to 108 or 109. She is only 4'10" and has a really hard time finding clothes to fit because she says everything is too big. Now, she looks great and is small, but as someone else said she is not a teenager anymore and isn't tiny like so many of them. She had some shorts on the other day in size 0 and they looked good, I thought, but she said they were too big and was trying to find them in 00 at the store. We were shopping for a dress for her for a special event. She tried the 4, couldn't get it zipped, tried the 6 and it still wouldn't zip, so she didn't try anymore because the size was getting too big. The dress was obviously cut very small and had it zipped, it would have looked fantastic on her, but she worried more about the size than how it looked.

So, having said that, I have to share my size excitement today. I had a party to go to and most of the capris I had been wearing were too big--I was wearing size 18, but have a pair or 2 of 16s that are fit okay now. I found a pair of shorts from who knows when and put them on. They were a bit tight in the waist, but I had a loose top over them so they looked okay and I wore them to the party. When I got home I decided to see what size they were and they were a 12. So ladies, I guess I can officially say I'm down to a 12 now

I am 5'5" and just under 190, and I'm delighted to say that I am fitting into 14s these days, in pants at least. I have a very generous bust and tend to size a little larger on the top still.

I do a lot of resistance training, and I think that can account for at least some of the variations in size between different women at similar heights and weights. If you're not lifting heavy things as part of your workout, it's something you might want to look into.

All of that said, what Saef probably accounts for the rest of the size different.

didn't read through, so sorry if I repeated anyone, but keep in mind that 14/16 womens(plus) is significantly larger than 14/16 ladies(normal/non-plus)

I once tried on a pair of slacks that fit perfectly and then went to purchase the same pair in several colors. The sales associate suggested I try every pair on to make sure they fit. She said that many of today's clothing is cut by machines, sometimes doing ten pieces of fabric at once, and you cannot count on two pairs from the same manufacturer that are the same size, to in fact be, equal in size. I also think different manufacturers size differently. If you want to feel good about the number inside a pair of slacks, try on a pair of Alfred Dunner! If you want to be down on yourself, try to find a pair of Calvin Klein.

This thread also reminds me of the recent hullabaloo over Kirstie Alley and her claim to now be a "stretchy size 6." I suppose she wears expensive designer clothing that does vanity sizing, because she really doesn't look like a size 6 - although she looks amazing for her age and she obviously lost a lot of weight during Dancing With The Stars.

Calvin Klein Women's actually runs a bit big. It's the first size 14 I got into. I still can't get into a 14 at Lane Bryant!

I'm not sure if anyone watched it, but Dr. Oz had a show on vanity sizing yesterday that was very interesting. In NY, he is on channel 5 and they replay the same episode the next day. So it is on again here today at 11:00 am. They had a seamstress measure size 12 pants from different stores like Gap, H&M and Coldwater Creek. The difference in waist sizes ranged from 33 to 38 inches. Incredible!

YUP - there is absolutely NO standardization of sizing in the women's clothing industry. The more money you spend (Chic designer wear), the smaller size you wear. LOL Two words: Vanity Sizing

I was wearing a size 4 skirt a couple of days ago. In NO WAY am I a size 4. If I still had the size 4 slacks I wore in high school, I would not be able to fit into them. I have size 8 slacks in my closet that I can't get into now, but somehow that new skirt fits in size 4? C'mon! I wish the fashion industry would stop the nonsense. Clothing sizes are a joke.

I can tell you that I am 202 and wear a 13/14 in jeans. I usually purchase American Eagle jeans because they fit my body well. I have much thinner legs and hips while my upper body is much larger. If it is not a t-shirt I am in a 2x. I have a friend who has the opposite shape and she wears an 18 but a smaller shirt size than me. Everyone is different. The apple-shaped women envy the pear-shaped women's tiny waists, the pear-shaped women envy the apple-shaped women's slender legs, and the hour-glass figures...we hate them all for having such da*n good bodies (jk, just being sarcastic).

I'm at 193 lbs and I'm wearing a size 12 in jeans that sit at the hips. However, I'm still in an XL top. I carry all my weight in the middle, so I tend to wear a smaller size of jeans that sit at the hips than those that sit at the waist. Cut definitely makes a difference!