But it's not a smaller size - and what's happening is the opposite of phasing out larger sizes. The entire range of sizes has been shifted larger, creating the need for this "smaller" size that's merely restoring a size option.

Well, I can tell you that J crew, Gap, and Alloy are all good for vanity sizing.

The only thing that bothers me is people becoming anorexic to try to fit in the smallest size if that isn't their body type. Otherwise I have no problem with it.

I know about 3 or 4 of my friends who could probably fit a 000. They are petite and very thin. They sometimes have to shop in the kids section to find something that isn't baggy on them. I'm all for these stores providing smaller sizes but I wish they would also add bigger sizes.

there are a couple things that come into play
1) Vanity sizing. Size 0 of today isn't what it was 20 years ago
2) truly petite women. I've known people who have bought kids clothes. These people aren't anorexic.

Funny story, my husband is pretty slim. He fits size S and at one point wore size 30 pants. We went to China, we went into a department store to see if we could find him some clothes. He was too big for them. He often has problems finding men's clothes in the US. Sometimes junior mens are his fit but not style.

I'd love this too. Except even when I do find pants like this (for example, Lucky brand sizes their jeans by inches) those vary! I can wear anything between about a 28 and a 32 depending on the brand. So frustrating! Not to mention how difficult it is to find pants that are both a short enough inseam and roomy enough in the seat for this girl with the wide wide hips. I'm short...but I'm not petite.

From a money standpoint I can see the wisdom in trying to fit better into the east Asian market. There is a huge population potential there compared to some other regions in the world.

Pants are always hard for me because I am very long legged and few places carry a 37" inseam. When I do find the right inseam it seems that they have made one of two assumptions about me. 1. I am tall and need a size 18 or higher only OR 2. I am tall and weigh 60lbs so I must need a size 6 or smaller. I fit neither of those. Is it so hard to make a 37" inseam on a 10 or 12?

See, I can never find anything designed for a tall plus sized woman. It's either tall and skinny or short and fat.

Vanity sizing bugs me. I'm sure my go to store has made their sizes larger. There's no way I should be down to a 24 right now.

See, I can never find anything designed for a tall plus sized woman. It's either tall and skinny or short and fat.

Vanity sizing bugs me. I'm sure my go to store has made their sizes larger. There's no way I should be down to a 24 right now.

Maybe it's a problem with size 10...that's what I wear and I usually can't find a 30" inseam. Even then often it's in the petite section, in which case a 10 is too small and by the time I get up to something that fits my hips the thighs are too baggy. This shorty does not have a narrow bone structure.

Don't even get me started on dresses...I'm about a size 4 on top and by the time the dress fits my hips I could smuggle a watermelon in the bust.

At a 12 I too am considered a "plus sized" woman by fashion. In fact, even a 10 is plus sized in some stores. There are some brands that I need a 14 in which is plus sized most places.

J Crew has select items up to size 20 now - they are expanding upward, as well as downward. Important to get the details before reacting to something.

Frankly, they are an upmarket brand. Higher income, higher education levels are correlated with lower weights/BMI. Their target market are not plus size.

I don't love the weird sizing numbers, but I can understand why they might make a smaller size. Where I live, the average size of woman is just quite small, and there's plenty of women who look totally healthy but are much smaller than I could EVER be no matter how much weight I lost.

Its depressing to think there are sizes this small now in mainstream stores, sadly lots of girls will use this as a target, they will probably starve themselves in order to be able to fit into these clothes. Its horrible the way the world is going.

The problem is that the do pretty extreme vanity sizing. I went in there at a 14 and put on a 10. A friend of mine wears a 4 in most stores but a 0 there. It's pressuring people to be a size that doesn't actually exist.