Some of the plus size shops are the worst. I started out in a tight 22 from Torrid, now I can't even hold up Torrid 16's with a belt. I'm still a size 16 everywhere else (except Old Navy I guess). . . So maybe when I think I've gone down three sizes, its probably more like four?

I think vanity sizes frustrate me sometimes cause I have gotten used to ordering clothing online. (because it used to be so hard to find clothing) and now I have to try everything on to see if it fits correctly. Don't get me wrong, I like to shop but sometimes if I need something that comes in packs (like tanks) I like to have a universal size so i don't have to worry about! I think it depends on the day for me. ( I have good days and bad days! LOL)

I also noticed American Eagle and Gap are pretty generous. It seems like all the yuppie-style stores (which I love) are bad with vanity sizing.

I liked being able to buy a lower size when I'm was in the 10-14 range. I knew my size, but it felt nice to not have to kneel down to get to the Fatty Shelf. When I'm up where I am now, though, the vanity sizing seems like a joke and is kind of humiliating. Like, "It's okay, sweetie. You're a whale, but we'll shave off a few numbers for you."

On the other end of the spectrum, Delia's (which I haven't been able to fit into for a long time) is the opposite of vanity sizing. Sort of like "HAHA you're a fatass" sizing. At my thinnest, when you could see my hip bones when I was standing up, I was an 13/14 in most of their jeans while I could get into a 6 at Gap.

Lane Bryant does it too - a 14/16 is much roomier at LB than it would be at almost any other store.

I have no idea!

All pants are so low-rise nowadays, so I have to almost by pants in terms of hip size, not waist size.

Because of my build of big thighs and hips and a 14" difference between my waist and hips, I usually end up taking a range of sizes into the dressing room. Jeans, like 18, 20, 22. Then I judge, are these too tight in the thighs/butt if they fit my waist? Or comfortable in the thighs, but too gaping at the waist?

The sizing between stores is crazy, and even online, the sizing charts can be a crap shoot. It would be awesome to have exacting fit charts, standard across all makers. I know I'm fat, no one is looking at the label inside my jeans, just give me ONE size to try on!

As a result, I have 3 pairs of pants right now that I rotate between Once I get them, I wear them into the ground. Right now, I am wearing comfy thigh jeans held up with a belt, heh!

I think Macy's and Nordstrom size things oddly.

Macy's doesn't have any set sizing--it depends on the brand. Even the store brands like Style & Co. and INC are sized very differently. Usually, the trendier the brand, the slimmer the fit.

Are you guys sure Target does vanity? 'cos.. I usually buy my jeans at JC penny in the Juniors section where I am a size 15, or misses size 16 in all the brands.

Well, in Target I can't even fit into their 17s!!! It boggles my mind.

I pretty much have to do the opposite. My lower abdomen measurement is actually bigger than my hip measurement, so I count that as my hip size and buy my lower-body garments accordingly..

when i had gotten down to 250 (pre-preg..had 2 kids since) i was fitting fine into ON 20's. i was working at lane bryant at the time (for the discount, hehe) and couldnt even zip a pair off 22's!! i was sooo mad!! part of me also thinks, to this day, that LB makes their clothes run smaller..so even if you lose weight, you stay in their clothes longer. idk...something is most def up w their sizing. i can fit in avenue size 22's right now/some need a 24 and LB i would need like a 26..no thanks!!

I think LB does run small. When their pants fit me in the thigh, the waist is WAY too tight. I won't even go there anymore because I can't bear to buy a 26! I much prefer Old Navy's 22 Old Navy runs REALLY big, though, so figure I'm somewhere between my ON and LB sizes.

What do you guys think about Delia's...does anyone wear those? I wear a 9/10 in Delia's, but my other 10's from when I was skinnier don't fit right now. Of course, if I get the skinny jeans at Delia's then i have to go up to a 11/12. I'm with everyone else. I wish there was some kind of standard size so that I knew what size I *really* was. Even if it was a bigger size it'd then be easier to know. Maybe i'll just stick with the jeans brand I like and consider the sizes I've lost in that particular brand...