Also, I agree! My measurements put me in like a size 20, but 18s fall off my booty. I tried on a size 20 and it wouldn't even stay up!

You know... I'd like the second the 12/14 issue. Maybe it's something to do with this specific pant gap! But my 14's were starting to fall off me about 5 pounds ago, but 12's were tight.. as in... unsightly muffintop and uncomfortable tight. Now they are a LITTLE tight but tolerable.. and 14's are way too big at the waist now.
I, like the OP, am an apple shape, and I have a bulging tummy effect that looks like a man's beer gut, except that I also have fat around my back and upper midsection. It's basically just my whole midsection. My tummy abruptly ends and leads into thin legs LOL.
I went to the GAP website for sizing.. for their jeans I am an 18 in the waist, and a 12 in the hips. Not as big a gap as you, but I feel you (and mostly because my belly hangs low to where my hips are, which means its my belly fat making my hips bigger!). My hip size usually ends up being my real size, or one size bigger than my hip size.

yeah, I'm a similar situation, I dropped almost 60 pounds and I'm still wearing size 20...I can't seem to escape the number 20 even with a lot of weight loss

I have a big dilemma with pant size right now. 12s are a little bit on large size, but still probably what I would choose to wear comfortably. However I do have some 10s that I can fit into, and would wear with flow-y tops. My BIG problem: I'm moving to London for the fall. It's going to be much colder than my usual fall wardrobe for a southern school will prepare me for. Should I buy 10s/12s/a mixture? I really don't want to have to buy pants there. Stuff in the UK is WAY more expensive. Thoughts?

Pied Piper~

First of all, I am beyond jealous that you get the chance to live in London. It is my favorite place ever.

Second, I would take some things, but I wouldn't go buying a ton. The shops in London are not as bad as you would think pricewise, and there are so many more better places to shop there. The UK has awesome shopping. And they tend to be much more conscious about different shaped people in Europe.

I would take some basics and go from there. Maybe some good yoga-ish type pants that can be casual or dressed up with a nice top and some jeans you know fit now.

HAVE FUN!!!!!

at 147 i was in between sizes as well it is soooo hard going from 14 to 12 .

And also my sister who is only 10 pounds lighter than me wears a size 0!! i mean wtf? and im stuck with a fat booty and thighs and a size 8 lol

Today I went into a Jcrew to try on a bunch of corduroys for the fall. I automatically grabbed the bottom pair of pants because that tends to be my size. I slipped them on without even looking at the tag, and was THRILLED when they were huge on me. I took them off and was about to get a smaller pair, when I realized that they were a larger size than I though, 33, rather than my usual 32. I still actually fit into 31s, but for a minute there I thought I might be able to wear a 30!