I have three pairs of pants that I wear religiously.

Size 19 from Wally World. Snug, but not tight. I can zip them up and be fine.

Size 18 from Avenue. Loose. Falls off when I jump around.

Size 22 from LEI. Fits PERFECTLY.

Help! I used to wear a 24, and I thought for the longest time I was down to an 18...but now the 22....

you know what i do.. i go to a store and try on the same size jeans in different brands until i find the common average size that i fit in. like for example i went to torrid a while back and tried on 3 different brand jeans in the smallest size i supposedly fit it and bingo.. i fit in all 3 which ment i must be that size

It depends on the brand and how the clothes are cut. I don't think it's a matter to worry. Some brands tend to cut smaller, so you'll need a 'higher' size. In France, I can be a 38/40 (that's 8/10 in US sizes, I think? Or a 10/12?) but for some clothes, I'll be a 44 (ego crush!). Like that cute cheongsam I bought at a fair, thinking "oh, a size M will fit"... it turned out I needed an XL because the cut was so narrow (re-ego crush!).

But those things are such complex and bothering at times, hehe.

I used to work in merchandising at a retail store down south, and I would always be trying on new clothes I had put on the racks that I thought were cute. Thing is, even the same brand can have different cuts. I have a pair of size 11 Union Bay corduroys that fit me loose. I also have the same pants in a different shade of brown in a size 13 that fit me tight.

In Wal-Mart clothing, I always wear a size smaller than I typically am.

American Eagle jeans are tailored really well and always fit perfect, but I'm not sure what sizes they carry.

Go for the more expensive pants and you'll find the ones that reflect your true size.

It definitely is frustrating with the way jeans are made. I try to go by how I look and feel in them instead of what the tag says. I own jeans varying in 4 different sizes and they all fit. I find Old Navy ones to have a smaller waist and bigger booty than I desire. American Eagle ones run fairly slender through the legs and hips. Abercrombie jeans always run big, so I need a smaller size in these. Lei's run smaller in the waist. I find that with Levi's at Walmart, I can buy smaller sizes. So, I don't think it's uncommon for most women to wear varying sizes on a regular basis. It's not that we're doing anything wrong, it's just how women's clothes are made. I own one pair of capri's that I bought at TJ Maxx, they are the biggest size # that I own but in actuality they are the smallest pair of capris that I own.

We went through a similar thread awhile ago. When I asked what size pants do you wear? Because I thought it was strange that people that are bigger than I am wear a smaller size. But it is in the brand names. Our bodies are all different in shape also. For example: I just bought a swimming suit. I am glad you can buy the tops and bottoms in different sizes. My top was a 12 and my bottom was a 16. I carry my weight around my middle. Not good because of the health risks this involves but that is another subject.

Pants are a nightmare for me because my waist is a size 14...but my legs arent! I usually have either a waist that's too big and the thigh and calf area are nice or a perfectly fit waist and my thighs and calves are like sausages! Needless to say I'm different sizes in different pants. Gap jeans I wear a 16, Levis are a little roomier in the leg so I'm a 14. All skirts and dresses I'm a 14 too so that's usually the size I say I am

Speaking of sizes isn't it odd how I'm just under 200 lbs. and a size 14 and I have a friend who is 160 and she wears a 14 too? Funny how people can be so drastically different like that!

It is odd, wisher. I weigh 155 and I wear a 13. Of course, this could be because I won't allow myself to have a "muffin top" (you know the fat that hangs over the top of one's jeans?), so I always wear my pants around my hips and loose - not baggy, but it can't encroach upon my supple tummy fat. :P

It is weird with the sizing..I am 162 lbs and take a 14 or 16..but I am short..and an apple.
I am the opposite of you, wisher..I can't find pants because if I find something big enough to go around my gut, it looks ridiculous in the legs, it is so big..once I get to 170ish i am so disproportionate I am pretty much wearing stretchy stuff so the legs aren't as big.

You have to remember to that "juniors" sizes tend to run two sizes smaller than normal sizes. The lei jeans are a juniors so that would explain the 22. I typically wear a 9 in juniors and a 6/8 in just regular pants. I was also told that when pants are made they put a huge stack of fabric onto a cutting machine and the pants on top are smaller than the ones on bottom due to shifting and such. Don't worry, just claim the smaller pants size, makes you feel better!

I have to second that about the fabric being piled on a cutting machine and the top ones being smaller than the bottom ones. I own 2 pairs of pants by George that I bought at Wal-mart about 2 years ago. Both size 16's. One in a dark grey/black color, the other solid black. Both pair are strechy material. The dark grey/black ones almost fall off of me and are soooo baggy in the legs. The solid black are just now starting to slide down my waist and feel alittle loose in the legs. And just this weekend I went to Old Navy and bought me a pair of jeans in a size 10!!!! Kinda weird though....they are boot cut but the waist fits perfect and the thighs were alittle on the tight side...but thankfully they got 3% stretchy material in them, so after sitting for awhile, the thighs loosened up some. But yes....different brands are cut different. A pain in the butt definately, but oh well...what can we do???

I generally find it's better to use measurements to measure progress rather than sizes, which vary wildly. I mean, when I go shopping for pants:

-Canadian size: 11
-American size: 7/8
-size according to older clothing charts: 14

...I give up!

Sizes are screwed up. Depending on the clothes, I can wear anything from a 6 to a 12. I actually have one pair of jeans that are size 16 and tight on me! I don't get it.