Okay So I'm confused about my clothing size, I wear a 28 jean and always thought I wore a 26/28 top , well I went to Walmart yesterday and bought a pair of pjs at 22/24 and then one at 18/20 just to keep my measurements of my clothing, well I was like iam going to try on the 22 and they fit but a bit snug, then I was like hmm wonder if I can get my prom dress on size 16-18 that I had in high school I slipped it on it was tight around the bust and I couldn't zip it so I'm thinking what the heck what size am I really.I know the pjs have a bit more stretch to them in jeans but that big of a jump...? So what I am wondering is what is my real size?Also according to David's Bridal size chart I should be in a 22/24 wedding dress, when I wear a 26 regular dress I thought wedding gowns ran smaller then actual clothing...in size wise.

I'd go try on clothes! You may be in a smaller size now. I know for a while I was afraid to try on my smaller clothes, or go shopping for new clothes. I was afraid they'd be too small, and that I was really still a size 24. Even now, I catch myself going back to my bigger clothes - and am afraid to wear my smaller things. I have a pair of size 20 shorts that I recently bought, and didn't wear for like a month, because I was afraid when I put them on they'd be too tight. lol of course they weren't, but I had it in my head that they were.

If you think you can figure out clothing sizes you will go crazy. They vary widely, even with the same manufacturer. I have pants in both size 6 and 8 and I have tops in small, medium, and large and they all fit. When I go shopping I take a couple of different sizes in the dressing room and just buy what fits. Shoes are the same way I have size 7, 7 1/ 2 and 8 and once again they all fit. Don't get hung up on the number, just buy what fits.

It's hard to tell! I may fit a 16 in one kind of pant and an 18 in another! Also, sizes have changed over time. A 16 today will be larger than a 16 from 20 years ago...

My honest opinion, sizes change based on the time period and based on the store. One store I can fit into this and another store I can fit into that. You also have to take into account your body shape and height.

I just pay attention, mostly, to the fit of things and though I DO get excited when I fit into smaller things I also keep in mind that it is okay if I fit into a bigger size since at the end of the day it is just a number.

My only complaint about the sizes is I HAVE to try stuff on now lol. The fit and size, it just can't be ordered online unless it is something I don't care about like PJs or whatever.

Lol my size sixteen -eighteen prom dress was from 18 years ago....

Thanks for the advice I will do that guys, Yeah I am going nuts trying to figure all this out.

You are not a size (and you never were).

Clothing sizes were not developed to tell you anything about yourself, they were developed to make ordering clothing by mail, easier. That's it. Even then, it wasn't a guarantee that you wouldn't have to exchange for a different size or have the clothing altered to fit your particular shape - it just made it a little less of a crap shoot.

Because people (especially women-type people) come in many shapes and sizes, the "perfect size___" is a myth, and always has been. Attempts to standardize sizes has largely been a failed experiment. Not only do women's shape variation make it impossible to always fit into the same size, there's a lot of variation in how individual women want their clothes to fit (not to even mention how the designers of the clothing want them to fit).

Here's an interesting link to the history of clothing sizes (it's about five or six pages. I'm a trivia buff, so I found it really interesting).

http://museum.nist.gov/exhibits/apparel/index.htm

I also learned a few weeks ago, shopping in a store that I'm just out of the size range. The clerk, REALLY wanting to make a sale, and to prove that some of the tops might fit me anyway, showed me that even within any size of an identical garment there can be sizing variations, due to the manufacturing process. So if you compare five different tops (apparently identical in size and style) there can be a difference of several inches. So if you take two tops (in the same style) in a size 22 and 24 and compare them, the 22 could actually be bigger than the 24. If you compared all of the 22's and all of the 24's, the "average" of the larger size would be bigger, but if you just grabbed two tops randomly, you could get a smallish size 24 and a largish size 22 (How's THAT for confusing).

Knowing this does come in handy though, as when I've tried on clothing in the past, and a garment was too small, I never thought to try a different garment in the same size or especially to look in the size smaller. Now I know to take the garment that doesn't fit and compare it to other garments on the rack (both in the size and in adjacent sizes).

my girlfriend and I were shopping the other day at jcp and she pointed out that the size 7's were listed as "large". she wanted to know when a 7 became large? I wore size 5/7 MANY years ago, when I weighed 96lbs!

I don't even worry about the number anymore. I just try the clothes on and if they fit they fit. I bought 3 pairs of capris in size 20 and two shirts that were 22/24 and one that was 18/20. They all fit the same. Then today I went skirt shopping and I needed a 24 in one skirt and a 22 in a different skirt..... I'd guess I'm a size 20/22 because that's what most of the clothes I've been buying are, but I fit into some 18's and in other brands I need a 24!!! It's crazy!

MandiK it is crazy Lol I will just have to go try on clothing to get the right fit for me.

Kaplods thanks so much for the advice yep will just have to make myself go to the store I hate shopping....

Everyone is right about sizes.

I owned a clothing store for quite a few years, and the sizes varied so much from one brand of clothing to the next. Just depends on the cut and the brand.

Kaplods is right about varying sizes in the same garment too. Many garments are cut out say 10 at a time, so variances occur easily.

There really isn't much consistency in the garment industry.

My latest wardrobe consists of anywhere from a size 8 to a size 12. I was shopping at JCP the other day and found an absolutely gorgeous dress that was 90% off. It was the only one of it's kind and a size 12. It looked smallish to me so I tried it on and it fit perfectly. Funny, I almost didn't buy it at first because it said size 12 on it... But for $14.00 I just couldn't pass it up. I'm sure that was why it was so cheap...

Loribell you look amazing!!! Way to go!!

I also get confused sometimes. When I started eating healthier, I wore a size 28/30 top and a size 30 pants. Now six weeks into it, I've lost 20lbs and my pants size are the same but I now wear a size 20/22 in shirts. Go figure,lol.