I JUST pulled out my vintage "Canadiana for the family by BEEHIVE" knitting patterns from 1962. My mom gave it to me. Here are the sizings for these knitting sweater patterns.

Measurements:
Size 6 -- bust 26 inches (garment finished size is 28 inches).
Size 8 -- bust 28 inches (garment finished size is 30 inches).
Size 10 -- bust 30 inches (garment finished size is 32 inches).
Size 12 -- bust 32 inches (garment finished size is 34 inches).
Size 14 -- bust 34 inches (garment finished size is 36 inches).
Size 16 -- bust 36 inches (garment finished size is 38 inches).
Size 18 -- bust 38 inches (garment finished size is 40 inches).

:fr:

Kira

Yes, a friend of mine who wears size 4 at a place like Banana Republic reports that she's really into vintage sewing patterns...and in a pattern from the 1950s she'd be a size 14.

I have all of my measurements from 20 years ago, and I know I was always a size 8 then (maybe a size 6, when I was really skinny). Today I wear size 4 jeans and they're getting kind of loose. I have a size 6 skirt from before I had kids: it's tight. A recently bought size 4 skirt is quite loose.

It's ridiculous. I know it's not "vanity" -- it has to do with the average size of the population, which has exploded in the last 10 years. But the change in clothing sizes is really crazy.

On the W and misses sizing, it really does fit differently. In misses I wear an 18 and in W I wear a 14 top 16 bottom. The 14/16Ws fit me way better than the 18 misses. The 18s don't have enough differential between bust/hip and waist for me, they are more straight up-and-down.

I find American sizing fascinating. As soon as I got off the plane I dropped 4 sizes ha! I had the best time ever shopping! You see, never in my lifetime in Australia will I see an 8 (a US 8 is a 12 here)! But I also found a HUGE disparity in sizing over there. In one store I was a 14 in another a 6 and on average an 8.

When i was a teenager (43 now) I weighed 115 lbs. I wore a 7/8. I remember borrowing a pair of my friend's size 5 jeans for a date. I still remember that date vividly because I couldn't breathe the whole night! lol!!!

They wear couture! :dizzy:

Oh Gawd, I sure HOPE NOT! Lori, that's a nice idea but BMI can be very misleading. How about if you have a lot of lean body mass? That does not necessarily mean you are large. I find BMI rather useless.

Speaking of sizes .... just the other day, I watch a re-run on one episode of X-Weighted - we had a discussion about the girl in that episode last year - she was a former plus size model and wanted to return to modeling, and she succeeded. However, the fashion industry considers size 14 the Plus Size.

Hi there! Size 14 is where the Addition-Elle and Penningtons sizes start. It IS considered a plus size, and alot of the plus-sized models are size 12, too. But rarely a 4x...sizeism in the plus-size industry? You can be big, but not TOO big...sigh..

Kira

This is pretty much it, W sizes are cut differently and the ratios are different, basically they are made for rounded people. I really cannot wait for the day when I cannot fit into them anymore.

RR, I have often wondered this myself! Where on earth do they find clothes tiny enough--juniors or little girls I am guessing.

oops ... I somehow posted the same reply twice .... deleting

I used to think that was strange too. Until I realized - regular-size models are much thinner than regular-size women, and in the same way, plus-size models are thinner than plus-size women.

Not that I think models should be smaller than the women they're modeling for. But it makes sense given the way the industry is.

That was one of my wake-up calls - that I was not only needing larger sizes, but the W sizes started to fit better because my shape changed.

Notice how men don't have these sizing issues. I agree with the poster who said we should be sized as men are. Men gain weight, go from a 32 waist, to a 42-no big mystery.
The industry is just messing with the minds of women.
Regardless of weight, just look at the different sizes of womens chests. How do we tolerate a sizing sytem like S, M, L or 2, 4, 6...? When clearly our shirt sizes should be 32; 34; 36; ect (or something to that effect.)

For goodness sakes, men even have their neck size accounted for in their sizing!!!

I actually shop at the Juniors stores. But since I'm 45, I'm pretty limited to the few items that are age appropriate. Some of that stuff is really - out there - and I'm only partially out there ;). I have gotten some nice blouses, jackets, skirts and pants though from time to time.