Bigger on top then on bottom...
 

Wondering if anyone can commiserate with me on this one. I have gone from size 18 jeans to size 12 or 14 depending on the brand. (I even own one pair of, must be sized wrong, 10's). But when it comes to shirts I still find I have to get like a 1x. This is very frustrating to me. Is there a size between xl and 1x? I tried on clothes last Friday and many of the 1x's were a little too loose but the xl's may as well been painted on. I have a relatively large chest I guess (about a 42c as bras go, ugg, but don't get me started on why you can't buy pretty bras in that size)but it still upsets me that I can't get out of the plus size section. Is this a problem for any of you?

As for bras, have you tried Lane Bryant? I wear a 40c and i've found plenty of nice bras through Lane Bryant and barenecessities.com (did I spell that right?).

I'm also between a 1x and xl on top. So I wear 1x tops and a few xl tops that I found that fit right.

I'm also bigger on bottom than on top. I wear a size 20 pant and usually if I have a problem with a top it is in the stomach not the chest/arms. So I know I will be fully out of plus sizes on top long before I'll still need plus sizes for my bottoms. Oh well, such is life.

I have the opposite problem... it makes me insane... my measurements are 32, 30, 42!!! ARGH...

It does seem like there's a size gap between XL and 1X. I remember being there before. It was frustrating.

I'm bigger on the bottom than on the top. I can wear a xl or l on the top, but must wear a 1x or 2x on the bottom. :(

The worst part is, it's all baby weight, so it's all around my hips and belly. I have (in comparison) thin thighs and calves. When I go to Avenue or Lane Bryant, the pants will fit around the waist and look like tents around the legs.

I'm small on top and really big below, mostly on my legs so it's "hidden weight". I was very surprised to find that my butt and thighs have shrunk so much in the last couple weeks though!

I am also disproportionate. I buy anything from a 4 to a 7 in jeans. But , in shirts I wear mostly larges. I am broad shouldered and have a now 36C chest. I have to get a size 10-12 in dresses to fit through the chest and waist. I hate for my shirts to be tight at all because I do have back fat and a tummy that is rounder than I would have hoped for. I also gave up the idea of ever wearing anything sleeveless, too much saggy skin on these here arms.

Ok this is one of my all time pet peeves. What are fashion designers thinking? There literally is a serious sizing gap between a misses XL vs a 1X or even a 14 vs a 14W or 16 vs 16W. It is NOT a size up... its actually a couple sizes up. If you look at sizing charts it is evident... sizes increase in steady inch increments (say 1 1/2 inches every size) and then there will be a 3 inch jump between the top misses style and the woman's style. I call this "never never land" because it is usually my size! It is SO frustrating! Add this on to my short height of only 5'1", large chest, relatively small waist, and curvy hips/butt/thighs and I really, really have trouble buying clothes. Gosh and I just LOVE fashion so much and thank goodness I love to shop or I would be living in tshirts and sweatpants.

A few tips: make sure you are shopping in misses sizes and not the juniors. Misses clothes should have even sizes and juniors will have odd numbers. Also, there are certain clothing lines that cut more generously and some plus that cut smaller sizes:

Torrid plus sizes go down to a 0 and a 12 (smaller plus)
New York & Co. carries generously sized misses XL and 16 and also pants with lengths
Liz Claiborne and Jones New York lines carry generous misses sizes and they both also carry plus and petite
J.Jill stores carry generous misses sizing and you can order online plus and petite
Lane Bryant has a great selection of high quality, pretty bras for larger band and/or cup sizes They also carrry some pants in lengths but I find their tops to be huge

I have the opposite problem, small on top and big on the bottom. It's very difficult to find shirts that fit. My boobs have shrunk so much I practically can't find t-shirts that are small enough and when I do, they are too tight through the hips. So the shirts are loose and flappy on top but then stetched tight over my stomach and hips (the least attractive part of my body)--I hate that look. Even with jackets or fitted shirts, I have to find the one that is cut just exactly right for it to fit through the shoulders, boobs, and hips. In some lines of clothing, my bottom is two sizes bigger than my top.

At my heaviest, it was actually impossible to find clothes that fit. I wore a dress this year for the first time in 4 or 5 years because, until I lost weight, I absolutely could not find any dress that fit (and I tried on a lot of dresses in desperation). I also could not button any of my suit jackets because in order for them to not completely hang off my shoulders they had to be too tight through the hips. Now that I am thinner, it has gotten quite a bit better but I still sometimes have trouble.

I hate HATE HATE the nevernever land between plus and "normal" sizes... I feel like I've lived there most of my life.

Actually-at least in pants, there is an overlap between Misses and Plus sizes. Misses go up to a size 18, and plus sizes start at 14W. In my personal experience, a 14W (smallest plus size pants size) is about a 16 in Misses, and a 16W is about the same as an 18 in Misses. As far as tops go, though-there doesn't seem to be an inbetween.

Basically, plus sizes, Misses and juniors have different "cuts". It isn't that they are trying to make an overlap, or a never never land in size.

Basically, it is the same thing as toddler sizes going up to 5T, and little kids clothing starting at size 4. The cuts are slightly different-with the toddler sizes still allowing a little "diaper/training pants room", and often having elastic waists, and other features for easy changing/potty training.

Junior sizes (odd sizes) even in the larger sizes of them-are meant for a younger, not quite as fully developed figure. Teenagers. Some grown women with slimmer hips, or smaller chests fit into juniors just fine. But, they aren't as good for women with wider hips after childbrth, or those of us with C and above chests-even with a size XL in juniors.

Misses are cut more for a grown woman-a little easier through the hips and thighs, and more for a grown woman's B-D chest size.

Plus sizes are cut roomier through the shoulders/armpits/bust area, etc. because fuller figures (or big boned ladies) usually need more room in this area. The same with the pants. They aren't doing it to try to trick anyone-they are different "fits" with different designs-made for different figure types.

I understand what you are saying... but the unfortunate result of these different cuts is "never never land." I can't tell you how many times I have tried on a 14P (petite) which I can't get on, a 14 misses which is too tight, and then a 14W which will hang on me... all from the exact same line. When they tighten up petite sizing and let out plus sizing it most definitely leaves a sizing gap.

The key to that, is not trying the same size on in all three cuts-the 14 plus could be hanging on you, and the 14 petite and misses may be tight...so a 16 petite could very well work-like when I wear a 16 in Misses, I wear a 14W plus size at that same time-because of the gap.