Post: #1

http://www.economist.com/node/21552262?f...dressingup

Quote:ONE of the many mysteries surrounding the female sex is that a woman who weighs roughly the same as she did 20 or more years ago now wears smaller-sized clothes than she used to. The explanation is “size inflation”: clothes with the same size label have become steadily larger over time.

Measurements vary by brand, but research by The Economist finds that the average British size-14 pair of women’s trousers is more than four inches bigger at the waist today than they were in the 1970s (see chart), and over three inches wider at the hips. A size 14 today fits like a former size 18, and a size 10 fits like an old size 14. The same “downsizing” has happened in America where, to confuse matters further, a size 10 is equivalent to a British size 12 or 14, depending on the manufacturer.

As the average girth of women has increased, fashion firms have stretched the size of their garments, partly in the belief that women feel better (and so are more likely to buy) if they can squeeze into the same size dress as in their more slender youth. Most women would be shocked to know that they have gone up two whole dress sizes.

Such inflation mainly affects women’s clothing, since most men’s trousers are sized in inches rather than arbitrary units. But men are not immune. Studies in America and Britain have found that some brands of men’s trousers labelled “waist 36 inches”, say, are in fact up to five inches bigger. Size inflation flatters customers, but the danger is that it encourages overweight people to dismiss health risks and reduces the incentive to diet. For the roughly three-fifths of adult Britons who are overweight, size really does matter.

Post: #2

That's just good marketing.

Post: #3

This is missing something: men's sizing is vanity sized now, too.

Go to ANY thrift vintage store. Get a pair of pants that are your size. Try them on. Tight, right? Can't even fit?

Measure your waist line with a fabric or vinyl tape. Measure the waist of your jeans, in inches.

In the States 10 years ago, a 31" waisted pant was around 32.5" to account for normal body changes throughout the day. Today, a 31" waisted pant may be closer to 34" -- I recently went into a GAP and measured a 32" jean and it was 36".

Vanity sizing is here to stay, because the West is mostly obese people.

Post: #4

Abercrombie seems to be the opposite, at least a couple years ago.

I bought an XL hoodie and it fit me about like a medium. Wayyyy too short, especially the arms.

The few shirts I've bought from such stores all seem to be about two sizes smaller than what I am used too.

I put this down to the waif size guys buying clothes there wanting to feel bigger.....

Jeans seem to be a crapshoot depending on brand. In Levi's I normally wear 34x34 while I've tried other brands in the same size that fall off me.

Post: #5

(04-09-2012 10:10 PM)Hotwheels Wrote:  I put this down to the waif size guys buying clothes there wanting to feel bigger.....

Funny thing is, that's only going to make them look smaller. When you wear clothes that are too big for you, it looks like you are swimming in them. Unless you're wearing a hoodie (which naturally increases your profile) never wear clothes too big for you, always keep a slim fit. It will make you look bigger than if you wearing a size too large.

Post: #6

Interesting. I would never think it would be as extreme for Mens clothing. I do remember being younger with urban brands like Rocawear and Karl Kani I used to wear in HS. They would inflate the clothing to make it baggy and then you would still size up lol.

The first thing that crosses my mind if clothes I want don't fit is to loose weight. I was wearing XS at a time last year and wear small now but I don't consider myself "small" at all just a fit normal dude. I max out at medium but I always hit the gym if I feel like I'm porking up. Women just suck in their guts or by tommy tuckers or by leggins that have elastics on the stomachs so they can still squeeze in.

Post: #7

I had this when I first went to the US from Europe. I'd order my usual size online and it was always too big. Pisses me off because inches should be inches. Stateside they're also generally more baggy in all the wrong places.

Post: #8

(04-09-2012 10:10 PM)Hotwheels Wrote:  Abercrombie seems to be the opposite, at least a couple years ago.

I bought an XL hoodie and it fit me about like a medium. Wayyyy too short, especially the arms.

The few shirts I've bought from such stores all seem to be about two sizes smaller than what I am used too.

I put this down to the waif size guys buying clothes there wanting to feel bigger.....

Jeans seem to be a crapshoot depending on brand. In Levi's I normally wear 34x34 while I've tried other brands in the same size that fall off me.

I can't wear the 3 shirts I got from Abercrombie anymore because of this issue. I swear that the XL there is like a Medium. Not only that, but they rarely have any clothes higher than XL.

Post: #9

(04-09-2012 10:42 PM)P Dog Wrote:  

(04-09-2012 10:10 PM)Hotwheels Wrote:  I put this down to the waif size guys buying clothes there wanting to feel bigger.....

Funny thing is, that's only going to make them look smaller. When you wear clothes that are too big for you, it looks like you are swimming in them. Unless you're wearing a hoodie (which naturally increases your profile) never wear clothes too big for you, always keep a slim fit. It will make you look bigger than if you wearing a size too large.

What I was saying is an XL there is actually about the size of a normal medium. The sleeves on the XL hoodie I bought only came about halfway down my forearms...

In other words, a waif that normally wears a small wears a large to get a decent fit if bought at Abercrombie. I figure they do this so little guys don't feel like they are shopping in the kids section.

Post: #10

When dress patterns started to be sold through the mail in the 1860s, dress sizes were assigned to age: Dress size 8 was for a girl age 8, dress size 12 was for a girl age 12, and after age 16 they bought the "woman" size.

Men's clothing, because of military specs on clothing purchases, haven't drifted as far as women have. But some manufactures still are guilty of using vanity sizing in men's clothes.

You need some "ease" it's true, or else you can't move in the clothing. But the standard ease for a waist is adding 2". Not Old Navy's 5"!

Post: #11

Interesting because I have always found H&m to fit well. American Apparel is to damn tight and GAP yes does fit strange.

Post: #12

God dammit, I knew there was a reason my Old Navy pants were comfortable...