Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Oh, retail, retail, retail...

No wonder women get frustrated trying on clothes in stores. You never know if anything is going to fit, even if you think you know your size.

Recently, I put on a little weight and my pants now fit me again, but don't ask me what ready-to-wear size I am...

These are two of my favorite fitting corduroy pants that I can again wear with pride. (Though not this weekend, because it was 90 degrees here!!)

The brown ones are Ann Taylor Loft
The dusky green ones are Old Navy



See how the Old Navy ones are a bit wider at the waist than the Ann Taylors? They are not the same size, as you can see. Their companies agree but they are also a bit confused as to what size they are.

You see, the Old Navy pair is a size 6 while the Ann Taylor Loft (the smaller one) is a size 8!


Oh retail, you SO funny!

2 comments:

Mella DP said...

If there ever was a system or logic to clothing sizes, it must have been exiled decades ago. At one point I had at least one wearable garment in my closet in literally every size from 0 to 16. And just this weekend I tried on dresses at one store in sizes 6-14 (I'm usually 10-ish), and they were all too small by exactly the same amount. They don't like to make it too easy, I guess.

drwende said...

And the great thing is that next year, in the same brands, you could wear a 4 and a 12!

Clothing sizes were standardized, by government order, until some time in the 1980s; sewing patterns typically still use the old sizing. Back then, it was usual that larger sizes also had longer sleeves and longer hems, unlike today, where all additional body is assumed to be purely horizontal.