Saturday, April 30, 2011

Vanity Sizing



So in an act of spring cleaning, I decided to clean out my closet. I’m tired of fighting through clothes that I don’t wear to get to the ones that I do wear. My closet space is unfortunately limited, and I’m tired of keeping things that could be useful to someone else.

So I tried on all of the “maybes” in my closet, vowing to donate anything that didn’t fit. I was astounded at the variance in sizes. One pair of slacks that I bought and never wore stated that they were in my size (and from a retailer that I usually shop with), and were far, far too big. I guess that’s why I never wore them, despite the fact that they were cute and professional. Next, I tried on a skirt in the same size, that was so bloody tight that I felt pain in my abdomen after I finally wrestled it off!

I know that vanity sizing is the big thing now, and yeah, of course it feels good to be in a smaller size. It makes it very impractical though in this fast-paced world. I have to try on every pair of pants to make sure that the size is accurate (and I’m beginning to ponder the term “accurate” in regards to women’s clothing these days). My husband says that men’s sizes are going the same way, and that he’s gone down in size, without losing weight or inches from his waistline.

For shopping online, it’s quite a bit of work, especially since jeans are now designed to sit not at the waist, but more at the hips, and it is difficult to determine just where a certain company defines as the hip.

What are your thoughts? I didn’t mean for this to sound like a rant, just an observation.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

It sure makes it harder to find clothes that fit. Who wants to have to keep track of which size they can wear in a bunch of different brands? That's not more convenient for the consumer no matter how you spin it.

Sophie P. said...

I agree. It's frustrating. I've begun brand & piece shopping to keep it easy (and Marshall's carries tons of Maxx Studio - one of my brand/pieces {$118 on the real tag $39 or $29 at Marshall's}) - but only the dresses- the rest of their stuff fits weird on me. I can usually count on H&M's tops in certain materials, too. Why am I telling you all of this? I guess shopping stresses me out, and it's nice to vent. As an aside - doesn't your closet feel nice? It's such a good feeling to clean up and donate. You deserve a treat. :)

Wandering Appalachian said...

Marshall's! I always forget about them! H & M is a staple for tops and dresses, but their bottoms are weird on me. I need to wear more dresses!