[Samantha Rogers]

Sizes. Does anyone else think they are designed to drive you crazy?
The charts are never right for me.
I am essentially these measurements:
Bust 41.5
Waist 34
Hips 39

I am currently looking at, as an example, the jcrew website size guide. With my measurements I am supposed to be either 12 or even a 14. Another site has me as a 16!!!!
Yet I would swim in either of those.
If you have looked at my pics on the Fashion thread , that black dress was a 10. Did it look too tight? The blue dress is an 8!!
It doesn't make a lot of difference to me, since I just buy stuff, try it on at home and return it if I don't like it, but wow!
How are you supposed to navigate when all the friggin maps are wrong?

Am I the only one in the bizarre twilight size zone?

[SarahSchilling]

Sizes. Does anyone else think they are designed to drive you crazy?
The charts are never right for me.
I am essentially these measurements:
Bust 41.5
Waist 34
Hips 39

I am currently looking at, as an example, the jcrew website size guide. With my measurements I am supposed to be either 12 or even a 14. Another site has me as a 16!!!!
Yet I would swim in either of those.
If you have looked at my pics on the Fashion thread , that black dress was a 10. Did it look too tight? The blue dress is an 8!!
It doesn't make a lot of difference to me, since I just buy stuff, try it on at home and return it if I don't like it, but wow!
How are you supposed to navigate when all the friggin maps are wrong?

Am I the only one in the bizarre twilight size zone?

No, you aren't. I never got why women took so long to shop for clothes, but now I do. Sizes mean nothing, they're just lies. Half the stuff I order gets returned.

[Samantha Rogers]

Thats it exactly! At least now I have a ballpark. But even then, sometimes stuff runs really small, too. I think the designers are either just making shit up or else they are all a bunch of sadists with warped minds.

[Laura-F]

Actually, what happens is there is supposed to be one standard of measurement we are all accustomed to using, but the manufacturers are using different standards and different systems of sizing in order to be unique businesses. I was able to pick this little bit of truth at a warehouse when I picked up a load of various clothes. I used to drive trucks over the road. It drives the warehouse personnel crazy too, as well as their own mislabeling of items. They get so overwhelmed with it all that they just mix it all up and ship it. This then ends up at the store, where store clerks are always surprised at what arrives, and the customer is confused at the differences in the same sizes for the apparent same item. I just had my own experience this past week when I went shopping and decided to use a product from a competing manufacturer. There is some truth to a conspiracy to frustrate people, but it's usually one or just a few people working a line at a manufacturer who want to have some fun.

[Eloise]

This thread made me seriously laugh out loud. I agree completely. I have two pairs of jeans by the same designer that are the same model number but are two different sizes and their fit is exactly similar. Nobel Peace Prize to the person who standardizes women's sizing (it would be more deserving than some people who have won that award *Cough, Pres Obama*).

[GoneGirl]

Maybe it's because women's bodies are more difficult to size. There are many more measurements needed to tailor a woman's dress than a man's suit. Woman expect their clothes to fit the female figure better than men's.

I was just out shopping with DW for some new femme clothes. I was trying on these clothes in front of a full length mirror. First, I saw myself in my men's clothes. I was sort of taken aback by how loose and drab they looked compared to the women's clothes I was trying on. I preferred the way I looked in well fitting women's clothes over my normal male garb. Generally, a 14 or 16 fits me pretty well, but not always.

I've learned to try on women's clothes before purchasing because they are cut to conform to the female figure which can vary widely (no pun intended ). Men's clothes, which are limited in style to begin with, can accommodate a broad range of male body shapes, and thus are easier to standardize on sizes.

Clara (who likes to dress in fem clothing for no particular reason)

[Misty0732]

Sizes do drive me crazy, especially since male clothes rarely fit me well. I've always had an "ample" butt and I definitely have a female waistline (my wasitline, the smallest part of my torso, is several inches above my belly button rather than just below it).

I have the *worst* time finding jeans that fit well. Size 12 female jeans fit me great, but the dang pockets are non-existent! They seem to be for show only.

After a year on PM my hips are growing too which adds to the problem. I could stand to lose 10 or 15 pounds (been lying around doing next to nothing for 2 months following back surgery) but I believe that the weight will come off my belly making my butt, hips, and breasts even more pronounced. I'm not complaining about that, just wondering what to do to continue passing as male while I'm in public.

Misty

[SarahSchilling]

Size 12 female jeans fit me great, but the dang pockets are non-existent! They seem to be for show only.

LOL, I only have one pair of female jeans whose pockets DON'T piss me off. I can't tell you how many times I've been like, oh I'll wear this tommorrow. Then I realize I have no place to put my wallet! So I either hoody up and use those pockets or leave it in the car. Either way sucks.

I think it's all a conspiracy by Big Purse. It'll probably work on me given enough time. Seems like more effort to present male than it would female sometimes lol.

[Karren]

The primary reason I don't shop online.... and try everything on in the store before I buy it.... I have never had something not fit right... or had to take it back for an exchange... Karrens prime directive! lol

[PattiJT]

Agreed, Karren, I also never buy online, with the exception of Ebay, where I can ask a seller for specific measurements. While it's fun to try things on at the store, I realize that few of us get to that point.

In response to a thread back in October, I posted a fairly simple guide to how anyone can easily shop for clothing and shoes in any store you choose, and be confident that the items will fit. Using this method, I haven't had to return anything in years. The only real catch is that you have to have the courage to browse the ladies garment section in whatever store you go to. Your choice. Buy online and hope it fits, or screw up your courage and go to the store. If brand name stores scare you, start with thrift shops. Quite often many of the items there are new, some still with tags. And, let's face it, most of us are not of the age where we're chasing the latest styling trends. Take the basic styles, available anywhere, and learn to accessorize to keep them up to date. And, if your wife sews, she could take that knee-length skirt you found in your color and material, and turn it into the miniskirt that all us 60+ year-olds just can't live without. Actually, second-hand stores offer a much larger variety than chain stores. and give you much more opportunity for creativity. Chances are, you're never going to even wear out second-hand clothes.

If you're interested, check out the thread "For those who crossdress but are afraid to shop in person". Or don't.