Sizing is a crazy business in women's retail; vanity sizing has taken over everywhere, and what used to be a 4 is now a 00. No two stores use the same model for the size, so a 10 could be anywhere from an 8 to a 14 depending on the price point of the store. You can't even always find consistent sizing within the same store; I just ordered from Gap and I had to go to XXL for the top and XL for the matching sweater.
One thing remains the same: if you are a size 18, you are SCREWED.
It is better to be 20 pounds heavier or skinnier than to be trapped as a size 18. You're not quite in "women's" sizes yet -- the extra room around the thighs makes all pants look like diapers on you -- but "regular" retailers don't carry your size in the store, if they make it at all. I have compiled a list of "regular size" stores I can shop at when I am size 18 in bottoms. It is pitifully short.
Old Navy -- online only
Gap -- online only
Talbots -- online only (and most of the time everything is too short anyway)
Ann Taylor Outlet -- but everything is boxy
LOFT -- online only
Macys -- sometimes, but you have to dig and most of the time they are ugly as sin
Kohls -- Kohls has the ugliest pants on earth. I never buy them there.
Target -- but the selection is better, you guessed it, online
That's pretty much it. My mom is also an 18, and we went to Coldwater Creek for her at Christmas. The first set of pants we looked at had sizes up to 16 and then 20, so we were heartened and went looking through every single stack of pants in the store for an 18. Turns out they don't even make them. They skip over 18s on purpose. I was so pissed off I didn't even ask why.
If you go down to 16s, several more stores open up for you (online only) like Ann Taylor and Banana Republic. But it isn't until you get to 14 that you can consistently walk into a store and try the damn pants on like everyone else. Until then, you become best friends with your UPS guy and learn how to get free shipping whenever possible. You also become the Return Queen of the mall, and sadly, you can't even spend other money in the store to make up for your return -- because nothing there goddamn fits you in the first place.
The other option is to just gain more until you can officially shop in the Lane Bryants and Encore sections of Nordstroms. But really -- have you ever heard of anyone gaining weight to get to better selections of clothes?
On frustrating shopping days, believe me, I've been tempted.
18 is impossible. I can't wait to be out of it again.
I totally agree. I've been size 18 for 2 years now, and man is it hard.
ReplyDeletei am generally a size 16, and i have very much the same problem when shopping for pants. i actually broke down into tears in the mall several weeks back because i couldnt find any pants in the entire mall that fit me properly. so im there with ya, gal.
ReplyDeletefor this cold season, i have bucked up and worn a few less-than-ideal pairs of pants, but mainly, i am sporting skirts and dresses with layered tights (and a pair of pants overtop for the outdoor commute).
i was in Loft yesterday and did happen to try on not one, but TWO pairs of pants in a size 18 (seems they were all out of 16s) so take a little heart -- they ARE out there.
as for me, im hoping to drop some pounds. and maybe someday pants will be easy again. but in the meantime, consider me a dress/skirt gal!
When I was in that size range (16 is pretty rough too) I just ordered all of my clothes online from places like J. Jill. When I gain weight, it goes on solid and evenly all over, so I keep "misses" proportions but just get larger. All of the plus size clothes makers expect you to put the weight on in belly and breasts, so plus-sized clothes would bag funny over those places. I wore a lot of skirts when I was that size.
ReplyDeleteI joke with my husband that I am going to GAIN weight so I can have some kind of surgery and get to a reasonable size again. I just hit 16 and I am short, so I look awful in almost everything lately, I also hold most of my weight in my stomach,You are so right about the difference in sizes too, i got a gigantic xxl top online from old navy and in the store an xxl usually fits. Plus everything is ugly. I walk by stores with cute little clothes and then I hate myself (i know I should't, but just being honest here)
ReplyDeleteAnd even when they call it an 18, it turns out to be what another store would call a 16, or a 20. Argh!
ReplyDeleteFinding pants to fit is an unpleasant experience, to say the least. When the legs are slim but the middle is more than middlin', nothing fits right. Lesa may be my long-lost sister. ;-) I'm hoping to find tights for the short chunky figure (mine!). That's not too much to ask, is it?
ReplyDeleteI've been friends with my UPS guy for a few years now because length-wise, I'm in between a "regular" and a "long" or "tall" at most retailers. It's really hard to find talls in bigger sizes for some reason, as if people my height couldn't possibly be a size 14. Or plus-sized gals can't be 5'9? It's definitely frustrating. Loft especially ticks me off - I like a lot of their pants, but they don't carry anything bigger than a 14 in-store, and even those are slim pickins. Anyway, thanks for letting us vent!
ReplyDeleteTo add to your list, when I was an 18 I used to have some luck finding pants (even in talls!) at New York & Company in-store.
Well no wonder I had such a hard time finding pants!!! And add being short on top of that...it was extremely frustrating, and yours is palatable in this post. Clothing manufacturers are really missing a lot of sales by not having this size readily available. When they go out of business I will not feel sorry for them - they did it to themselves, the dumbasses.
ReplyDeleteUgh. 18W, 5'10". If I can get it to fit my waist and hips, it's not long enough! I'm another one with "misses" proportions. I find too many pants that do have the super wide legs, which make my legs look super wide when I've got very nice shapely legs (if I do say so myself) and like trimmer pants to show that off. A whole bunch of us know exactly what you mean!
ReplyDeleteIt seems like the cheaper the store, the shorter the pant length.
ReplyDelete~Gail
Oh, the days of Forth & Towne....
ReplyDeleteYou need me with you, and I'm sure I'll need the distraction. Looking thru stores and sizes is probably just what I'll need, and of course, giving my opinion, whether asked for or not!
Have you ever tried shopping at QVC or HSN for pants. They offer ALL sizes from an XXS (00) to 3X (28). Once you know you're fit 95% of time the sizing is consistent. I have found that some of the "name" designer tend to run smaller, but they generally give you measurements.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your post today. I can really relate!
ReplyDeleteI lost a large amount of weight and for the first time was able to shop in the misses dept as a size 12-10. I was surprised to find that while I was a 12 just about anywhere, I was still able to fit in many Lane Bryant clothes, especially their "Right Fit" pants in a size 1 or 2 depending on cut.
As I have regained some of my weight and am back in 16s, I try to keep this in mind....it seems that sizes really are just a number sometimes.
I agree that 18s are very hard to find! I laughed out loud at your UPS comment as I too order a lot online only to return most of it.
I wish I had a suggestion but I am in the same boat! Keep your readers posted if you should come across a store with accurate and an array of sizes : )
And this is why I wear a lot of skirts and dresses!! So much easier to find than pants. Some of my favs are Jones New York at Macy's for trousers and INC brand for jeans (also at Macy's).
ReplyDeleteThank you for your honest blogs...You are an inspiration to me...Best as you change your life style...
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, when I was a 12 I wished I was a 10 so I could shop at boutiques and designer brands. When i was a 14 I wished I was a 12 again so I could actually fit the 14s at stores like Banana Republic and J. Crew. When I was a 16 I gave up on malls because they hardly carry 16 unless it's plus size, and then you better be over 5'6" or else you will be swimming in the item. Being 5'3" and a size 18 meant lots of dresses and trips to the dry cleaner to get things hemmed.
ReplyDeleteI never understand this because WE ARE THE AVERAGE SIZE OF WOMEN! Seriously, the average American woman is NOT a size 6. When i worked retail, the items that ended up being great and on clearance were always the smallest sizes because the larger double-digit sizes were ALWAYS the ones to sell out first!
You go sister!
For me ordering from Old Navy is a dice roll.
ReplyDeleteMore than once I've purchased something in a store in one size and then ordered another to get a different color, and found that the same size doesn't fit in the new item.
I don't order pants/skirts from them anymore because they are unreliable. I feel like the Gap is much more consistent in their sizing.
Vanity sizing drives me insane.
ReplyDeleteI am usually a XXL in all the chinese made clothes.
I recall a few years back I was at a french brand's sales room and they (sales executives) were all talking about how they were going to change sizes around in order to make the customers feel more comfortable by wearing smaller numbers - now it's all over the place and I do not know what size I am. I just try it on.
Just found this post, but I totally relate. I'm an 18, and have the hardest time finding clothes that fit properly, especially pants and jeans.
ReplyDeleteLike someone else mentioned, I tend to gain weight all over (although after the baby my midsection is all weird now) so the plus sizes don't necessarily fit right, and I feel like I'm in a bloody tent.
If I find pants that fit in the waist, they're way too short. I'm 5'7", but am ridiculously short-waisted and long-legged; finding a long length can be a challenge.
It's really encouraging to see other women having the same problems. I love to shop, but I hate it at the same time. I guess that's why I buy accessories, shoes, and purses. At least they fit consistently.