I wear a size 10-12 depending on the cut and the manufacturer's size scale, and no two
clothing makers use the same scale these days I don't think they use a measuring tape at all, I think they
guess. So, to be safe I bought a size 12, which says it's a 32" waist, that's too big for me, but
clothing makers do strange things, I use to work in a sewing factory I know they do strange things. The
skirt was huge. 6 inches too big, 4 inches too big in the hips, the waist "fit" at the widest part of my hips, just above my pelvic bone. I measured the
skirt's waist band and it measured 38.5 inches on a size 12 claiming to sport a 32 inch waist. See, strange things! Quite frankly the
clothing industry has buggered up women's sizing beyond knowing what size any of us wear. My body measurements say I wear a size 12 on top, a size 12-14, but I have to make or buy an 8. At my waist my measurements say I'm a size 12, but 12's fall down to my pelvic bone. According to the tape measure I am a size 18-20 on my hips but I just filled 5 large moving boxes with size 10, 12, and 14 clothes that are falling off me,
jeans that have not been unzipped in months because I can pull them off without unbuttoning or unzipping. I have no idea what size to buy any more. I have one pair of size 10
jeans that fit, 4 pair of size 10's look like I borrowed them from a
plus size rack and 3 pair of size 10's I can't get into. If you use a tape measure, not one pair of the
jeans I speak of have the same measurements. The "S, M, L, XL" size scale never worked for me and now I can't trust numbered sizing either. I sew, but when I compare my body measurements to patterns, it looks like I should be buying
plus size patterns but the last dress I made was cut out as a size 8. Someone explain this phenomenon to me! I think I'm going to burn all my clothes and go permanently "native". When I was in high school I was the same weight as I am right now and I could walk into any store pull a size 6 off the rack and it fit like it was custom made for me. Today...at the same height/weight/body type I can't find a size that fits, those 6's from the late '60s early '70s are today's size 2. Today's Missy size 10 is now considered in the fashion industry to be
Plus Size, when in "my day" the overweight women longed to be a size 8 or 10, that's what Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell and all the bombshells of the day wore. Today, those women are considered fat. I have recently gone through trying on each item in my closet, there are boxes overflowing for donations of size 10's size 12's and size 14's that are falling off me, too horridly huge to wear out of the house...but when I use the tape measure and go to the
clothing size scale chart all the numbers say I wear 12's on top, at the waist 12's t0 14's and at my hips that I wear a size 16, 18, 0r 20. Today's word math problem. What size do you wear? The tape measure has me shopping at only
plus size stores but those sizes are falling off. I have no clue what size I wear. I am looking at 9 pair of
jeans, all size 10. One pair fits perfectly, 3 pair are far too tight, the rest I can take off without unbuttoning or unzipping them and I have to belt them to keep them up. What size do I buy now? Mind you...all this and add to this complication that I just lost 25 pounds...I've lost enough weight to go down 4 sizes but nope, they won't fit either. I know, I'm going to become a nudist. It's all on you
girls. I give up.