Now that we’ve covered the politics of garment sizing, we know that there are definitely several ways to find out the correct size for you… But we also learned that no size is created equal. We’re three extremely differently shaped women, and we have some choice words (read: gripes) on the sizing process:
Birdie’s Experience:
It’s harder than you think to be small-statured. I’m Birdie, I’m 5’5″ on a good day, and I am moderately slim and height-weight proportionate. Unfortunately, modern vanity sizing doesn’t do me justice. Women think it should be easy for someone of my size and stature to find cute clothing – I think I should be able to find sophisticated, beautiful outfits in my size, but that’s rarely the case. I’m the girl who goes to Gap, tries on a size 2 jean, and realizes that if it fits my rear it gaps in the back and shows off what I may be wearing underneath. If it fits well around the waist/hip it’s too small around my bottom, and incredibly long in the inseam. I’ve finally realized that most manufacturers don’t make women’s jeans in my inseam – I’m stuck in juniors sizing forever. It’s either that, or I’m doomed to a life of rolled-up pantlegs and shortened tendons, because the only time I can wear the long inseam is with tall heels. I live the city life, which involves a lot of walking and public transportation and sometimes a heel just doesn’t suit my needs. When I wear flats, I have to roll up my pantlegs and once again, I look like a high-schooler. My inseam isn’t that short – just keep that extra inch of fabric to make something else!
I’ve had salespeople suggest petites – insist them, even – but petites are generally too short and too boxy. You should see the way the salesgirl’s face scrunches when I come out in the pants she conned me into trying, and they’re an inch and a half too short. Once I finally try on petite items at their insistence, they realize what sort of spot I’m in when it comes to buying well-fitting items. In tops, petites are cut too short in the sleeve (my arms aren’t unnaturally long) and too short in the body, but are still very wide around the waist. It seems, sometimes, like manufacturers think petites take their normal size patterns and lop an inch or two off in the inseam, arm length and body; however, most petite women I know need the shoulders and waist taken in as well. I’ve recently noticed, when some piece of apparel I currently own bites the dust, I cringe at the thought of going out to try and replace it. There’s just nothing in my size – everything is made for bigger, taller women.
Elle’s Experience:
My name is Elle, I’m 5’6″, and I’m an “in-betweeny” – I’m not “plus-sized”, but I’m not quite “regular-sized” either, whatever that means. I live in Chicago, a city made for walking. I need clothing that reflects my absolute respect for fashion and adventure, but is acceptable for multi-mile walks with cocktails at the end. I’m obsessed with high fashion and designer clothing, yet I’m completely, physically unable to wear it. I’m not fat, but I’m not thin, either. I can shop at GAP, and I can shop at Torrid – but both fit me completely differently. For years, I sunk into the depths of baggy jeans and oversized hoodies because of my frustration surrounding my size. Not only am I essentially shamed for being the size I am, if I want clothing to fit me properly, I have to dress like a 40 year old woman because of the offerings in your typical “plus-size” sections. If I never see another billowy, rayon-blend shirt or elasticized waist again, I’ll die a happy woman. Plus-size manufacturers (or “designers” – ha!) seem to think that, if you don’t fit into “regular” clothes, you must obviously want to hide that big, fat body of yours… And you must be old enough to no longer care about current fashion trends, designers, or any architectural components of apparel.
As hard as I try, I’ll never be a size 4. Hell, I probably couldn’t be a size 8 without some serious malnutrition! Aside from that fact, I don’t know if I even want to be that small. Is it worth giving up my hourglass figure, and various “assets” just to squeeze my butt into a $1,500 Givenchy frock? Perhaps not… But I still deserve to enjoy fashion, and dress like the 23 year old woman I am.
Jennifer Nicole’s Experience:
My name’s Jennifer Nicole, and my problem is two-fold: I’ve got that elusive hourglass figure – large breasts, a tiny waist and child-bearing hips – and I’m also petite, measuring a mere 5′ tall. That means two things: tall people think I’m adorable – my boyfriend’s 6’5″ - and almost everyone comments about how easy it must be for me to find clothes. They’re so wrong.
No matter how much I weigh, my chest stubbornly measures somewhere between a 30DD and a 32DD, which oftentimes puts me in the “large” section of size charts…whether or not my waist is small enough to fit a medium or (gasp!) a small. Because of this, I tend to keep myself at a heavier weight, so my shirts and dresses don’t look like potato sacks (when I buy a large) or hooker-wear (when I try to squeeze my top half into a medium or small). This ain’t no Baywatch episode, ladies: those shirts really ARE meant for women with small breasts.
My lower half is an altogether different struggle. There’s this expectation that if someone has 36″ hips and needs a short inseam, she must have a wide waist, too. I’ve only found one brand of jeans that fits both my waist AND hips, and as for anything high-waisted? Please. Unless I work with a tailor, which is both time-consuming and expensive, I’m stuck with hip-huggers…or staying heavy.
Add in the short factor and I have even less options: sure, I can get pants hemmed, but skirts are more complicated and time-consuming, especially when something was supposed to be above-the-knee, but because of my hipbones it sits at mid-calf (which is the best skirt length if you want to make a short girl look even shorter). So, in short, there are two available “styles” for me: I either wear too-long pants and boxy, blob-like shirts, or I’m stuck in stretchy hip-huggers and “babydolls” that harken back to my junior high school days. Who would have thought that dressing the media’s favorite sexpot image – boobs! hips! nipped in waist! – would be so difficult?
What’s your sizing rant?
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Birdie, I completely know where you’re coming from. The only difference is I have an exceptionally long waist (good for looking lean, but bad for trying to find shirts that hit perfectly at the waist), and due to my disproportionate waist, my legs are pretty short (I’m 5’4″-ish and my mom is about 5’2″, but her legs are longer than mine…ha!). Also, the difference between my chest and my midsection is quite drastic even though I’m only a B cup making finding a bra that fits terrible.
I just wish I could find one designer that designs for my body shape, and I would buy his/her clothes religiously.
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Birdie Reply:
March 18th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
Chelsea – I’m somewhere in between on torso length and I, too, rarely find bras that fit around my chest and still have my correct cup size. Right there with you, girl!
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Posted by Chelsea Rae | March 18, 2009, 4:22 pmOh, I love this ladies!
On a good year, I’m about a 10/12– and on the rough ones, I’ve gotten up to an 18/20. At 5’7, I seem to be at a decent height for a lot of clothing, but it doesn’t keep the hems of my jeans from getting torn (and I hate that my shirts stop at the top of my waist band, not mid-hip like I’d prefer).
As a girl who has been plus sized most of her life, I’m fed up with knit shirts being my only option. I’m tired of blouses being sacks, like Miss Elle said, that are badly printed & poorly made. A huge proportion of plus-sized woman are apple shaped– most of us gain weight in our waist. So rather than give clothes a waist, they just give us sacks. Horribly annoying!
Let’s not get in to the issues of bra or jean shopping… my bra size is nonexistant, and jeans don’t fit the buddha belly & missing bottom…
Ashe Mischief’s last blog post..Etsy/Indie Designers: Fun with Fascinators
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Elle Reply:
March 18th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
Oh, bra shopping? Forget it. I’d rather get some 80 year old lady to hand stitch a bra that actually WORKED than try to shop retail for my bras. 34DD-34DDD? I’m either extremely saggy and gross, or exploding out of my shirt. Neither of which is preferable over the other.
Also! The cute-factor of bras that do work? -5. Just effing awful.
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Posted by Ashe Mischief | March 18, 2009, 5:28 pmWhat a refreshing topic. I’m 5’3 and um, really tiny. Finding clothes that fit right is a nightmare. Again, people assume it’s easy being small makes it easy to shop, so not. Thanks for sharing your stories!
Pamela Quevedo’s last blog post..Time
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Posted by Pamela Quevedo | March 18, 2009, 5:34 pmThis was a fascinating read. Nice to hear from honest, articulate women about how, no matter what your shape, you’ll encounter challenges in finding flattering garb.
Sal’s last blog post..Self Care and Self Love
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Posted by Sal | March 18, 2009, 7:56 pmI’m 5’3″ -ish and have a short waist to pants are a pain for me to buy. I also have to hope for the Gap ankle size jeans or resign myself to rolling up 4 inches of pants all the time.
I also have a 32D bra… but all the cutie ones at Target stop at C’s. What is that about?
I also hate the upper arms in sleeves never seem to fit right.
Grrr!
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Jennifer Nicole Reply:
March 18th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
I have the same sleeve issue! You’d think that with being forced to buy a slightly larger top (because of our cup size) our shirts would fit our arms right. And yet…
I haven’t been able to buy a bra anywhere but Victoria’s Secret, Nordstrom and Macy’s. With such a small back width and a large cup, you may have the same issue – if you want a bra that fits well, that is.
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Posted by Princess Poochie | March 18, 2009, 8:10 pmTheDemoiselles: The problem with sizing – http://tinyurl.com/dczhyt
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Posted by Birdie | March 18, 2009, 3:44 pmThe Demoiselles: The problem with sizing – http://tinyurl.com/dczhyt
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Posted by Jen | March 18, 2009, 4:27 pmJennifer, I feel your pain! I am only 4’9″ and although I’m petite, I have a curvy figure. I hate looking for clothes, especially pants because of the whole curvy hips, small waist thing. And don’t let me get started on the “petite” lengths. But I have one more problem … I’m 56 years old. I certainly don’t want to look like an old lady but I don’t want to dress like a teenager either. I do find things at Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft but I’m really getting bored with what they have to offer lately. Stylish petite sizes seem so hard to find.
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Jennifer Nicole Reply:
March 19th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Diane, I hear exactly what you’re saying. As much as it’s fun to look cute and young, I also have to look professional (read: not like a teenager) because I work at a law firm. I hope that I’m able to provide some options for you to find clothes that work well on your frame and make you feel good without inspiring you to chew gum and say “like totally!” a lot.
Jennifer Nicole’s last blog post..The Demoiselles Respond: Sizing
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Posted by Shortladydiane | March 19, 2009, 4:18 pmGreat blog! Chancing sounding like a creep, I think it would be great to see a full body picture of each of you so that readers can get a better sense of the diversity here!
Can’t wait to see some great fashion tips from you guys!
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Posted by Kristy | March 19, 2009, 9:38 pmI’m 5’9″, almost 5’10″, and while I can sympathize with you all when you say that you can’t find pants that are short enough without tailoring them, it’s a little different story for me. I have almost a 36″ inseam, and oftentimes even jeans and trousers marked as “long” cuts are still inches too short. Unlike you lucky ladies, who have the luxury of chopping inches off the bottom of great-fitting pants, I can’t add fabric to your pants’ legs. I also have the problem of larger breasts, as well as an abnormally long torso, which lead me often to size L as well. I’ve never been able to wear “juniors” clothing
I am really looking forward to this blog, because I suffer from Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Much of it stems from the difficulties I have finding clothing that fits me properly, and in finding clothes that flatter my figure. It’s so hard to shop at my favorite stores (places like American Eagle and Express) when their clothes are obviously made for stick-skinny women without curves anywhere, and that wears on me after a while. I think this blog will be just what I need to help me target the good things about my body, not just the bad.
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Jennifer Nicole Reply:
March 20th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
I’m so glad that this blog can offer you some help, Leslie. Though I don’t have your tall figure, I’ll do my best to keep in mind whether stores have petite AND tall sizes, and if they offer clothing in curvy shapes, no matter what size the inseam is.
Jennifer Nicole’s last blog post..The Demoiselles Respond: Sizing
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Posted by Leslie | March 20, 2009, 4:51 amBirdie is my body type!
What a fabulous website by the way
Fabulously Broke’s last blog post..The Dating Age Gap
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Posted by Fabulously Broke | March 20, 2009, 9:56 pmUm.. scratch that. I mean Birdie is my size, but only if she had a 16-week-like belly.
Yeah.
Things that fit in my waist, are WAY too big in the butt/hips. *sigh*
Fabulously Broke’s last blog post..Who wants free stuff?
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Posted by Fabulously Broke | March 20, 2009, 9:57 pmBirdie – we are the same height and I feel you sooo much on the inseam thing, I have the exact same problem! I am somewhere between 5’4 and a half and 5’5 and I just cannot for the life of me find a damn pair of pants that I don’t walk all over. And petites are just gross, who looks good in those things? not even petite people! I also an “blessed” with an hourglass figure, although without big boobs. My hips and booty are really round but my waist is small so my pants usually fit on the waist and gape very unattractively around my waist. And show off my underwear. Oy. Thinking about pants shopping strikes fear into my heart!
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Posted by Mattie | March 21, 2009, 11:26 pmI’m a bit late in chiming in, but I’m really interested to see where you guys take this project. I sympathize both with Elle and Jennifer – I’m 5’2″, I put on some weight in the last year, but mostly in my hips/butt and boobs. So I now have roughly a size 16 or so bust, with a size 8 or 10 waist and size 12 or 14 hips. Finding clothes that fit? THE SUCK. By the time anything fits me in the bust or the hips, it is hugeee everywhere else (and with pants – way too long – one reason I mostly wear skirts any more). I also get really annoyed about my boobs – comments on “You’re so lucky, you can fill out tops” would make steam come out of my ears if I was a WB character. I have had a lot of luck with Bravissimo so far, the one clothing item I’ve ordered from them (had to exchange the bra, b/c it was TOO SMALL…waiting on the replacement) fits fantastically and it is so nice to have something that fits at the waist and the chest without any alterations by me.
Shopping on a budget is another huge problem with my proportions – the only reason I could afford the Bravissimo top was because it was on sale. And finding 32FF/32G bras that do the job, under $40 a pop? Fuhgeddaboutit.
Michelle’s last blog post..Public Service Announcement
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Posted by Michelle | March 24, 2009, 4:40 pm