Can anyone explain dress size to me?....please :)

[Rita Irene]

Is the numbering system different than say  just normal clothing...1x, 2x, 16/18...etc?

[MarySue]

Dress sizes are miraculous. As in, If you can figure out your dress size, it's a miracle! 

That said, you might start with the Wikipedia article on dress sizes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dress_sizes

Apologies in advance; I hope posting a non-commercial link to wikipedia doesn't violate the rules.

[tekla]

They do lack a certain 'standardization' as it goes.

[Lisbeth]

It's very simple. Larger numbers mean larger clothes except when they don't.

[shazz]

woman's dress sizes are a pain.
there was a time when an US dress sizes were 1 size bigger the here in the UK, Europe is 1 size smaller then the the UK and Japan is, I think, 1 size smaller the Europe.   

so USA size 4= UK size 6= Europe size 8= Japan size 10.

having said that the sizes tend to vary from shop to shop and on one occasion in the same shop, I mean I've got a pair of Woman's jeans size 18 which are to small for me and a pair of jeans I bought for a ex-girlfriend when she was still my girlfriend size 14, which where are to big for just about fit me. I've got a pair of comfortable jeans, which according to the American label, are "designed for today's young woman", I did look at their web site they sell clothes for teenagers.

I'm a 40 something bloke I may be many things but a young woman or even a teenager might be pushing it a bit.

I think this has just muddied the water a bit more.
 

[AnneW]

I've discovered from shopping at consignment shops that the "designer" label clothes tend to be bigger for a given size.

Maybe that is so the people who can afford the more expensive clothes can imagine themselves being smaller and it helps the ego.

Anne

[MarySue]

having said that the sizes tend to vary from shop to shop and on one occasion in the same shop

Alas, that's the rule, not the exception. Generally the manufacturer/designer sets the size, not the store.

However, larger chain stores, or large mail-order places, usually have sizes that are consistent within the store. Except for "designer" outfits, which probably use whatever size the designer specifies.

I think this has just muddied the water a bit more.

I don't think it possible to make it any muddier! 

I've discovered from shopping at consignment shops that the "designer" label clothes tend to be bigger for a given size.

Maybe that is so the people who can afford the more expensive clothes can imagine themselves being smaller and it helps the ego.

Anne

That's true for some designers. But other designers are just the opposite; their sizes run small. My guess is that designers who cater to older women use sizes that run big, to flatter their clientele, while those who design for the 20-something crowd go for smaller sizes.

[Bethany W]

shaving everything
panties
jewlery
corset

[Rita Irene]

shaving everything
panties
jewlery
corset

Cool, now I can go buy a dress....knowing that info

[luvfrills]

I like the idea of just trying everything on.  Hey, people return things all the time if you don't have a place you can go that will let you there.  Besides, it doesn't get much more fun than shopping, trying on dresses to see if they fit and more importantly how they look on you.

[tekla]

Yeah, I'm all into trying clothes on too.  You never really know how it will fit or feel, or look until you really put yourself in it.   And, at the beginning of dressing I think that what we want to wear, and what we look good in sometimes has a huge gap.  Over time, with lots of trial and error, which is what trying clothes on is, you get better.

[MarySue]

I agree, nothing beats trying clothes on. Although it does help to have some idea of what size(s) to take into the dressing room!

More to the point, though, I don't have the courage (or the self confidence) to go out dressed in public, or to try on dresses in a store. And I suspect I'm not the only person with that problem.

And yes, I know that's more my hangup than society's hangup, at least these days. But no matter what I tell myself, I can't get over my fear of being publicly humiliated & embarrassed (and let's face it, that is possible). And I know that if I project that attitude, I'm just asking for trouble! I'll bring out the worst in people.

On the positive side, I have managed to learn how to project a confident attitude when I shop for my (*cough*) wife/girlfriend/daughter/whatever. I've never gotten "clocked" -- not even in a bridal store. Or if I was, the clerks were very polite to me, and saved their snide comments for each other, after I left.

[tekla]

Well you are right about projecting that 'tude, and the reverse is true also.  If you go in, feeling OK about yourself and the world, having fun, and having got over being all that embarrassed, I've found that lots and lots of sales people don't care, or at least don't show it.  They are there to make money, and right now, there ain't a lot to be had, so they are not turning away any customers.

But try second-hand stores, they tend to be a lot more open to just taking things in and trying them on, they are not watching, or caring all that much.

[MarySue]

Well you are right about projecting that 'tude, and the reverse is true also.  If you go in, feeling OK about yourself and the world, having fun, and having got over being all that embarrassed, I've found that lots and lots of sales people don't care, or at least don't show it.  They are there to make money, and right now, there ain't a lot to be had, so they are not turning away any customers.

Yup, I tell myself that, and my higher brain functions nod in agreement. Unfortunately, my hind brain still screams in terror. Perhaps that's because that brings back memories of my childhood, when I was the kid everyone made fun of and picked on. Not because I was a "sissy" ... just because I was a socially-inept, athletically-incompetent proto-nerd.

No, that hasn't been a problem in my (male) RL for a long, long time. But I still get echos of it when I see a scene in a movie where the jocks beat up some poor nebish. That puts me on full red alert for a few minutes.

But try second-hand stores, they tend to be a lot more open to just taking things in and trying them on, they are not watching, or caring all that much.

Hum. That's not the vibe I've gotten from second hand stores. The times I've tried browsing the women's clothing, I've gotten "what the hell are you doing?" looks from the staff. But maybe that's because those stores were associated with churches, and were staffed by elderly, God-fearing Christian women.

[tekla]

Well the running joke in SF is if you want to find a TS/CD/whatever, just hang out at the Salvation Army Flagship store in the women's department and wait for a second or two.  But that is here.

But I also have good luck, or OK vibes with two other groups of sales people (aside from the commission deal, which is a dead lock, people who sell on commission love EVERY sale, really) one is the Macy/Nordstrom's/Bloomie girls who have company policies in place that tell the sales people that we are valued customers of theirs.  The other is at the little trendy boutiques, where the staff is hipper, and the sales needed.

Though I've been told that in recent years Lane Bryant and Catherine's and Torrid have both become a lot more open as they discovered how much this costumer base was worth to them.  In all those cases, I'm sure its the difference plus between staying in business or not.

[Bethany W]

Cool, now I can go buy a dress....knowing that info

lol wrong thread. I think that was meant for the "things that make you feel girly" thread.