Converting Men's shirt size to blouse size

[Rosa]

I've seen info on bust measurements and conversions, but what about how to convert say a man's large shirt into a blouse size.  Would that be XL?  I'm talking about blouses without numbers - just small, medium, large, XL.

[Shang]

A man's large would be around an XL, depending on style.

I wear a medium in men's (though if it's long sleeved I have to where L or XL).  If it's female, I have to wear M to L depending on style, sometimes an XL (I've got long arms).

Stores size shirts differently so your best bet would be to try on various shirts to see the size that fits best.

[kyril]

The only ways to shop for women's clothes and be sure they'll fit are to (a) try them on or (b) mail-order from a company that gives sizing guidelines using your body measurements. There's no standard sizing, and nothing's measured in actual measurement units.

That being said, you can make an educated guess: if you wear a S in men's S/M/L sizing in fitted clothing items, you probably wear a M or a L in women's, and if you wear a M in men's you probably wear a L or XL in women's.

[Vanessa_yhvh]

I couldn't sort it out, personally, especially factoring in that different clothing makers size differently (and the cut of the actual garment comes into play).

So I (tried this in Lane Bryant first) walked into a store during a low-traffic period and just told a floor staffer what I needed to know. I was initially met with an ever so slight look of what I'll politely call skepticism, but within a few minutes the staff adored me and got into the spirit of a quest to send me out looking *good*.

[Lyric]

When I was buying men's shirts I used to buy them large or medium, so I tried medium blouses and dresses in women's wear. I found they often looked too loose, so I sometimes even buy misses small. The first time I tried to figure out an online order I decided I was about a size 14. That was way off, so I tried various sizes and even found a size 12 skirt was way loose on me. Now, depending on my fluctuating waistline, I can wear between an 8 and a 10 in pants and skirts.

Uppers and dresses often tend to be more forgiving than waist-dependent items. Think about whether you want the garment to be snug or loose. Also, manufacturers seldom seem to adhere to strict sizes across brands or even on the same assembly line for one brand. So trying of first is best. If not, buy from one of the mail order houses with great return policies (some allow returns of clothes for up to 3 months).

Lyric

[Genevieve Swann]

The best way I have found is to try on the clothes. Thwe other option is to take measurments. Most clothing catalogs have guidlines and willtell you the proper. My experience is a man's large is XL womens.

[Rosa]

I don't have the courage to try on yet, unless I can manage to go to the local thrift store (I'm poor) and say I am trying to get a gift for a friend who is my size.  I saw some lovely blouses when passing by the woman's isle. 

I can't wear fitted clothes  because I still have a little bit of a paunch in front, but when I buy to accommodate that, shoulders are often a bit large.  I've recently dropped down from XL to Large.

Thanks for the advice. 

[Lyric]

Plenty of G-girls and T-girls have the same sort of body issues, Robertina. I think the easiest solution is to go with separate instead of dresses most of the time. That way you can buy your tops in one size and skirts, etc. in another. You might try empire waist dresses (under the bust) or something like that. The main idea is to determine your which are your best parts and which need less emphasis and choose garments accordingly.

Lyric