Quote from: amber roskamp on July 20, 2014, 07:38:56 AM
ok thanks I know that each store different...
This.
Every maker is VERY different, and you learn quickly what "vanity sizing" really means and what you wear in each line. GAP runs smaller than most for example. Sizing reflects both waist and hip, and where the pants are supposed to fall on you. Some stores/brands carry multiple shaped pants, especially jeans -- straight, slightly curvy and curvy are the usual. These are based on hip to waist relationship, and vary themselves. Then there is where they sit on your hips -- low, mid, etc. As with men's clothes, jeans and all other pants fit differently. Lastly, the material makes a difference, especially if you have stretchy denim. I usually wear a 4 slightly curvy in jeans (and almost always in skirts), but often I need a 6 for other pants as they should not be as snug. ALSO: just make it complicated, some lines are shifting to a European-style sizing for jeans (and I don't mean UK, which numbers larger than the US does). Calvin Klein, Banana Republic and others use it now, and I've seen it at department stores.
I don't where you are in HRT, but that DOES affect how you size pants as well. It's really a matter of experimenting, and I'd simply go to a store that carries what you want and try them. If you are just starting HRT, don't buy a whole lot as your body will be changing for a while.
With shoes, I agree that it's roughly 1.5 to 2 sizes up from the men's, however, you may want to also look at width (women's B are sometimes narrower than medium men's). Your foot may also change with HRT as you lose muscle. In my case I lost a full size. The easiest thing to do is go to a self-serve shoe store and use one of the foot measuring templates for women. No one will notice. Finally, MANY shoes available use the UK or European sizing, even if they are labeled with US system. You'll probably want to check that too.
This all gets easier once you know what you wear with each brand, but even then it's not 100%.