Cups and Bands 2013-12-04

[illiad]

yep, even the famous M&S has this problem.... I usually take THREE pairs into the changing room... 38 waist, with 32, 34, 36 leg...
the 36 leg is too lose around the waist,
the 32 leg is too tight around the waist,
the 34 leg fits nicely, but about 2 inches too long in the leg!!!!

[kingklash]

For some odd reason I have found that no clothing for sale has consistent sizes for anything. Shoes, socks, pants, dresses, shirts, etc. It varies between brands, stores, sweat shops, and what we make ourselves. I have lived all over the world and found the same thing everywhere, no matter what scale is used, or material. I suspect it has entirely to do with how the items are made. No matter how the various pieces are cut to the same size the machines, or people, who assemble cannot perform the same action the same way twice in a row. This means sizes are merely a reference for approximate size of the item, not something can be depended upon. So there is nothing to be done but try them on. Sad but true.

Which is why I wish that clothing companies would use actual measurements to "explain" their sizes instead of arbitrary numbers or "Large, Medium, Small" designations. If, for example, a dress was "sized" with numbers representing the bust, waist, hip, and skirt length measurements instead of a single number which essentially means nothing, then people would be better able to shop for themselves and their loved ones (and I might consider shopping for clothing online instead of insisting on going into the store to try things on).

What you're asking for is how men's clothing used to be sold. Pants were waist and inseam, coats were chest and sleeve length and most had either a short or long designation for those of us with torsos outside the norm could get something that didn't look totally ridiculous. When I was graduating HS I wore a 34 waist pant with a 29 inseam and a 48 long coat with a 33 sleeve. My shirt had a 22 collar and a 33 sleeve. And no I didn't play football. I was in dance, picking up girls (and then walking around with them over my head).

To quote the Men's Department at Grace Brothers: "It will ride up with wear."