8 ms·

Why's it so hard to find “your clothing size”?

25 points by cmogni1 7y ago

mc32 7y ago
This happens in women’s clothing but also men’s. The only piece of men’s clothing which doesn’t reinterpret measurements is belts. Which is why they tell you if you’re an X waist, get an X+2 belt. It’s much worse with letter sizes. There is no consensus. —even within brands.
- jjeaff 7y ago
  It's not even consistent with belts. They have vanity sizing for men as well. Last I checked, Old Navy was waist size plus 4 inches for belts.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - hombre_fatal 7y ago
    Besides, with belts you need to get lucky with the hole placement.
    - ketralnis 7y ago
      My waist size seems to vary a little bit week-to-week so whenever I find the rare belt that doesn't have fixed whole placements I treasure it. Currently I have one like this: https://www.amazon.com/Comfort-Click-Adjustable-Perfect-Leather/dp/B07CBG57SL https://www.amazon.com/Comfort-Click-Adjustable-Perfect-Leat...
    - 8note 7y ago
      at least you can cut your own holes pretty easily
      - mc32 7y ago
        An oval punch would work well.
- lostapathy 7y ago
  Unfortunately, due to vanity sizing, most people don't actually know their real waist measurement either. IME the only places that actually stick to proper sizes on belts are places that cater more toward "working belts" - selling to people who carry guns or gear - not for fashion or "just" to hold up their pants.
  - cmogni1 7y ago
    Vanity sizing isn’t the problem. The waist measurement on pants almost never matches the size on the tag, nor should it. That’s because pants usually sit below your natural waist, and your torso gets bigger the further down from the natural waist you are. However, the size on the tag is a “guess” about your natural waist size. Because everybody has a different shape, it’s not necessarily the case that pants that fit you have a tag size with your natural waist on it. That’s one of the complications with designing and buying pants: it’s rise dependent. Tl;dr though: vanity sizing is a myth
    - lostapathy 7y ago
      Then why are two belts marked "36" different length?
airstrike 7y ago
Huh... TIL Farm Rio in also in the US
dredmorbius 7y ago
Why it's so hard to find text-only static article sites which render with JS disabled.
- GigLoL 7y ago
  Because it's 2019 and most people don't have a problem with JS.
Theodores 7y ago
The problem is best understood from a supply chain management perspective. A clothing retailer ordered that stuff six months ago and they only took a two minute glance (if that) at the one model sized 'medium' garment the wholesaler got the supplier to make. Every other size was just a tickbox with some guesses made as to how many items to stock to get through the sales season. The importer took the orders from retail and topped up the order so they can do some mid-season re-stocking. They know that they have to get the order right as it is not as if the product is going to be made again. The retailer does not have to make a sale from every customer that walks through the door. For people with XXS or XXL size requirements they might only have something to sell, the one coat in the super-sized option. Even this may be a carryover item from a previous season, kept in stock for the guy with arms that reach down to his ankles. It is quite a risk to get the sizing wrong, you can't have a garment on the shelves with just the XXS and XXL sizes with nothing in-between. If this happens then it is straight to the sale rail. Particularly if the supplier didn't overstock the popular sizes. We also live in an age of fast fashion where people buy clothes the whole time. Truth be told, if everyone out of childhood stopped buying clothes today we wouldn't have a mass nakedness problem for years. Clothes are that abundant. There have always been tailors and dress makers that will make clothes to fit any body, maybe a service for this is needed rather than a newsletter about what trousers in the world of fast fashion can be squeezed into.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
bin0 7y ago
This is one of those "no stupid questions" type questions: why are there so many more sizes for women? Men's sizes don't fit perfectly either, but it seems like women have more sizing options for the same struggle. Are women harder to fit? Do men just not bother with a correct fit? It also seems that at least a good number of guys can wear off-the-rack for a decent fit, but almost no women. Just a guy who doesn't understand trying to understand more. And while I'm it, many women I know don't wear dresses more than once or twice. Why? This seems wasteful.
- ebg13 7y ago
  > why are there so many more sizes for women? There aren't. Go down to a basic clothing store like The Gap and look at the different pants options available in the men's section. Skinny, Slim, Straight, Relaxed, Athletic, and Jogger aren't just different styles. Each style also fits differently at the same nominal measurements, because the nominal measurements for pants are waist + inseam but there are many more measurements that actually matter, like the ratio of your waist to thigh to calf. Pants that fit your waist might not fit your legs. Pants that fit your legs might be too tight in the waist. If a 30 Relaxed fits you, a 30 Slim probably doesn't. They aren't just styles. They are different kinds of sizes with names. > And while I'm it, many women I know don't wear dresses more than once or twice. Why? This seems wasteful. Come on. Don't be a sexist caricature. > It also seems that at least a good number of guys can wear off-the-rack for a decent fit In my experience this is false. It depends, of course, on what you're willing to accept as "decent fit". I personally, for instance, would not accept a dress shirt that billows like a sail around the waist as a "decent fit". And yet good luck finding a rack men's dress shirt that doesn't do that if you are fit but not rail thin across the chest.
  - bin0 7y ago
    I don't go to stores like gap, and don't really buy trendy clothes. I've never seen tons of styles like all those you mentioned, especially not in one place. My jeans are usually $20-25 a pair; I buy on-sale. I've also never really heard of the "raito of waist to thigh to calf" being used as a measurement. Maybe these sorts of things are popular among the younger "metrosexual" boys? > Now you're being a sexist caricature. How? Caricature of what? I'm relaying the exact things I've heard and seen from others. I'm really just asking a question, more "why is there this expectation of women?", and you cry "sexism"? That term is very overused.
Syzygies 7y ago
My professor uniform used to involve a closet full of Brooks Brothers Oxford button-down shirts. Not that the brand resonates with me; the quality was simply better than similar mass-produced shirts. They felt like the denim shirts I was advised to not wear. Then I discovered propercloth.com - custom shirts made in Asia, with an outpost in Manhattan. Took a guess at the dozen or so size parameters, got my trial shirt, wore it down to their tailor, and had it tweaked. Turned in my trial shirt for a free replacement. I now have 15 or so. I wish one could do the same with jeans.
- mc32 7y ago
  There was a thread the other day about quality vs fast-fashion the other day. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20503194 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20503194 There are a some mentions of some better brands out there. Proper Cloth was one, but there are others, even ones which make bottoms.
bmn__ 7y ago
Stop the madness, use EN 13402 labels already!
borumpilot 7y ago
You think that's bad? Here's Europe: NL DE FR IT SP GB US International 32 32 34 38 0 4 2 XS 34 34 36 40 1 6 4 XS 36 36 38 42 2 8 6 S 38 38 40 44 3 10 8 S 40 40 42 46 4 12 10 M 42 42 44 48 5 14 12 M 44 44 46 50 6 16 14 L 46 46 48 52 7 18 16 XL 48 48 50 54 8 20 18 XXL 50 50 52 56 9 22 20 XXL 52 52 54 58 10 24 22 XXXL

25 points by cmogni1 7y ago

mc32 7y ago

This happens in women’s clothing but also men’s. The only piece of men’s clothing which doesn’t reinterpret measurements is belts. Which is why they tell you if you’re an X waist, get an X+2 belt. It’s much worse with letter sizes. There is no consensus. —even within brands.

jjeaff 7y ago
It's not even consistent with belts. They have vanity sizing for men as well. Last I checked, Old Navy was waist size plus 4 inches for belts.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- hombre_fatal 7y ago
  Besides, with belts you need to get lucky with the hole placement.
  - ketralnis 7y ago
    My waist size seems to vary a little bit week-to-week so whenever I find the rare belt that doesn't have fixed whole placements I treasure it. Currently I have one like this: https://www.amazon.com/Comfort-Click-Adjustable-Perfect-Leather/dp/B07CBG57SL https://www.amazon.com/Comfort-Click-Adjustable-Perfect-Leat...
  - 8note 7y ago
    at least you can cut your own holes pretty easily
    - mc32 7y ago
      An oval punch would work well.
lostapathy 7y ago
Unfortunately, due to vanity sizing, most people don't actually know their real waist measurement either. IME the only places that actually stick to proper sizes on belts are places that cater more toward "working belts" - selling to people who carry guns or gear - not for fashion or "just" to hold up their pants.
- cmogni1 7y ago
  Vanity sizing isn’t the problem. The waist measurement on pants almost never matches the size on the tag, nor should it. That’s because pants usually sit below your natural waist, and your torso gets bigger the further down from the natural waist you are. However, the size on the tag is a “guess” about your natural waist size. Because everybody has a different shape, it’s not necessarily the case that pants that fit you have a tag size with your natural waist on it. That’s one of the complications with designing and buying pants: it’s rise dependent. Tl;dr though: vanity sizing is a myth
  - lostapathy 7y ago
    Then why are two belts marked "36" different length?

airstrike 7y ago

Huh... TIL Farm Rio in also in the US

dredmorbius 7y ago

Why it's so hard to find text-only static article sites which render with JS disabled.

GigLoL 7y ago
Because it's 2019 and most people don't have a problem with JS.

Theodores 7y ago

The problem is best understood from a supply chain management perspective. A clothing retailer ordered that stuff six months ago and they only took a two minute glance (if that) at the one model sized 'medium' garment the wholesaler got the supplier to make. Every other size was just a tickbox with some guesses made as to how many items to stock to get through the sales season. The importer took the orders from retail and topped up the order so they can do some mid-season re-stocking. They know that they have to get the order right as it is not as if the product is going to be made again. The retailer does not have to make a sale from every customer that walks through the door. For people with XXS or XXL size requirements they might only have something to sell, the one coat in the super-sized option. Even this may be a carryover item from a previous season, kept in stock for the guy with arms that reach down to his ankles. It is quite a risk to get the sizing wrong, you can't have a garment on the shelves with just the XXS and XXL sizes with nothing in-between. If this happens then it is straight to the sale rail. Particularly if the supplier didn't overstock the popular sizes. We also live in an age of fast fashion where people buy clothes the whole time. Truth be told, if everyone out of childhood stopped buying clothes today we wouldn't have a mass nakedness problem for years. Clothes are that abundant. There have always been tailors and dress makers that will make clothes to fit any body, maybe a service for this is needed rather than a newsletter about what trousers in the world of fast fashion can be squeezed into.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

bin0 7y ago

This is one of those "no stupid questions" type questions: why are there so many more sizes for women? Men's sizes don't fit perfectly either, but it seems like women have more sizing options for the same struggle. Are women harder to fit? Do men just not bother with a correct fit? It also seems that at least a good number of guys can wear off-the-rack for a decent fit, but almost no women. Just a guy who doesn't understand trying to understand more. And while I'm it, many women I know don't wear dresses more than once or twice. Why? This seems wasteful.

ebg13 7y ago
> why are there so many more sizes for women? There aren't. Go down to a basic clothing store like The Gap and look at the different pants options available in the men's section. Skinny, Slim, Straight, Relaxed, Athletic, and Jogger aren't just different styles. Each style also fits differently at the same nominal measurements, because the nominal measurements for pants are waist + inseam but there are many more measurements that actually matter, like the ratio of your waist to thigh to calf. Pants that fit your waist might not fit your legs. Pants that fit your legs might be too tight in the waist. If a 30 Relaxed fits you, a 30 Slim probably doesn't. They aren't just styles. They are different kinds of sizes with names. > And while I'm it, many women I know don't wear dresses more than once or twice. Why? This seems wasteful. Come on. Don't be a sexist caricature. > It also seems that at least a good number of guys can wear off-the-rack for a decent fit In my experience this is false. It depends, of course, on what you're willing to accept as "decent fit". I personally, for instance, would not accept a dress shirt that billows like a sail around the waist as a "decent fit". And yet good luck finding a rack men's dress shirt that doesn't do that if you are fit but not rail thin across the chest.
- bin0 7y ago
  I don't go to stores like gap, and don't really buy trendy clothes. I've never seen tons of styles like all those you mentioned, especially not in one place. My jeans are usually $20-25 a pair; I buy on-sale. I've also never really heard of the "raito of waist to thigh to calf" being used as a measurement. Maybe these sorts of things are popular among the younger "metrosexual" boys? > Now you're being a sexist caricature. How? Caricature of what? I'm relaying the exact things I've heard and seen from others. I'm really just asking a question, more "why is there this expectation of women?", and you cry "sexism"? That term is very overused.

Syzygies 7y ago

My professor uniform used to involve a closet full of Brooks Brothers Oxford button-down shirts. Not that the brand resonates with me; the quality was simply better than similar mass-produced shirts. They felt like the denim shirts I was advised to not wear. Then I discovered propercloth.com - custom shirts made in Asia, with an outpost in Manhattan. Took a guess at the dozen or so size parameters, got my trial shirt, wore it down to their tailor, and had it tweaked. Turned in my trial shirt for a free replacement. I now have 15 or so. I wish one could do the same with jeans.

mc32 7y ago
There was a thread the other day about quality vs fast-fashion the other day. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20503194 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20503194 There are a some mentions of some better brands out there. Proper Cloth was one, but there are others, even ones which make bottoms.

bmn__ 7y ago

Stop the madness, use EN 13402 labels already!

borumpilot 7y ago

You think that's bad? Here's Europe: NL DE FR IT SP GB US International 32 32 34 38 0 4 2 XS 34 34 36 40 1 6 4 XS 36 36 38 42 2 8 6 S 38 38 40 44 3 10 8 S 40 40 42 46 4 12 10 M 42 42 44 48 5 14 12 M 44 44 46 50 6 16 14 L 46 46 48 52 7 18 16 XL 48 48 50 54 8 20 18 XXL 50 50 52 56 9 22 20 XXL 52 52 54 58 10 24 22 XXXL