Running a retail store I have learned more than I ever thought I would about clothing. And there are some universal truths of clothing and shopping online. Over the past 5 years we have come to know many of the misconceptions and confusion about sizing clothing, and I am writing now about just that. Let's get a few things out of the way early...
I have no idea!
Never having shopped for a dress (not that there is anything wrong with that) I most certainly don't really know what you ladies go through each time you enter that fitting room. But before you dismiss this article consider this - that makes me a little more objective. And not knowing made me ask a lot of questions...
This is not easy!
Julie Ann has been in retail her entire working life, and she's seen it all. She has also discovered a real truth about shopping for clothing: If you know your measurements, and clothing is measured accurately, you can buy clothes that fit. This isn't easy by any means - you the consumer have to be honest with yourself and measure accurately. And we the retailer heve to measure accurately. Once you know all this, just ignore the labels because...
Clothing sizes are meaningless and labels lie!
From one style to another, from one brand to the next, one thing is for sure: no two of the same size will ever fit the same. We took a size "Large" in several dresses in our own store and measured them and found up to an 8 inch difference. Same number size, 8 inch difference! We wrote a blog post about that just a couple years ago: "Not all sizes are created equal". So don't trust the label, trust the measurements.
How we measure
We decided from the begining to measure everything ourselves. Since we carry clothing from different brands there was no consistency anyway, so it just made sense. We measure the same way, every time:
Lay the clothing flat, and measure with a measuring tape - double it, and you have your measurement. (We wrote a previous blog post about it here: "How to find your size.")
And so fast forward a few years, we decided to make a fancy video about measuring, and here it is:
Your cup size changes things
Yes the size of the "girls" will actually change the size you wear, regardless of your actual bust size. As Julie Ann explains in the the video, as your cup size is larger, you need to also go up in inches in your measurement. I thought it important enough to explain again.
Let's say you measure a size 32 inch bust (this comes from your bra size, and if you don't know your bra size, STOP - go get measured for a bra). If you're a A or B cup it's easy. When buying clothes, a garment with a 32 inch bust measurement should fit you well. If a small t-shirt measures 32 inch bust, you buy a small.
But wait - if you're a C cup that probably won't work - you should go to the next size up. Even though you're a 32 inch bust, since you're a C cup you would buy a Medium in that same T shirt (which is a 34 inch bust). If you're a D, you buy a Large (36inch bust). If you're a DD, you buy an XL (38 inch bust), etc.
This is how you can fit all our clothes, since we measure everything the same way! Hope that helps, and if you have any questions about sizing just contact us!
~Andrew