Maybe they shrunk?
Or they are just trying to make us feel better.

Not shrunk.

Or worse! Imagine...thinking you reach size 10 and....... ouch! I guess it is a good thing I haven't saved many? of my vintage clothing...but I haven't checked the cedar chest in awhile.

I've been the same size for 30+ yrs. I have a pair of jeans from 25 yrs. ago. Then, I was a size 8. Somehow I became a size 6 (have shorts to prove it) and for the past few years I'm a size 4! Try to find that in the womens dept! I can wear a Juniors 5, but at 61, I don't want to wear those gross low-rise bottoms or floozy tops. Yeah, I "shrunk" from a size small tops to extra small. And there's a whole lot of extra small tops out there -- not. Buying a dress for a wedding in size 4? Hah! But I have found cargo style shorts in boys x-large (16-18)!!!!!

drewsmaga...you sure sound like a wittle bitty thang!

High fivin' ya!

I've always been the same size. In my high school and college years I sewed a lot of my clothes and always bought size 10 or 12 patterns. But in today's ready made clothes I regularly buy a 6 and even a 4. Vanity sizing!

I knew this, as I had a dress from my mom that was the same way.
I recently fretted over buying a vintage pattern. The size ranges ended/began right about the size I am today.
If I remember right, back in the day patterns ran big. Gosh, I hope so!

Today's sizing inconsistency drives me bonkers. I wanted to clean out and donate some clothes, but didn't want to try on every item for fit.

So I found one of my fitted T shirts, with a great fit on me and measured it to the others.
When I was done with the stack that fit me, I had every size from XS to XL in that stack. Every one of them had the same size waistline.

You sure can't shop by a size tag.

The industry is trying to make us feel better about our national expansion. I've read articles on the subject.

I had a very similar experience Monica. When I got rid of all my "thin" clothes, I kept all the jeans for some reason. So I had lots of jeans in lots of sizes. I have finally lost a lot of weight in the past year and a half, and as I go, I bring out the next pair(s) of jeans that I can now fit into.

Without fail, the sizes are bigger than what I am currently wearing. Every time I look at the size and think, "d'oh! this is going to be too big! Why didn't I get this out before?" Then I try it on and lo and behold, it fits! (or is still too tight).

I wish women's sizes were like men's where it's a measurement instead of an arbitrary number. Especially now that I'm losing weight, every time I go shopping I have to take three different sizes of everything into the dressing room because I'm never sure what size I actually need. Every brand is different!

I agree - there is absolutely no consistency in women's clothing sizes anymore. I have even seen inconsistencies within the same item of clothing, but of a different color. Quality is also way down, as was discussed on the other topic.

Whatever happened to quality control? You would think these companies (especially mail order) would be sick and tired of all their returns.

How true.
In high school, way back in the 50's, I wore a perfect size ten and I weighted about 120 pounds.
Several years ago, due to illness I lost a lot of weight and got down to 135. I wore a size six. Weird.

As a newlywed I found bargains at Saks and Field's because I wore size 8 in higher quality clothes or a 10 in less expensive clothing. A 'marked down' rack routinely had the two ends of the spectrum, 8's and 18's.

I'm still 5'6" and 115-120 lbs. Now I buy a 6, sometimes smaller. I don't know what became of the 18's. I don't think I've even seen a size 16 recently. Yet, American girls are growing bigger. I see a lot of size 10 and 12 shoes!

I never trust sizes on items any more I have to try it on or know that it may end up returned if I take it home to try it on. I wear one type of underwear it comes in a pack with 4 in each, in various colors/patterns. However if there is a pink pair in the pack the pink one will be so much smaller than the rest that I can not comfortably wear it, just the pink! So I try never to get a pack with the pink ones. I have no idea why and thought at first it was a fluke but nope every pack I buy that has a pink one is the same way.

My mother who is 89 is tiny she wears a 4 petite it is just about impossible to find clothes for her and she definitely does not want any of the juniors clothes she prefers not to go out looking like a hoochie mamma with low cut jeans and skimpy tees LOL But ordering for her from online is still a problem due to size variations. She loves the Gloria Vanderbilt jeans too but finding them is getting harder too.

Did anybody ever accuse you ...

.. of being gutless??

Surely not!

o j

It had to have changed. Last year we had a tea party at church and our theme was vintage. So, I went to a vintage store to look for a dress. Right now I wear about a 10. The dresses I was trying on from 50 and 60's were 16's!
Talk about a deflated ego...
And waistline were SOOOO tiny.
I really would like to hear from some ladies on how they fit in those clothes...many through child bearing years and well into their 40's and 50's.