I don’t quite get the jean industry so if you do please explain it to me. I have jeans coming in a plethora of sizes. I have jeans that are a size 12. Some of them fit me snuggly and some of them drown me. I fit in a few pair of size 11’s, a few 10’s and I own 2 pair of 8’s that fit like a glove too. So how am I supposed to know which size I am? When shopping for jeans how do I know what size to try on unless I already own a pair of that brand? In my 8’s I feel skinny and in my 12’s I feel chunky. Is it just my conscience telling me this because it knows what the tag reads? Maybe I should just take a black magic marker and write an 8 or maybe even a 6 on all of my jean tags. My point (I really do have one): I wish they would all conform to one sizing system and stick to it.

1st suggestion Always try on before you buy.
2nd thing vanity sizing is apart of the train. Because if you go to August Moon, the XS = 14-16, X=18-20, XL=22-24
3rd jean cut makes a difference low risers aften need to be bought in bigger sizes then loose fit or stretch.

Also, even if you buy (for example) Levi 550's and you know an 8 fits you in that style, if you buy black jeans, you still should try them on. The black ones will run slightly smaller. It has something to do with the way the black dye effects the material, it makes them smaller and they have less 'give' to them.

I agree - buying jeans is a pain in the butt. No two pair are the same. I always try on jeans. 8-|

I always try on jeans before I guy them too. I just hate doing it.X-( It usually leaves me feeling blah about myself.

Thanks for the pointers. I didn’t know this info!

I TOTALLY agree, bride2be. I hate feeling thin one day when I fit into a 16, then the next day at a different store I can't fit into anything smaller than a 24...it's ridiculous. I hate it...men have it so easy, just measure your waist and inseam and there you go!! LOL.

im glad its not just me!

It is ridiculous! I have the same problem! I think I am doing great when I fit into a smaller size, so I buy a pair and I cant get them over my ankles!! It is just stupid if you ask me!

The way I get around this problem is that I only buy my jeans at Old Navy. They're not that expensive, which is good because while I'm losing weight I need to buy new jeans more often, and the sizing is somewhat accurate, so I know what sizes I need to try on. Actually I think I might go today and see if I can get into a pair of low-rise 10's. I have a pair of regular ten's and I THINK they're getting bigger on me.....?

Well, I heard that JLo. has the tags cut of her clothes so she doesn't have the size head ame drama. Maybe we could do that.

Yes jlo probably does but thats just because she has that big ghetto booty!!!!!

I have the same problem, but what really annoys me is the lengths of jeans anymore! I guess they assume the fatter you get, the taller you get also. I'm 5'6-5'7 ish and sometimes I have to buy the short jeans. crazyness.

oh I know, and I end up having extra jeans at my feet that I step on and trip on and it gets all wet. GRRRR, I hate it!!! lol.

I have an entire industry!
Kewl Beans! I've always wanted to be a mogul :)

Sorry but I had to say it! ;)
I gave up looking at sizes as anything other then a place to start.
Different brands will always have there own way of fitting.

Also not real big on letting numbers define me. What ever fits?
Fits and the size be darned. How comfortably they fit is how
I judge how well I'm doing weight wise.

However.. it would be nice if we had the same option as the
men have. Fit for waist, length and in our case hips and we'd
be good to go. ;)

Jeanne

I avoid buying jeans as much as possible. It's very depressing.

I've found a big difference between even different cuts of Old Navy jeans. I've also read that the same cut of jeans can also run bigger or smaller than the tag.

I guess the best thing would be to ignore the size as much as possible. You could also buy men's jeans, which I believe come in nearly as many cuts as women's jeans.

Jeans are really the only thing I wear, but shopping for jeans is a totally diff story! I hate it. I have my favorite let's say 5 stores. I go in and try on jeans I go from a 12 - 6. Boy when I have to put on those twelves I just want to cry! I really don't understand the vanity of it. I mean if stores want you to buy their jeans wouldn't they all come to an agreement on sizes and stick with it. I think women would buy more jeans if the sizes were true. How many times have you gone shopping and found out your normal size in that brand is soo freaking small you get fed up and upset and leave?!?!?! I know I do :down:

i think a man is definitely running the jean size industry- only a man would play such a crewl joke on a woman!

(and it's not just jeans...my friends and i talk about it all the time!)

grrrrr

I have the same problem, but what really annoys me is the lengths of jeans anymore! I guess they assume the fatter you get, the taller you get also. I'm 5'6-5'7 ish and sometimes I have to buy the short jeans. crazyness.

Well if you shop at lane Bryant. 3-4 years ago. They added 2 inches to the regular and the tall. Then took 2 inches of the petite.

I agree, jean shopping makes me depressed. I just recently found the fabulousness of Old Navy (that’s the only place that I fit into an 8). I’ve noticed that the malls sizes are way smaller than most other stores. I always end up fitting in a size 11 or 12 there. If that… I too will get upset and leave if the jeans sizes are too large…unless they look fabulous on me then I just cut out the tag. I’ve noticed that stretch jeans on me always run bigger too.

I do great in Tommy Hilfiger women jeans, but even among different styles the sizes vary a bit. Within the same size they can vary too - I will often take in 2 pairs of the same size and try them both on.

People used to ask us about this all the time when I worked at Lane Bryant. The answer there was that the jeans were cut and made by hand, so sizes could vary. I wonder if that holds true for a lot of companies.

My favorite pair of jeans came from an Old Navy Outlet store. The reason they were at the outlet was that the tag was wrong. It said size 4. They fit me perfectly and I usually wear a size 12.

Why does it matter so much to us? If they fit, they fit. If they don't, they don't. But I've had to stop shopping and go home because I was afraid I was going to break down in tears in the dressing room just because of the number on a tag.

I want to be thin so I can just grab a pair of jeans of the shelf and try them on with out a long "you can do it" pep talk.

It IS annoying that there's such a big diff. in jeans sizes. But it doesn't bother me on the vanity issue. I could care less what a tag says. I just get mad because I have a life, I've got things to do (screaming this at the manufacterers ;)), I need to be able to limit the amount of my precious time I have to spend in that hot, cramped fitting room to a minimum so I can hit the road and get on with things! LOL
I have problems because I'm long waisted with short legs for my height (nearly 5'8") PLUS my hips/butt is narrow & flat (much to my disappointment). So, I have to buy 'Petite' length ones that are super tight in the legs just to get them to hug my bootie a little bit. ARGH

I too don't buy many jeans since my size is dropping like flies. I just bought a pair of jeans shorts 4 weeks ago that fit nice and tight, now they are SOoo loose :cry: as are my 2 most recent pairs of capris. So, it's back to WalMart for me in a couple weeks to seek a pair of shorts about 2 sizes down so I'll have something for Feb/March. LOL ;)

i have the opposite problem ..i have hips and a rump....so the waste on me is ALWAYS big...that's why i like the low rise... they fit me so much better..... when they go out of style.. i'm in BIG trouble...lol

I also don't find the "size" problem in just jeans..i find it in dress pants, capri's ... all of them are a pain the rump!

sometimes i walk out of the store smiling cause i have on a 10 and other times i'm crying cause i have on a 16....how a size can differ from a 10-16-12- 14 is beyond me!!

i guess the trick is to not pay attention to it when the size is bigger and celebrate when it's smaller!! lol think positive!

I too find the problem in dress pants, shorts, capri’s… I think trying on dress pants sometimes is worse than jeans. They hug you and show your figure/lumps and bumps more. lol

I also have difficult-to-cover-up curves. My hips, thighs, and backside are the thickest part of me (I’m a pear shape). I guess I should be thankful that I don’t have a hard time finding shirts to fit.:rofl:

:frosty: i always take two or three sizes in with me when i try on jeans. i always get the long length. when i try on jeans i always look for 18 WL, 20 WL, and 22 WL. the last time i bought jeans i was able to get into 18 WL's. also i try to stick with lee jeans. :snow:

It is a good feeling when you put on your “regular size” and it’s too big though. I enjoy it when I find a brand that the sizes seem to run a bit big. Sad thing is that I know that’s what it is, the jeans, not that I’ve lost weight.

I am 7 months pregnant at the moment and have the same problem with maternity pants! Ugh! Hopefully when my little girl is here and I can really get back to working out (I walk or ride a bike at the moment) I’ll get to watch the scale drop and pants sizes too!!! My little sister always teases me with “guess what size these jeans are?” are she struts her skinny self around. I’d love to be able to do that to her. ;)

:rose: i'd also love to be able to do that! :D :sweety:

The Jean Industry is run by men. Men with no concept of what real women look like (men that have never seen real women or wish the women weren't really women at all). I am convinced they have no real design talent, and that is why they only design clothes for stick figures. It would take a little creative & technical savvy to design jeans for actual women, not models that look like little boys.

I own 2 jeans. One is about to bite it. I'm dreading the hunt for the replacement pair this weekend. One pair was Bandolino, and fit my large rump/small waist ok, but they run long (are all size 16 women really 5'10"?!). My other pair was from Ann Taylor, and they were petites that fit perfectly (I'm 5'6"). Of course, when I went back to Ann Taylor a few weeks ago to find another pair like them, nothing fit (all of a sudden the petites are too short again).

I read an article somewhere that some name brands like to make the sizes bigger, to make us feel better & buy more (hey look at this, I fit the smaller ones!), while some designer brands make the fit smaller to keep their couture image (hey this MUST be fashion, only little boys and anorexic models can wear it!).

:rose: i know what you mean. i also have a difficult time buying jeans. when i need to buy jeans, i buy lee rider jeans. they have the right length and the right cut for me. i'm 5'9.5". :D :sweety:

I think that we need to give ourselves a break, those sizes are just numbers. They are just there to give us a hint of which ones to take in the change room. Just focus on finding ones that make you look and feel good and then be happy.