Vanity Sizing & Labelling?

[PrettySquareGal]

I was reading an article in a 1940's magazine and a lady was writing about slimming down to a slender size 12. There was a photograph of her and she looked more like a current day size 6 or less.

Those of you that own vintage clothes, are Golden Age measurements for sizing the same as today?

I also just found this:

http://www.fitme.com/Fitme/html/PublicRelations/coverage/Vanity_Sizing_AZ_Rep_0104.htm

 

[Kim_B]

Sizing can be tricky! Might want to have a look at this thread - maybe it will answer some questions for you!

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=14126

 

[LaMedicine]

Not vintage but...

An experience I had a couple of years back.

I had bought here (in Japan) a jacket and pants of an Italian brand that sells worldwide in the equivalent of size 6 in the US according to the label. This brand has all sizes listed simulatiously for various countries on the same label. A couple of months later, I was in the US and browsing through a shopping mall where the same brand had a store, so I stepped in to look around, wondering if they sold the same designs, or if their merchandise were different from what was sold in Japan. They had on sale, the same design pants of the said pants I already had, but in a different color. The size label said US size 2, so I figure, no, it's too small for me. However, this color would have matched my jacket as well, and the price was something like 50% off, so I figured, well, at least, let's give it a try-- and lo and behold, it fit!! You can imagine my surprise. I came back home, compared the two, and they were exactly the same size.
So I wondered, what's with this?????[huh]

 

[RetroModelSari]

I can´t reply to the Pretty(Square)Girls question, cause I just have not the slightest clue about american sizing but I can answer to LaMedicine: The sizings in the world vary quiet often. Even in Europe there is hardly any country with the same sizing - let alone outside of Europe. Some of it is because of the different body-types all over the world (like you mentioned a Japanese size varies from the American because the Japanese ladies are usually way tinier than Americans and Europeans). Some on the other hand is because the different countries are used to THEIR sizing so it would confuse everyone if we´d get one size-listing worldwide (eventhough I´d appreciate such a listing).

 

[LaMedicine]

Sari, I know sizes differ in various countries.
What I meant was, this brand has all the major sizes listed simultaneously on the same size label.
In other words, like this.
CH A NL D/36
USA/6
F B/40
GB/8
J I/40
So, you have the comparison chart right on the label, and you should be able to get the size you need wherever you buy them.
The particular pants I got in the US had the size label with US 2, and the rest of the sizes corresponding to that. In other words, the corresponding Japanese size (J) listed there was 36...
Now, I have not been able to wear that size since my 20s...so, go figure...
And, I have gotten other clothes in the US but they are all either 4 or 6, depending on the design, never a 2!
Besides, at 165cm and close to 60kg (5'5"/130lb), I do not think I am anywhere near petite on anybody's scale.lol

 

[Amelie]

my mum is working in a clothing company, and I worked in clothing stores for 4 years, and I have seen load of cases when clothes simply gets mislabeled. That's probably what happened for you

 

[LaMedicine]

Well, not that I am really complaining, I did get at great bargain out of that, and a pair of pants that enables me to have a two way, actually three way, since I have a matching skirt too, suit.

 

[Amelie]

yes, I figured that, but it's always good to find anwsers to our questions lol

 

[PrettySquareGal]

What disturbs me is the deliberate changing of sizes to better suit, literally and egotistically, the growing population in America. It reminds me of grade inflation.

 

[BegintheBeguine]

Confusing

I'm finding the opposite in new clothes! When I shop at onehanesplace.com for plain old sweats and tees and sports bras, if I order a medium it is too skimpy! I am about 5'3" and weigh about 118 pounds. On what planet is this a size large!??!! The lower end stores like Wal-mart and Target, it is the same thing. I have to buy a large unless I want my body parts exposed. Hmmm. Who actually fits into the small sizes, children?
But with Talbots, I can sometimes fit into a size 2! lol

 

[LaMedicine]

PSG, truthfully, that was the first thing that came to my mind when I ran into that label discrepancy.
When I lived in the US during the 60s, I was a junior size 7 or 9 at that time, and my mother, who definitely was petite by present day standards was a size 6 (if I remember correctly) then. I imagine, she would be swimming in a present day size 6.lol

 

[PrettySquareGal]

I'm finding the opposite in new clothes! When I shop at onehanesplace.com for plain old sweats and tees and sports bras, if I order a medium it is too skimpy! I am about 5'3" and weigh about 118 pounds. On what planet is this a size large!??!! The lower end stores like Wal-mart and Target, it is the same thing. I have to buy a large unless I want my body parts exposed. Hmmm. Who actually fits into the small sizes, children?
But with Talbots, I can sometimes fit into a size 2! lol

In the article I linked, it mentions that the high end stores are usually guilty of fudging on the sizes, so that would make sense in a twisted way!

Actually, I just reread it- it was in another online article.

 

[BegintheBeguine]

Wacky

Yes, when I lived in my hometown of Atlanta, I tried on a Chanel dress and I could swim in it. But still, me a large!??! lol lol What do the gals who really are large buy?

 

[PrettySquareGal]

PSG, truthfully, that was the first thing that came to my mind when I ran into that label discrepancy.
When I lived in the US during the 60s, I was a junior size 7 or 9 at that time, and my mother, who definitely was petite by present day standards was a size 6 (if I remember correctly) then. I imagine, she would be swimming in a present day size 6.lol

Yes...I'm not so excited anymore about being a size 6!

 

[Miss Neecerie]

Yes, when I lived in my hometown of Atlanta, I tried on a Chanel dress and I could swim in it. But still, me a large!??! lol lol What do the gals who really are large buy?

We get whatever Lane Bryant and the 'womans world' parts of shops offer.

We get less choices about color or prints, having to accept whatever is on sale that season if we actually need to buy a top -now- and cant shop around for ages.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

Yes, when I lived in my hometown of Atlanta, I tried on a Chanel dress and I could swim in it. But still, me a large!??! lol lol What do the gals who really are large buy?

Muumuus.

 

[BegintheBeguine]

I used to sew some nice, simple things for larger ladies whan I was a tailor full-time. Why don't manufacturers get it?

 

[PrettySquareGal]

We get whatever Lane Bryant and the 'womans world' parts of shops offer.

We get less choices about color or prints, having to accept whatever is on sale that season if we actually need to buy a top -now- and cant shop around for ages.

I have a similar problem in that I am very tall, so I have to do a lot of mail order and I get slim, eh, short pickings.

 

[BonnieJean]

To answer PSG's original question--"No"
Golden Era vintage clothes are not the same as today's modern sizing.
I normally wear a size 10-12 modern, but a vintage size 18. If you look at old sewing patterns, they usually go by the bust size first. A bust size of 36 is usually a vintage size 18. So a woman that was a vintage size 12 would most likely be a modern size 6 today.

I happened to be in a thrift store a while back and saw a beautiful rayon pleated skirt that had an old label on it. It was a size 18, and was in the plus ladies section. I tried it on and it fit me to a "T".

And yes, a lot of the high end fashion manufacturers are putting smaller size labels on clothing to appeal to what I'm guessing as American vanity. I tried on a skirt in my normal size 12 and I was literally swimming in fabric, but a size 8 fit me just right. I tend to ignore sizes because each manufacturer can have different sizing. Just find something that fits whether it is an 18 (or XL) or 8.

My hubby was just saying the other day that women's clothing sizes is so confusing. Men's sizes are more logical and easier to understand.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Don't forget there was also a "women's sizes" range in the vintage era, which started at size 36 and ran at least thru 44 (and larger for some manufacturers.) These sizes were cut more generously in the waist than the Misses range, and tended to be marketed toward those in the over-30 age group, where a bit more room in the waistline is often unfortunately necessary...