https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Mon, 27 Apr 2026 03:56:25 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/3#post-1581085 Sat, 07 Nov 2015 03:10:26 +0000 Penny 1581085@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Sure, since I have an hourglass shape, I tend to go with slightly larger sizes that fit my bust and hips, but I typically buy belted pieces or wear a belt to cinch them at the waist. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/3#post-1581064 Sat, 07 Nov 2015 01:40:58 +0000 catgirl 1581064@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Yep. And imagine being sized out as a teenage girl - when XL is not even an adult 8 there as far as I can tell. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/3#post-1581063 Sat, 07 Nov 2015 01:35:29 +0000 annagybe 1581063@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Forever 21 and h&amp;m I'm probably already at the very top. so exactly how would I size up? That's what I mean. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/3#post-1581062 Sat, 07 Nov 2015 01:29:43 +0000 catgirl 1581062@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Anna, I agree - although the randomness of sizing and the number game also contributes. I'm an XL at Forever 21 and a size 10 at H&amp;M but a 26 in Hudson jeans. I sometimes worry that sizing up is what's led to my recent weight gain - nothing to keep me uncomfortable in my clothes. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/3#post-1581059 Sat, 07 Nov 2015 01:25:23 +0000 annagybe 1581059@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Honestly what Janet said. I think truly sizing up is a privilege of the smaller. For example at my current size sizing up would mean probably XL. Which I'm not doing. When I was significantly heavier I was wearing baggy clothes at a Denny's, I was addressed as sir by the cashier.<br /> Back in the early days of What Not to Wear they'd give example after example of larger women who looked significantly better in fitted clothes. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/3#post-1581055 Sat, 07 Nov 2015 01:13:59 +0000 DonnaF 1581055@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>In most Petite clothing, I fall between P2 and P4 which means I am also between PXS and PS.&nbsp; I buy PS in nearly everything knowing it will be large through the shoulders and extra large through the waist.&nbsp; I sometimes buy PXS in Ts and sweaters if the neckline is lowish and the shoulders are cut big.&nbsp; Generally, I like a loose fit and loathe any pull or gaping.&nbsp; I probably tend to buy my jeans too large because I feel that bodycon magnifies the ample size of my legs. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/3#post-1581049 Sat, 07 Nov 2015 01:00:28 +0000 catgirl 1581049@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Greyscale, I bought my usual size too and they felt a wee bit squeezy in the gut. They have since loosened but I wouldn't say they stretched a lot. The soft black is really nice but I couldn't resist the blue. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/2#post-1581045 Sat, 07 Nov 2015 00:51:52 +0000 UmmLila (Lisa) 1581045@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I only size up for shoulders but I don't even like to do that. I'd always rather a just right fit than a loose fit. If i size up for pants with any stretch at all, I'm pulling them up all day and feeling awkward. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/2#post-1581015 Fri, 06 Nov 2015 23:17:58 +0000 Greyscale 1581015@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Una, you'll laugh: I stopped by the Gap at lunch to buy the velvet leggings while the big discount is on. My normal size looked good but it was barely perceptibly uncomfortable in the tummy, and there's nothing I hate more than pressure on my tummy, so I tried on the next size up and looked in the big mirror outside the fitting room. As I stood there, the sales associate (who always remembers me) said:</p> <p>"Oh, honey. What size are those? You are NOT going to buy those. They are going to stretch out all over. How many times have we had this conversation?"</p> <p>It's possible my instincts are a little bit off!</p> <p>So I bought the smaller size.</p> <p>(The blue velvet is gorgeous. I bought the grey - black didn't have as much character. I almost want the blue instead, but experience tells me I'd never wear them.) </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/2#post-1581005 Fri, 06 Nov 2015 22:37:53 +0000 LaPed 1581005@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>"this jacket is a sad reminder of the dangers of sizing up. I had it tailored and it's a bit better, but it still fits like a sized-up jacket that I had taken in. Never again."</p> <p>viva, I bet that you're the only one who can tell there's anything off about that jacket! I have pieces like that, ones I think are terrible, but which other people seem to love on me.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/2#post-1580982 Fri, 06 Nov 2015 21:57:27 +0000 kerlyn 1580982@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I have started sizing up more in the last couple of years, partly due to a couple extra pounds, but also due to my fondness for a bit of drape and ease of fit. &nbsp;I recently ordered a new pair of dark wash skinny jeans, and I sized up in those. &nbsp;I really love them. &nbsp;Of course, this may be my true size now, not necessarily a size bigger! &nbsp;3-4 years ago, when I was a bit more fit, I guess I bought everything in size small, and now a lot of that has been donated to make room for mediums!</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/2#post-1580968 Fri, 06 Nov 2015 21:18:05 +0000 viva 1580968@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I definitely do not size up on top or bottom. If something is for me, my regular size will fit. If I am thinking of sizing up, some kind of heartache awaits me. It will just never work for me. I hate the feeling of swimming in clothing, really really hate it.</p> <p>Case and point: my beloved Reiss jacket. I sized up because my midsection was a little thick when I bought it, and I never should have. Now, it's all wrong on me and I cannot stand to wear it. My midsection is in better proportion now (a couple of pounds down) and I'm fitting my size more predictably and this jacket is a sad reminder of the dangers of sizing up. I had it tailored and it's a bit better, but it still fits like a sized-up jacket that I had taken in. Never again.</p> <p>Sorry. I guess I'm bitter. Can you tell? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/2#post-1580963 Fri, 06 Nov 2015 21:12:09 +0000 Lyn D. 1580963@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Another who &nbsp;sizes-up for undergarments where comfort is the key for me.<br />I prefer my tops to fit well at the shoulders and have a standard shape so the correct size usually fits OK everywhere else. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/2#post-1580957 Fri, 06 Nov 2015 21:01:19 +0000 Carole 1580957@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Another one here who sizes up for shoulders! I think it's an easier choice, though, for someone that's small, short or petite...I hate it when a medium fits perfectly everywhere but my shoulders because then I just look that much bigger everywhere else in the larger size:( </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/2#post-1580929 Fri, 06 Nov 2015 19:36:09 +0000 catgirl 1580929@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Janet, that may be true, and it's the same reason I sometimes feel like a little hobbit next to tall willowy women. Like Angie, I tend to think of myself as bigger in stature than I am - I am always stunned by photos that show the 13" difference between my DH and me. </p> <p>That said, I would love to see you try a fluid draped sweater, which I think are made for taller long legged women! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/2#post-1580928 Fri, 06 Nov 2015 19:35:20 +0000 Aziraphale 1580928@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oops, I meant that the SA convinced me to size <i>down</i>, not up. I fixed my original comment.&nbsp;</p> <p>But yes, me too -- sometimes tight pants, if they slide downward at all, squeeze the flesh upwards like toothpaste and give me <i>extra</i> muffin top. High-rise jeans that are loose in the seat and legs are the only jeans that don't budge, but they look god-awful -- exactly like the SNL video. No one wants a long, flat bottom!</p> <p>Janet, I think the key is "a little ease in the fit", like you say. Too big can indeed make one look bigger (even on small women). I find, on me, this is especially true of boxy, baggy tops. If you can't discern the shape of my bust, it just looks like a big block and is unflattering. I can wear oversize tops if they drape nicely, though. I also find that if something is a little loose and boxy, adding a long pendant necklace creates a "valley" between my boobs and solves the problem.&nbsp;</p> <p>I think we're all a little cautious of sizing up on the part of our bodies that we feel is a little bigger than we'd like. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/2#post-1580915 Fri, 06 Nov 2015 18:12:58 +0000 Janet 1580915@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hmm, I think the phenomenon of "oversized making the wearer look smaller" may tend to feel more true to smaller ladies. A little ease in fit makes me feel good as long as it still follows the lines of my body in some way. However, for the most part, oversized things tend to just make me feel "big" when I wear them, perhaps because I am not a petite person and already feel like I take up enough room. ;-)</p> <p>Unless I'm standing next to my husband and stepsons (all 6'5" or taller!). They make me feel tiny! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/2#post-1580910 Fri, 06 Nov 2015 17:50:36 +0000 catgirl 1580910@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Greyscale, they are really nice - definitely TTS for me and not really leggings but more like cigarette pants. Also I'm not sure in what world they are "pull on" pants - there isn't that much stretch and the side zip is functional. </p> <p>Az, sounds like the SA had you size down? Some jeans stretch more than others (Hudson!), but I wouldn't say it's a rule. No welts ever! Sometimes sizing down results in me sort of oozing out of the waistband and causing slide too.... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/2#post-1580906 Fri, 06 Nov 2015 17:25:42 +0000 Aziraphale 1580906@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This is a timely post, because just last weekend I caved and bought a pair of black skinnies that <i>looked</i> great (according to the SA and the gal trying on a dress who was standing next to me) but felt too tight. The SA convinced me that you have to size down because jeans always give a little, and since I have endless problems with jeans sliding down, I thought, fine, I'll try it. Well, I took them home and wore them for a half hour. They did NOT loosen up. I felt awful. It was uncomfortable to the point of pain! And, although I admit my calves and thighs looked shapely, the jeans gave me epic muffin top. &nbsp;I'm exchanging them for the next size up today.</p> <p>Interestingly, I walked all over the house and, as promised, they didn't slide down. Apparently, for me, jeans that are tight enough to stay up are also tight enough to leave a red welt across my hips and belly. No thanks. I'll size up instead. I guess I'm a sizer-upper!</p> <p>(I shouldn't have listened to that woman trying on the dress. It was way too tight on her. I think I like a little looseness on everybody!)</p> <p>ETA I agree that sizing up does tend to make you look smaller, not bigger -- unless you're absolutely drowning in your clothes. Very snug clothes have a tendency to create rolls.&nbsp;</p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/2#post-1580903 Fri, 06 Nov 2015 17:20:51 +0000 Greyscale 1580903@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh, and what do you think of the velvet skinnies? I'm considering getting a pair too. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/2#post-1580873 Fri, 06 Nov 2015 15:05:09 +0000 Angie 1580873@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Yes. I am weary of things looking too tight and size up instinctively - I have never been a bombshell. But I often need to size down because I am smaller than I think I am.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/2#post-1580841 Fri, 06 Nov 2015 13:11:40 +0000 Anonymous 1580841@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Yes. When does (SUA) Sizer-Uppers Anonymous meet? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/2#post-1580836 Fri, 06 Nov 2015 12:58:55 +0000 Anonymous 1580836@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Yes, I'm a sizer upper, mostly because I don't want my clothes to fit like my body was poured into them. I need some breathing room! That's not to say that I don't like fitted clothing; I do.</p> <p>I almost always size up in tops because of having to fit my shoulders and chest.</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/2#post-1580801 Fri, 06 Nov 2015 08:34:11 +0000 rachylou 1580801@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm a sizer upper these days. Bodycon seems so 2000 to me... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/2#post-1580770 Fri, 06 Nov 2015 04:49:00 +0000 catgirl 1580770@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Does anyone feel the oversized look makes you look or feel smaller rather than bigger? That is the idea behind the boyfriend look, right - that you are wearing your BF's clothes and look so adorable and outsized? Not that this is my reason for sizing up, but I'm curious. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/2#post-1580768 Fri, 06 Nov 2015 04:39:11 +0000 anne 1580768@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I am with knickers&nbsp; as I hate to have any suggestion of muffin top! Same with hose.</p> <p>Otherwise - not really - apart from the sort of thing others have mentioned about&nbsp;getting &nbsp;a larger size to fit the larger part of the body (in my case thighs, bottom and occasionally shoulders).</p> <p>With some notable exceptions I'm not that big on the oversized look as I feel it makes me look bigger though I&nbsp;I have been given handed down items that are sized up on me, and still wear them.&nbsp; My lack of bust/ shoulder breadth&nbsp;to fill out the top of things often means a larger size doesn't hang correctly.&nbsp; My sister is an IT, and&nbsp;sometimes the same item of clothing will look much better on her, though she isn't very busty either.</p> <p>I don't order online much since I moved to a capital city with more shopping options as shipping and return postage usually cost extra in Australia, but I&nbsp;take a range of sizes in with me to a change room.</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/2#post-1580767 Fri, 06 Nov 2015 04:37:16 +0000 amiable 1580767@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I size up in tops, but not usually in pants, because the crotch and thighs don't work for me then :)</p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/2#post-1580766 Fri, 06 Nov 2015 04:36:10 +0000 Suz 1580766@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This is so interesting. Body type definitely seems to factor into people's decisions here or how easily it can be done.&nbsp;</p> <p>I do size up occasionally...but with trepidation. It <b>rarely</b> works for me with pants (same experience as Sharan...if I size up it just looks sloppy/ wrong) but occasionally it has worked with jeans for a sort of "slouchy skinny" look (if the fabrication is right) and this felt like a big success. :)&nbsp;</p> <p>Sizing up for a more fluid fit in knits <b>can </b>work for me because my shoulders are square. But because they're also narrow and my bust is small, I seldom <b>need</b> to size up to get that fluid look. And in woven tops I never size up because it would just look bad.&nbsp;</p> <p>I do find it is crucial to read reviews, though. My jeans are in a bunch of different sizes and while some come with a higher number than others, I wouldn't say all of those are "sized up." They are just cut smaller to begin with. (E.g. some of the designer jeans in certain years.)&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/2#post-1580765 Fri, 06 Nov 2015 04:31:38 +0000 catgirl 1580765@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thanks for all the answers! Looks like lots of us do this for various reasons. I often find that something technically fitting me doesn't give me that sense of being me, in MY zone. I also like my sleeves extra long (Diana!) - it just gives me a feeling of well being. Eapecially if there are thumb holes. I am more careful with pants fit, though as I think there is less leeway even in an oversized look. </p> <p>Thanks everyone! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/are-you-a-sizer-upper/page/2#post-1580758 Fri, 06 Nov 2015 04:08:16 +0000 celia 1580758@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Count me up as a sizer upper. Even when trying in store I tend to size up. It doesn't always work well, especially with jeans if they bag out with wear. </p>