I size up based on reviews, my feelings about the item and the fit I am hoping for. Now I'm feeling a bit um heavy so I size up so I"m not unhappy when something is too tight. This has resulted in several items having to be returned because they are too big.

Sometimes I size up out of a guess from on-line reviews, sometimes I size up for aesthetic reasons, sometimes I go up when a size down would technically fit, yet feel too uncomfortable or body con to me. I prefer to view going a size up from my usual as deliberate. Perhaps I am delusional. It may be that I am a size up in some brands, as there is so little uniformity.

I'm with Janet. I hate sizing up on the bottom, especially if it means going to a double digit number. I also dislike sizing up on the bottom because it usually means the pants are just going to slide down on my straight frame. I'm much more likely to size up on the top, where I quite like a roomy fit.

I read reviewer's comments and base my purchase on their experience with sizes. I tend to have very good luck using that strategy.

Yup. I hate things that are too tight. And if it's a choice between a bit too tight and a bit too loose, I tend to find the looser fits more flattering and stylish.

I'm stuck between two sizes right now at the Gap, so this is an endless debate. S almost always wins over XS now, but when I was a little thinner, I had to remind myself not to overdo the oversizing. Photos and YLF feedback help.

I definitely err on the side of loose rather than tight, but don't order that much on line that can't be returned. I am pretty good at assessing the fit of a garment by looking at the cut and, if online, reading the comments.

I hate things that are too tight, too, especially in the shoulders, but I'm leery of sizing up, because then the rest of me gets swamped. In general, I stay away from overly flowy styles, especially if they are narrow in the shoulders. At the same time, I try to avoid anything that's tight or snug at the hips, because that accentuates my shoulder line too much. I also tread a thin line on bottoms. I don't want to create muffin top with tight pants, but if pants are too loose, I end up with grandpa butt.

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.

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.

Thanks everyone!

This is so interesting. Body type definitely seems to factor into people's decisions here or how easily it can be done.

I do size up occasionally...but with trepidation. It rarely 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.

Sizing up for a more fluid fit in knits can work for me because my shoulders are square. But because they're also narrow and my bust is small, I seldom need to size up to get that fluid look. And in woven tops I never size up because it would just look bad.

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.)

I size up in tops, but not usually in pants, because the crotch and thighs don't work for me then

I am with knickers as I hate to have any suggestion of muffin top! Same with hose.

Otherwise - not really - apart from the sort of thing others have mentioned about getting a larger size to fit the larger part of the body (in my case thighs, bottom and occasionally shoulders).

With some notable exceptions I'm not that big on the oversized look as I feel it makes me look bigger though I I have been given handed down items that are sized up on me, and still wear them. My lack of bust/ shoulder breadth to fill out the top of things often means a larger size doesn't hang correctly. My sister is an IT, and sometimes the same item of clothing will look much better on her, though she isn't very busty either.

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 take a range of sizes in with me to a change room.

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.

I'm a sizer upper these days. Bodycon seems so 2000 to me...

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.

I almost always size up in tops because of having to fit my shoulders and chest.

Yes. When does (SUA) Sizer-Uppers Anonymous meet?

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.

Oh, and what do you think of the velvet skinnies? I'm considering getting a pair too.

This is a timely post, because just last weekend I caved and bought a pair of black skinnies that looked 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. I'm exchanging them for the next size up today.

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!

(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!)

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.

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.

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....

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.

Unless I'm standing next to my husband and stepsons (all 6'5" or taller!). They make me feel tiny!

Oops, I meant that the SA convinced me to size down, not up. I fixed my original comment.

But yes, me too -- sometimes tight pants, if they slide downward at all, squeeze the flesh upwards like toothpaste and give me extra 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!

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.

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.

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.

That said, I would love to see you try a fluid draped sweater, which I think are made for taller long legged women!

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:(

Another who sizes-up for undergarments where comfort is the key for me.
I prefer my tops to fit well at the shoulders and have a standard shape so the correct size usually fits OK everywhere else.

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.

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.

Sorry. I guess I'm bitter. Can you tell?

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. I recently ordered a new pair of dark wash skinny jeans, and I sized up in those. I really love them. Of course, this may be my true size now, not necessarily a size bigger! 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!

"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."

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.

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:

"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?"

It's possible my instincts are a little bit off!

So I bought the smaller size.

(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.)

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.