Is it just me, or is box store sizing even more out of whack than usual this year?
Here is a list of sizing misadventures I have experienced so far.
COS: Often when I've tried on clothes there, I've been sized out of almost everything, by which I mean everything is too wide, too long in the body/ length, and/or both. Yes, I have gained a bit of weight following on my accident and resultant inactivity. But I was still wearing my same size clothes. They were just a little more snug at the waist.. But on a recent in store visit, the small in everything I tried was too tight, and the medium was too wide, and the lengths in the body/ armhole etc were entirely wrong for me.. Result: frustration. I love their clothes but I rarely get a fit. Sigh.
ZARA: yes, their sizing is always inconsistent. But how can it be that in one order, I’m swimming in one item in the recommended size (which is a size smaller than my usual size); another item in my regular recommended size fits perfectly, and still another in my recommended size cannot go over my hips!
GAP: I order a replacement pair of jeans in my recommended size (a size and style I currently own and that still fits perfectly). The jeans are so small I can’t zip them up. I have to size up two sizes. Ditto for a t-shirt bought as a PJ top. I feel like I’m back in the 90s wearing a shrunken tee! I order a skirt, though, and oops! I need a size smaller than my normal recommended size. Meanwhile a top, admittedly billed as oversized, is wide enough in the body for a linebacker and almost reaches to my knees. Fortunately, returns are free.
Massimo Dutti: I have less experience ordering from them but they make a recommendation based on my measurements and I order two items. Both are a size too large and I have to return and re-order. The size down fits. I buy the items in this new size, but their system does not make note of the fact and they continue to recommend the size up when I browse further items.
J. Crew: several tops I tried on this year were so snug in my regular size that I could not get them off fast enough. Needless to say I did not buy. (Granted, they were smocked tops, but still.)
BR: a pair of jeans fits in a size down from my usual, even though my own weight is up a little bit. Meanwhile, in looking at the size charts I notice that I will need to order up from my usual if I’m hoping to get a top that fits.
Speaking of the sizing charts, I wonder if Ozempic and similar drugs may be driving a change. It may be my imagination but some of the measurements seem to have shifted in a downward direction at some stores. So someone who was on the borderline between sizes might have to order up a size vs. down a size. But again, it is not consistent, across items or the brand.
Anyone else have similar experiences this year? Anyone have great fit experiences with a particular manufacturer/ store?
