How accurate are size charts - YouLookFab Forum

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How accurate are size charts

anchie

Veteran

I am curious to know do you find size chart accurate and do you wear the size that corresponds with size chart? Which retailers do you find more accurate and which ones are way off? Do you even consult size charts when ordering online?

Shopping

16 replies

Latest reply was from Liz A.

lozz_oz

Veteran

There seems to be very little consistency with size charts here in Australia. Some designers defer to a system using numerical sizes 1,2,3 etc whilst others use alphabetical sizes such as S (small) M (medium) L, XL etc. Then others use the more common 6,8,10 etc system.
It requires getting to know each designer or brand and getting a feel for how their sizes sit.
I will only use online sites where sizes are supplied with measurements + good descriptions of fit + the benefit of free returns.

Style Fan

Veteran

I find sizing to be very inconsistent. I read the size charts and I have measured myself carefully. What I find most helpful are reading the reviews. Reviews will usually describe the sizing and that helps a lot.

Anonymous

Different brands are made for different body types, too, so I always look at the size chart and read customer reviews. That's the only way to know.

Chris987

Veteran

Don't get me started Totally inconsistent across brands, and sometimes even within the same brand. As others have said reading the reviews really helps to learn what body types find a particular brand to work for them. And within the same brand there may be some looser fits and some tighter fits. It requires a lot of patience and experimentation to find out what brands do and don't work for you and then you STILL have to be prepared for stuff not to fit right when you think it should. And, once you get a list of things that will work for you, some brand will decide to change their sizing!

This is probably not the answer you were hoping for

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Not very consistent...but...with a little sleuthing and careful thinking you can usually (usually) suss them out.

I agree with what Chris says...first, know which brands tend to work for your body type. This requires in - store try ons. Next, measure yourself carefully. Then read the description carefully for info about fit (tailored, oversized, relaxed, etc.) Sometimes the manufacturer gives you less than nothing on this, but it's worth checking. Next, read the reviews and look at the info from the reviewers -- are they your height/ weight, what is their body type. Also read between the lines because sometimes you can tell an unhappy reviewer simply didn't understand how the garment was supposed to fit.

anchie

Veteran

Thank you all. At the moment I am not happy with the offerings of my usual reliable tried and tested brands, and I am looking at some new options that mostly don't have brick and mortar stores where I live, but only online shop with variable return policies. I do read reviews where avalibale but it is not helpful if it says true to size when I don't even know what size I am in the brand. That's why my question about size chart as starting point for establishing my size.

LaPed

Veteran

As far as size charts from mainstream retailers go, I think Uniqlo and Boden are the most reliable and consistent (for me). Both provide garment measurements rather than body measurements, which I find helpful. A chart that tells me a "small" is someone with a 28" waist and a 36" hip is totally unhelpful -- I already know my body measurements, what I don't know are the garment's dimensions. For me, Uniqlo has replaced Gap/Old Navy as my go-to for basics, and I shop Boden as a substitute for JCrew/BR.

Everlane provides garment measurements, but they are incomplete and somewhat infuriating. For instance, knowing the waist measurement without knowing the rise is next to useless -- I need a much smaller waist for an 11" rise vs a 9" rise. So I always email Everlane's CS about sizing before ordering, but I still often end up needing to exchange once or twice before finding the right size... I honestly don't know why I keep coming back to Everlane. Okay, I do -- I like their aesthetic, I like the lack of logos and branding, and usually I find their prices to be fair-to-excellent.

I find online eBay and Etsy sellers to be really responsive and helpful in providing accurate garment measurements, which encourages me to shop secondhand and handmade on a regular basis. And I make a point of prioritizing Zappos, Nordstrom, Athleta, and other companies that offer always-free shipping and returns, so I can try multiple sizes without having to pay extra.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Boden is VERY accurate. The rest is a gamble.

cindysmith

Veteran

Size charts can be the best way to know what size to order; or they can have as much to do with reality as a bag of flour has to do with the rings around Saturn. It really is a crapshoot. I actually find it helpful when the size equivalents from many countries are shown, because I can compare to the Italian size that I KNOW I wear. Which is completely random, since I'm not Italian and have never lived in Italy; for whatever reason that works for me.

One of the big luxury department store chains has a helpful tool on their website that let's you compare a garment and it's size to something you KNOW fits you. It will tell you "based on wearing a size 3 in James perse, you would wear a large in this brand" and it was accurate when I used it. It was Neiman Marcus or Nordstrom, I think. Worth a try

Suz

(website)

Veteran

"Bag of flour with the rings of Saturn."

Thank you, Cindy, for my laugh of the day!!

Anonymous

Having the actual garment measurements is a huge help. Certain online retailers provide them. You have to look.

Barbara Diane

Veteran

Size charts give loose guidance. But brands and items within a brand differ. For example, my bust, waist and hip measurements usually indicate three separate sizes. I usually try the middle one. My most successful cold (never purchased or tried the brand) online purchase was a fine gauge sweater with a slight flaring away from the body above the hips. Most likely the straighter version would not have have fit, but the photo indicated the shape.

Barbara Diane

Veteran

A question-how much ease do you look for between your measurements and garment measurements?

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I find measurements are useful when they pertain to the item at hand, as you find on ebay or second hand sites like TheRealReal. Universal charts less so, some brands are more consistent than others.

Laura G

Veteran

Worthless, at least at Ann Taylor, Banana Republic and Nordstrom. The charts would have me buying size 8 or 10, when only the size 2 actually fits. (I wore size 4 in college, but I've gained 15 pounds since then so of course now I wear...size 2.)

Liz A.

Veteran

I think you have to approach sizing with a preconceived notion of the size you think you wear, then go from there. For me, I tend to wear either a 6 (small) or an 8 (medium). So I check the chart to see whether the measurements seem to fall into a reasonable range (within maybe 2 inches of your measurement or so). Then I read the reviews to see whether people are saying the garment runs large or small. If they say, small I probably need an 8 unless they are saying it runs small in the waist. If they say the items runs large especially in the shoulders, I can probably get away with a 6.

I will say that it also depends on how you like your clothes to fit. I almost always find that I can wear at least a size smaller than a chart would have me wear in pants, because I like a close fit, so YMMV.