I don't have a 26" waist, so why do my new jeans fit?

Christie

My Nine West straight leg jeans are size 4/waist 26. If I wasn't reading YLF, I wouldn't have even picked them up to try them on. I knew to size down, but even sizing down, my waist is no where near 26". Its like 30-31"! How does sizing work!?

14 years ago

General

16 replies

Latest reply was from Aziraphale

Kristine

Veteran

I don't know but I run into that too! I think my waist is 29" and I typically wear something like a 26 or 27. It makes no sense.

14 years ago

qfbrenda

Veteran

I have the same issue, and the exact same measurements. LOL Maybe it's because I wear bootcuts with a mid-rise so the jeans don't come up to my waist anyway.

14 years ago

(website)

Veteran

Hmm, I have a 26 1/2" waist and wear 27 jeans - 26 would never fit me. Perhaps they should really sell jeans by hip measurements instead

14 years ago

Christie

Active Member

I should measure the waistband to see if it really is 26".

14 years ago

Aziraphale

Veteran

Christie, this is my guess as to what's going on. I've been looking into dress sizes lately, and the measurements used for a size "small" dress are (although they seem to vary from company to company) something like this:

bust: 34"
waist: 26"
hips: 36"

I guess this means that an "ideal" figure which has a 26" waist also has 36" hips. Since the waistband of the jeans almost always fits somewhere way below your natural waist -- much closer to your hips, actually -- its waistband circumference is going to be much more than 26". Depending on how low the rise is, the waistband of a size 26 pair of jeans is probably in the vicinity of 32 or 33 inches. I just measured the waist circumference of one of my pairs of size 26 low-rise jeans, and it was about 33".

As it happens, the size of jeans that fits me is usually 25 or 26 (I even have a couple of pairs of size 24!) but my waist is nowhere near that small -- it measures 28" or 28.5", depending on whether I've just eaten or not! But my hips are slim -- only 34" -- and since my jean waistband fits around my hips, not my waist, it doesn't matter that I don't have a tiny waist. It seems that an "ideal" woman whose hips are 34" will also have a 24" or 25" waist. Ha. Guess I'm less than ideal.

Does that make sense?

14 years ago

(website)

Veteran

Elisabeth, I agree - my 27's fit me because my hips are almost 37 inches, not because my waist is almost 27 inches.

14 years ago

nicoleb

(website)

Veteran

Innnnterresting. I've always wondered about this too.

14 years ago

Christie

Active Member

This must be it. From the front view, I'm pretty straight up and down, with little waist-hip definition. I still want to measure. I haven't done any measurements since my baby was born 6 months ago.

14 years ago

Maya

Veteran

Hm, I am a 26 waist/36 hip and wear a 26, although lately I have had issues with waistband gaping.

I have seen women who are much larger than me wear the same size and it boggles my mind, but there are many factors at play about proportion, where you like your waistband to sit, etc.

14 years ago

Aziraphale

Veteran

Exactly, Maya! You and Mo have a waist-to-hip ratio of around 0.7, which is considered the "ideal" ratio -- not just by the US sizing standards, but also by the majority of men. They've done studies on this, where they show men various female silhouettes and they have to rate how attractive they are. Interestingly, the size of the woman is far less important for predicting her attractiveness than her waist-to-hip ratio. In some parts of the world, the men tend to like their women slimmer, and in other parts, plumper; but across cultures, men prefer women with a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.70. Apparently this is because women in their fertile years tend to have this shape. Young girls and menopausal women usually have a waist-to-hip ratio of around 0.85.

When you say you have recent issues with the waistband gaping, it makes me wonder....have they changed the sizing standards now that the average american is fatter? Because I've been finding that too. I'm positive that my size and shape has not changed in at least three years, but where I used to be buying 26 or 27, I'm now buying 24 or 25. What's up with that?

14 years ago

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

I have a 26.5 inch waist and my hips are 36.5 inches; I wear size 27. I also have several size 28 jeans. I just purchased a pair that are a size 25. All of them fit me well. Sizing is all over the place. I think that was the business premise behind MyShape -- they would figure out the manufacturer's differences and recommend the right size for you. But they went under. However I still think this is a relevant dilema when shopping on-line!

14 years ago

Elly

Veteran

Since the whole low-rise craze really took over fashion in the 90s I've found that some brands are still calling a 26" a 26 but cutting them it fit lower at what they call high hip (below the belly button) which is generally more like a 30 something--- so, it matters less if your true natural waist is tiny, so long as your high hip to hip ratio are the same as a model or ideal (whatever they cut the clothes on) "person" who does have a 26" waist. Also, sizing is crazy. I can be a 14 in some pants and a 4 in others. I'm 40, 27, 41, so I guess that makes my waist to hip ratio less than ideal, but in the wrong direction (.65).

14 years ago

anne

Veteran

Jeans in Australia are sized differently so I can't comment on that but I have consistently found I fit in things that according to the sizing chart, I shouldn't.

I am about 33-29-38 and, for instance the Ezibuy site sizing chart(http://www.ezibuy.com.au/Sizing-Charts if anyone wants to check it) this makes me an 8-12-10.(Aussie sizes) However I always order the smallest size - which is usually an 8 or XS, occasionally a 6 - and it usually fits. I haven't bought any jeans or trousers this (online) way though.

14 years ago

Christie

Active Member

I finally measured my jeans and my high hip, and you are correct. The 36" measurement is exactly right on for both. The funny thing is that my fullest hip measurement is 37-1/2 so not much different.

14 years ago

Sara

(website)

Active Member

I am always baffled as to who this "perfect" person jeans are designed to fit is and what their measurements are. As a petite, everything is always too long (and hemming tends to throw off the proportions of many styles of pants), yet my tall friends can't find pants that are long enough. Add to that the fact that any pair that fits my hips leaves me with a gaping waistband, and most pairs seem to stretch out to unwearable proportions after the first wear. Sorry. This has totally turned into a pant rant :).

14 years ago

Aziraphale

Veteran

Sara, I totally understand your pant rant. I get that all the time. Here's what I do now that helps: I wear them around for a day to stretch them out, then I take them to the tailor before washing them -- so they're still all stretched out -- and get them to take in the waist and seat. When I wash them after the alterations, they will feel way too tight, but then they stretch out to the perfect size.

14 years ago

Category