This may be yesterdays news to many of you who have shopped somewhere other than a maternity shop in the last 2.5 years, but over christmas I NEEED a new pair of slacks for an interview, and was confused and dismayed to see size 6 and 7s on the racks. WTF, over? Sure enough, I asked one of the clerks, and she told me briefly about the new sizing structure. She threw a measureing tape around me, and declared me a 6 or 7. Another looked at me for two seconds and told me what color to buy. (???) I grabbed the nearest size 7 (I was in a serious hurry with the toddler rodeo, a 2 yr old tearing the place up), figured hey, it covers the nakedness, Imm hem it tonight and away I went.

Now (happily) Im ready to alter the heck out of this thing. But I get to thinking, whats the story behind this whole new sizing thing at lane bryant? its it a psychological thing-women hate buying size 20s? or is there really something to it. they used to use a fit structure for different body types-I used to love their houston fit, because it accommodated my shape appropriately. Then they discontinued it. but I STILL wear those slacks, 5 years later. These also are nice, I will salvage and do alterations til the pockets can only hold spare change.

So whats the story? What has been your experience with this? I hate shopping, and havent had time to explore it any.

Just my 2 cents worth, but.................You can call a turd a rose..........but that doesn't change its aroma...

nan

I hate to be the pooper on your party but it looks like it's another manipulation of vanity sizing. I just went on the Lane Bryant site and looked at the sizing measurements--If I used their sizing chart, I would be less than a size zero because they didn't even have my waist size which is a 30"--sizing started at a 34" waist. My philosophy is that if it fits, and makes me look good--who cares about the size, although I know for many women, it's all about the size.
Although I can no longer shop at Lane Bryant--I'm usually a 12/14 regular, I still buy ALL my bras from them--the only place I can find 36Cs that have a 3 hook band--I hate a 1 hook or 2 hook--it looks bad and isn't comfortable.
HTH
Lisa

There are other stores that have their own sizing numbers. I can't remember the name but it was a sort of upscale shop aimed at middle aged women.

I think I was a size 2 at Lane Byrant when I bought something from their new sizes. I didn't care, I just liked that stuff fit right!

Nancy - I think you are thinking of Chicos.

I was extremely annoyed when LB changed the sizing structure because it meant I had to try stuff on when all I wanted to do was go in, grab the jeans I wanted off the shelf, pay and go. But instead I had to get measured (which was wrong!) and figure out which color dot (red, blue or yellow) fit my body best (again, didn't match what the employees told me).

Now I avoid LB - not just because of the pants but because their tops are all tunic style on me and clingy.

I didn't know LB had started doing that, but I know Torrid started doing that ages ago and boy it always annoyed the heck out of me. It *might* have been just for shirts (I can't remember about pants now...) but I remember going in to the store and trying on a size 0 and thinking how absurd that was. And annoying... because really, how the heck am I supposed to know what a Torrid size 0 is? Aren't womens clothing sizes screwed up enough? Do we really need to throw more confusion into the mix? Sheesh.

Ugh, excuse the bitterness. I just went shopping for pants the other day, so I'm already in clothing size rant mode from that

I generally don't shop in malls for myself- it's usually the thrift store or online catalog shopping. www.womanwithin.com (formerly Lane Bryant Catalog, NOT affilliated with Lane Bryant Stores) has had pretty much the same sizing for the past 15 or so years. I used to need a 2X, now I'm down to an L. Pretty basic!

With thrift stores, I completely have to ignore size labels. Some stuff in there was mislabeled to begin with. Others are so old (maybe living untouched in somebody's closet for decades?) that they're from an older sizing system. Some skirts I can wear in a smaller size because the elastic is wonderfully stretched out (I'm a smaller size in the hips than the waist; most of my weight is in my belly, so this is an advantage to thrift store shopping!) Many items don't even contain size tags at all, as previous owners removed them. And some items shrunk in the wash and are actually a full size (or more) smaller than what the label states. I don't care. If it looks good on me, I buy it. I don't care if it says size 8 or size 22.

I've also been doing a lot of shopping lately in the smallest of ladies' sizes, as I have one teenaged daughter and another who will be a teenager in about 3 months. Both are out of "girls" sizes. Juniors sizes run a full size smaller than misses' sizes- in theory anyway. Some brands are cut fuller or skimpier and it's unpredictable. DD1's clothes range in size from XS to M. All I'm saying is that this "sizing craziness" isn't confined to plus sizes!

It is SO MUCH EASIER shopping for my son!

Lane Bryant still has regular sizing in most everything. You're talking about their "Right Fit" brand. They rolled out the right fit stuff sometime last year. It works like this:

You figure out which shape you are - circle (apple shape), triangle or square. Each body shape matches a color. They measure you then to find out which size pants you should be wearing.

I, for instance, wear a yellow (circle) size 5.

The idea behind the right fit is that not all women are shaped alike. Some people have large tummies and small legs, others have large legs and small waists, etc. The right fit stuff provides jeans or pants to fit any body shape.

That's the theory, anyway.

I know that I couldn't buy pants at LB for YEARS because everything that fit me in the waist absolutely swam on my hips and thighs.

So there you go. I think the Avenue also has right fit of some kind... I might be wrong about that, though.

So no one knows if there is a magic chart somewhere that translates sizes? or why they decided to make this change? It doesnt sound like anyone much likes it...Ill continue to shop there, on the rare occasions in which I DO need to, because they have nice work clothes.

Side note-at least we HAVE a lane bryant here in the east bay in Emeryville (last stop before the bay bridge) and Im always over in that neighborhood anyway, so its convenient. San francisco HAS NO LANE BRYANT. No maternity shops either. I guess fat chicks have to go naked. or shop at macys. Or more correctly, fat chicks are probably NOT PERMITTED IN SAN FRANCISCO. Same with PARENTS, NO KIDS IN SF!!!! I imagine there is an ordinance somewhere.

yes, that was my outloud voice. My hungry, fatigued, hormonal, detoxing evil outloud voice.

Are there any straight people in San Francisco? Is that why the town isn't kid-friendly?

Thank goodness for clothing catalogs!

No translation chart that I know of. The employee will happily measure you - although I have yet to find that to be accurate. You can measure your waist at home and use the website to determine the size and style.

FYI, the color the employees told me I would fit best in and would look the best on me, also was not correct. So you would be well-advised to try the various styes.

um, im sure there are gay people in san francisco that have children. ugh, i loathe narrowminded comments.

so this size thing is interesting, and seems to be happening across the board.

all of my pants are a size 6, and the wedding dress i bought is a size 10. the saleswoman was telling me about the "vanity sizing" thing. weird.

So glad I got out of LB sizing before this happened, although their clothes never fit me right, anyway...

How humiliating is it to have to be measured when you go to buy clothes at a shop for large women?!!!! They are going to drive people away in droves....starting with me.

Yah, its a special measuring tape, with their special sizes in ranges.

Mattie, now, Im sure youre just being pro liberal and all, I was making a scathing joke. Of course gay people have children, I have several gay freinds who do. (being raised in the East Bay!) And Ruthla, The san francisco groove has little to do with gay or not gay, when you sit down and think about it. its more to do with the hipster memememe lifestyle that makes it hard to raise kids there. That, and its exhorbitantly expensive, the school situation is freakish, and simply getting around the city is a challenge, because having a car is a burden. People dont smile at children in SF, they scowl, its really sad. Ive had kids in my care for ten years here, and I dread taking them anywhere other than the big playground over at golden gate park, because either some creepage is going to ogle my young stepdaughter when he hears we had to take off her undies because she had a bathroom accident, or people approach you and tell you how irresponsible you are for reproducing, esp for making an AMERICAN baby. Its a classic joke that there are more dogs in SF than children. I actually saw a report that proved it so.

This is not a closed minded comment. Its a joke based on experience. If youre really interested in learning about the Parenting Experience in the SF bay area, check out this blog:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/parenting/index?