To paraphrase Aaliyah, size ain’t nothing but a number. Pretty sure that song was super controversial so seems fitting when talking about clothing sizes… But I digress. Size does NOT define your worth or how you should feel about your body on any given day.
Ladies, I’ve been there. Out shopping with a girlfriend, excited to find something new, get into the dressing room and let that number ruin my whole day. I’ve even cut labels out of clothing to hide my “size.” Or not buying something that fit great because I refused to consider myself that size. MADNESS!!!! As your Style Therapist, I’m here to break this down with you and give you my best tips to find clothes that fit your body.
You Aren’t The Problem
First of all, there is no industry standard for sizing. You may be a 6 in one brand and a 10 in another. I have 5 pairs of the same cut of Levi’s in 3 different sizes and they all fit! With mass produced brands, sizing can be way off. Big brands use huge cutting machines to save time. So basically, the sizing can vary depending on where in the stack your item was at the time of cutting. Material can make a huge difference in fit as well so always take that into consideration. Frustrating, right? Here are my top tips to finding the right FIT (not size) for you.
Step 1
Take your measurements. This is so important ladies and a requirement for all my personal shopping clients. So important, in fact, I want you to do it right now. NO, like right now. If you don’t have a soft measuring tape you can get one here or just use string and then line up with a Tape Measure from your garage. Do bust, waist, hip, & inseam.
If you’ve never done your measurements, here are some pointers:
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Bust should go right over your nipple so you get the fullest part of your bust. Do while wearing your most loved bra to get the girls in the right spot.
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Waist should be taken at your belly button. Keep the tape measure tight but not constricting, exactly how you would want the waistband of your clothing.
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Hips should be measured at the fullest part. Make sure you stand with your heels together for this one. If you’ve had babies and have a mom pooch, that needs to be considered if larger than your hip measurement.
Pro tip: Record these and keep in the notes section of your phone or wherever you like to keep easy to reference information.
Step 2
Just like any good researcher, you’ve collected your data. Next, we use that data to make informed decisions and guesstimates. Grab a variety of brands/sizes and try, try, & try some more. Once you become familiar with specific brands, you won’t have to do this as much. In the beginning, mentally prepare yourself to try on a ton of sizes to find the right fit.
This will be more time and cost effective in person, but can be done online as well. Every site has a sizing chart you can reference as a guide to your best fit. For today’s therapy session, let’s use online shopping my measurements as an example. I’m focusing on denim because it’s right up there with swimwear in terms of dressing room shame spirals.
Measurements: Bust: 33.5 / Waist 28.5 /Hips 37.5
I’m a pear shape. Meaning my hips will always be my biggest measurement. Whatever number is your biggest is the one we will pay the most attention to because we don’t want to be squeezing into clothes. The most flattering clothes are clothes that fit your body well. Gap jeans are consistently good and well priced, so let’s use their size chart as an example. Based on their size chart, I’m between a 27 and 28 in jeans based on my hip measurement. Their petite lengths are for 5’4” and under and tall lengths are for 5’9” and up.
If you have trouble with standard lengths being either too long or too short, Here are my go to brands doing petite and/or tall lengths.
Step 3
Once you find your “size” based on your biggest measurement, you might still need a tailor to get that custom fit. Most clothing doesn’t fit properly off the rack. Did you know they have on set tailors for all clothing ad shoots? They try the clothes on the models and then alter them to fit perfectly for the shoot. Little insider nugget for you. My advice? Let’s treat our lives like a clothing ad shoot, shall we? Find yourself a good tailor and use them a lot.
If this all sounds like a lot of work, it is. It’s my job haha!!! Finding clothes that fit your budget, body and make you feel fabulous is my goal with every unique client. I know how overwhelming & time consuming online shopping can be. If you don’t know where to start, let’s chat!
Repeat after me. I WILL not let a size define me. I WILL find clothing that fits the body I have now, is comfortable, and makes me feel confident and beautiful.
You won’t find anything that fits this bill if you’re hating your current body and waiting to fit into some arbitrary size to start putting effort into what you wear. We need to stop punishing ourselves and love where we are in our personal journey. I hope you found this helpful!! Please reach out with any questions or comments you have!
Xoxo, Jess
