Find Out Which Clothing Brands Are Too Big or Too Small With This Table
At this point, we are all aware of the vanity of sizing – when some brands change the size of their clothes to make us feel “better” because we are wearing a smaller size than usual. But whether you are a fan or not, you have to admit that it makes buying clothes a lot harder than it should be. Nothing is standardized, and given how many online purchases we make these days, the very different sizes make the process more difficult as well. (Yes, we know most sites have these size charts , but who’s really going to pull out a tape measure and figure out their “natural waist” size?)
Tools like SizeCharter , where you enter your measurements and the size of your favorite brands, and then tell you the size of other brands, can be really helpful. But what’s also useful is a chart that provides you with information on which brands tend to work in larger or smaller sizes.
The good folks at Racked (now called “Products”) have shared this handy spreadsheet that shows which brands tend to operate small, large, or medium. In addition, it shows the percentage of men and women wearing a “small” size who have to buy one size larger or smaller when shopping for these brands. For example, J. Crew is in high demand among both genders, while American Apparel tends to be smaller.
This may differ depending on the particular garment – for example, with Old Navy pants it may differ (more) by five inches from the stated waist size. And of course, a single chart can’t predict how each body type will work for each brand, but it’s a good place to start if you’re clueless.
This story was originally published on 12/9/14 and updated on 8/19/19 to provide more complete and up-to-date information.