Anyone noticed a change in clothes sizes or fit?

Airyfairy12

I went shopping yesterday, I was just looking for a pair of jeans and plain t shirt for work, went to river island, pennys and a few other places, every pair of pants I tried on in my size (8 - 10) was very strangly fitted. I havnt gained or lost weight, my body is the same size and shape as all my own clothes fit me no differently but river island jeans for instance, which I have bought for years, either fitted perfectly on the leg but the waist was about 2 sizes too small, or there was a weird lift and seperate in the crotch/bum area - seemed like it was a fashion attempt at creating a thigh gap - it loooked awful.
Pennys pants have always been a funny fit but latley I find it very hard to get my size at all in the shop, I will spend twice as long looking for something that fits as their size 8 - 10 seems to be more fitted to a size 12/14 and they dont have allot of size 4 - 6 stock. Ive never been a size 4 - 6 but suddenly these are the sizes im having to buy in pennies?
I went home with nothing as the sizing was weird and off in all the shops I went into.
Has anyone else noticed this? whats going on?

Faith

Penney’s have definitely changed their sizing. I think they had signs about it recently. I generally try to avoid fast fashion if I can these days, but I was in there before Christmas and I spotted a lovely coat. I normally wear a 14 in coats because I’m broad across the shoulders, but even the size 10 was swimming in me, and the arms were getting progressively shorter as I went down in sizes.

SozBbz

Yeah they had tags stating "new and improved sizing" around before christmas.

Like Faith, I'm trying to avoid fast fashion, but have the ocasional slip in penneys. I bought a pink jumper, aran sweater in style. I almost never try on in store, just grabbed a medium and bought it home. Now its not supposed to be fitted or anything, but I still thought the sizing was very big. I'm a 12-14 but it was swimming on me, even the Small and X-Small still looked quite roomey.

Then over the weekend I bought a pair of light yellow skinny jeans - again did not try on. Going on the above thinking that their sizing was out of kilter, I thought I'd' size down and I bought a size 10. I can get them on but they're too tight to be comfortable so I'm going to return for a size 12.

So in short.... I think their sizing totally depends on the item and you need to try things on. Super annoying. But if anything has the label "new improved sizing!" you can take that to mean its bigger than the size on the label.

SusieBlue

Having the same issue with Penneys. Would be a size 10 in River Island, Topshop etc but currently wearing a pair of size 6 leggings and XXS jumper, both of which I have plenty of room in.

People who are actually size 6's must not be able to get anything in there! I would often pick up a good few bit in there without trying on and just return what didn't suit at a later date but I can't do it any more because the sizing is all over the place.
The queues for the fitting rooms are always a mile long so more often than not I find myself putting stuff back because its not worth the hassle.

Dial Hard

Even within the same range in Penney's the sizes are all over the place. I bought a pair of super stretch, super skinny jeans last year in a size 10 and they were the comfiest jeans ever. Went back and bought literally the exact same jeans in black, and they were waaaay tighter and inches shorter. I actually tweeted Penney's about it at the time, the difference was so ridiculous. Hang on til I see if I can find the pic.

dudara

I find sizing to be all over the shop (no pun intended) anyway. Even in the same store, different products can fit completely different, because I assume they are made in different locations etc.

Gunslinger92

I am glad to see others are having the same issue! I've been noticing this for at least a year, if not longer. For a while I was letting it get me down, thinking I must have gained a lot of weight and was just in denial, even though I don't look like I have. I used to be able to just pick up 10s everywhere and be grand, now it's all over the shop! For instance, recently got a pair of trousers for work from new look. The 10 wouldn't even come up past my thighs, the 12 is a smidge too big - so frustrating

Ciarrai76

Penney's has got really bad with sizing. I now have to buy a size 12 in jeans, when I used to be a 10 in there. I bought pyjama bottoms in there recently in a size small (which is 10/12 in their new sizing) and it was too big and practically falling down on me, so I had to get an XS and they are still on the big size! I bought a pair of wide leg trousers in there on Friday, and didn't have time to try them so picked up a size 10 which was what it said on the paper tag. Tried them on at home, they fit well on waist, (although the length is way too long so have to take them up) but when I looked on the inside tag, it said it was a size 12. So they're obviously not tagging their sizes properly. No wonder people don't know what size they are in there anymore! Very annoying.

Balanadan

This is why I only buy clothes in shops after trying them on and not online. I tried on a tshirt recently, it fitted perfectly, so I picked up another two along with it of the same size, make and model only different colours. I found out when I went home that they were completely different to the first one. It was a good make, good quality too.

LimeFruitGum

Dial Hard, that’s crazy! Did Penny’s ever get back to you? I can’t believe someone in there signed off on changing the sizing to such an obvious extent.

missmatty

Penneys is all over the place, I'm a 14-16 but I have stuff going from a size 8 to 14. Got a winter coat there last year in a 10 and it's swinging on me.

Sunny Dayz

Don't even talk to me about Penney's sizing!! All over the shop! I could be anything from a 6 to a 14 in there! And is anyone else finding that they seem to be between sizes in there now?

miamee

I honestly would never buy clothes any where without trying them on because of the discrepancy in sizes but especially not in Penneys!

Airyfairy12

Yeah Pennys is ridiculous with their sizing, they were never great to begin with but more recently have become much worse, allot of their clothes are unwearable and as someone mentioned, they are definitely between sizes but its not just Penny's, im finding it with River island too and the same with online shops like ASOS, i could always buy an 8 or 10 and it would fit without even having to try it on, bought a size 10 dress and when it was delivered it was more suited to a size 14 with extra material around the tummy and hips.
Is this just vanity sizing gone mad?

Dial Hard

LimeFruitGum wrote: »

Dial Hard, that’s crazy! Did Penny’s ever get back to you? I can’t believe someone in there signed off on changing the sizing to such an obvious extent.

They replied telling me to return them. I pointed out that I had pulled all the tags off as I wasn't expecting literally the exact same jeans to be a completely different size and fit and would the store still accept them and they never responded so I just left it. They were 14 quid or something, not the end of the world, but it did teach me to try EVERYTHING on in Penney's, even if you already own the blinkin' item in question!

Ciarrai76

Dial Hard wrote: »

They replied telling me to return them. I pointed out that I had pulled all the tags off as I wasn't expecting literally the exact same jeans to be a completely different size and fit and would the store still accept them and they never responded so I just left it. They were 14 quid or something, not the end of the world, but it did teach me to try EVERYTHING on in Penney's, even if you already own the blinkin' item in question!

Yeah, I've bought the same jeans in different colours in there, and noticed when I tried them on they fit totally different, despite being the same style, just a different colour! I can't buy jeans/trousers in there without trying them on first.

.......

Penneys sizing has gone nuts.

Everything has become enormous.

RhubarbCrumble

Penneys have lost the plot when it comes to sizing! I'm a 6-8, but anything in that size in Penneys is huge now and they only get on one or two 4's in anything so it's first come, first served. Last year I bought a few t-shirts there in a size 6 and they were perfect. This year they've changed from 6,8,10 etc on t-shirts to s, m, l etc. I am now a size 2XS in t-shirts! Absolutely crazy. I think that's supposed to be a size 2-4, which I definitely am not. Plus, it's a complete pain trying to get them because again, they get in 2 or 3 in 2XS and they're gone in 5 minutes.

On a different note, does anyone else think Penneys are getting more expensive recently. All of their dressy tops used to be around the €9 mark before, then they started slowly creeping up to around €12 and now they're all around €15. The handbags seem to be a lot more expensive and I saw a men's blazer the other day for €45, which seems a bit much for Penneys.

meeeeh

Out of that 15 Euro someone has to be paid to make the material, design and make the top, transport it, store it, sell it and to cover other overheads. That 15 euro top will be then often discarded after one use. People in the 3rd world pay the heaviest price for those cheap clothes. So I'm glad if Penny's are upping the prices.

ILoveYourVibes

Airyfairy12 wrote: »

I went shopping yesterday, I was just looking for a pair of jeans and plain t shirt for work, went to river island, pennys and a few other places, every pair of pants I tried on in my size (8 - 10) was very strangly fitted. I havnt gained or lost weight, my body is the same size and shape as all my own clothes fit me no differently but river island jeans for instance, which I have bought for years, either fitted perfectly on the leg but the waist was about 2 sizes too small, or there was a weird lift and seperate in the crotch/bum area - seemed like it was a fashion attempt at creating a thigh gap - it loooked awful.
Pennys pants have always been a funny fit but latley I find it very hard to get my size at all in the shop, I will spend twice as long looking for something that fits as their size 8 - 10 seems to be more fitted to a size 12/14 and they dont have allot of size 4 - 6 stock. Ive never been a size 4 - 6 but suddenly these are the sizes im having to buy in pennies?
I went home with nothing as the sizing was weird and off in all the shops I went into.
Has anyone else noticed this? whats going on?

Everything seems bigger ..even shoes.

RhubarbCrumble

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

Everything seems bigger ..even shoes.

Absolutely agree. I fall between a 3 and a 4 and am definitely a 3 in Penneys now. The thing is I have older shoes from there and they're a 4, so it's not a case of my feet having shrunk!

Vanity sizing in clothes is bad enough, but vanity sizing in shoes?! :P

Faith

I wonder what sizes would be most commonly sold in Penneys... if their demographic is evenly spread across sizes, then the changes in sizing makes no sense. But if their main demographic is plus sizes and they wouldn’t care too much if they lost a share of the smaller sizes market, then maybe it is an extreme form of vanity sizing.

RhubarbCrumble

I know a girl who works there and she said they only get a couple of 4s and 6s in any box of stock. Apparently 12-14 would be the average and best selling size.
What I can't figure out is when you look at the reduced rail, it's nearly always 18s and 20s, so obviously they get in a lot more of those than they actually sell.
Surely if the smaller sizes sell straight away, it would make sense to get in a lot more of them in every delivery?

Ciarrai76

The staff and management are obviously aware of all these sizing issues, so hopefully the buyers etc start listening and doing something about it. I don’t understand why they changed them so drastically.

My local Tralee store has become awful for stock in general. The range is awful. They never seem to get in the same stock as I see advertised by various bloggers. I saw a lovely khaki jacket in their Galway store in March and I decided to wait until it came to the Tralee store and it’s still not in stock. I’m so annoyed I didn’t just buy it in Galway now! Tralee has a big shop yet they are starting to fill it with awful stuff.

meeeeh

RhubarbCrumble wrote: »

I know a girl who works there and she said they only get a couple of 4s and 6s in any box of stock. Apparently 12-14 would be the average and best selling size.
What I can't figure out is when you look at the reduced rail, it's nearly always 18s and 20s, so obviously they get in a lot more of those than they actually sell.

Not necessarily just due to the customer numbers. Plus sizes are a lot harder to make to fit properly, especially if the shape is the same as for size 8. There is a reason why a lot of mainstream brands don't go past size 16.

The Cool

Totally agree about River island jeans!! I used to be able to pick up size 16 Harpers without trying them, for years, then in January I bought a pair and couldn't get them up over my bum. Same as you, my weight hasn't really changed so I'm baffled. Went in recently and tried a few different pairs - Molly, Kaia seem to be the new Harpers, - and just lifted 18s to see, but they still didn't fit right. Back to the drawing board now for "my" jeans - sickened!

It's funny smaller size people are saying the sizes have gotten huge - the bigger sizes are the opposite. Some of their size 20 jeans won't go up on me and I recently tried a non-stretch blouse in a 20 thinking it would be loose and flowy - couldn't get it over my chest. So there's really feck all consistency now, all I would buy in it now is socks and vests.

.......

Ive always found Penneys clothes badly shaped for my body type. I tend to find their dresses too loose on the bum/hips and too tight on the boobs. And their tops are often too tight on the boobs for me too but if I go up a size they are baggy on the shoulders/waist.

This morning I wore an XS black Dunnes t shirt to the gym that fitted perfectly everywhere. Right now I am a 12-14 on the top and a 10-12 on the bottom. There is NO WAY an XS item of clothing should be fitting me. I also wore gym leggings from Dunnes - in a medium and they were a perfect fit (in fact, less of a relaxed fit than I would have expected for the Medium).

So what gives? I am always a bigger size on top - my whole life. Yet there I am in medium bottom and XS top from Dunnes!!! It makes no sense!!

What I have learned from the above is to always try on the stuff before i buy!