What happened to mens' clothing sizes?

Saruman · 15-04-2015 11:03AM #1

All of a sudden, I can't fit in to any of the normal sizes I used to get. Admittedly, I haven't really bought much clothing in years but in the last few weeks, I have needed to replace certain items.
I get the same measurements as I always get and I can't fit in them properly.

It seems that the fashion is tight fitting items but that's useless when you are broad.

I have wide shoulders and now anything in my size is too tight at the shoulders and I can't lift my arms.

I have slightly shorter legs than my 6' frame demands so I need jeans with a 30" leg but the legs are never wide enough. I have to get jeans that are too large in the waist and 2 inches too ling to fit in to now. I used to always get boot cut but can't find any that work any more.

I never used to have this problem.

_Brian · 15-04-2015 11:08AM

It's the "slim fit" brigade.
I'm 5"11 and 81kg, fairly ordinary sized bloke.
Bought a large sized shirt recently, as I always do. Not a hope if it fitting, it's like a small sized shirt.

Captain Chaos · 15-04-2015 11:18AM

I'm 5"11 and around 85-90kg, broad across the shoulders and any t-shirt or shirt I can find that will fit across me is like a dress in the length and my arms are lost in it. If I go medium they will sit properly and fish on my waist line and arm wrists but I look like the Hulk with my shoulders and uppers arms almost bursting out.

I don't go to a gym or work out, just normal. I have a bit of meat on my legs compared to the twigs for legs that seam to be in fashion so even straight cut jeans are tight on me and look awful.

What happened to the normal man? All mes fashion is now geared towards the skinny guy that still has the body of a teen. I don't know what to do for clothes anymore.

Saruman · 15-04-2015 12:38PM

I might have to wait until I'm in the US this summer and buy clothes there.

Pocoyo · 15-04-2015 12:41PM

Joke Large is like XXXXL and medium is like small,The asian clothes factories have obviously jumbled up the list containing sizes....me so sorry big irish man. You a big man. Very big man.you me give me green card.

Tar.Aldarion · 15-04-2015 12:42PM

It varies amongst manufacturers is the problem. Also there is a lot of lying on cloths, like a 34 inch trousers is often bigger than 34 inches as it makes people feel better, this has led to insanity in trying to get clothes some times. Especially as when you come down in waistsize everything is decreased. My waist is 32 and sometimes trousers are perfect but sometimes the legs are just insanely small. It's a pain having big legs tbh. I have some 34 inch reg fit jeans and I have to peel them off my calves. It's the same with shirts you have to get bigger fits than standard it feels like.

mailforkev · 15-04-2015 04:25PM

Jeans are the worst culprit for the creep of vanity/mystery sizing at the moment. I'm a 32 waist but have jeans/trousers in the wardrobe ranging from 30 to 34 that all fit the exact same.

Luckily thanks to genetics and the gym I seem to be alright with top half clothes. I'm 6'1, 80-81kg and am a Medium in pretty much everything.

The problem for bigger guys is that the fashion crowd are aiming towards younger blokes who as far as I can see are taller and in way better physical shape than we were at the same age (and I'm only mid 30s).

dudara · 16-04-2015 09:53AM

Pocoyo wrote: »

Joke Large is like XXXXL and medium is like small,The asian clothes factories have obviously jumbled up the list containing sizes....me so sorry big irish man. You a big man. Very big man.you me give me green card.

@Pocoyo - if you can't post helpfully, then please don't post at all.

dudara

Greenmachine · 16-04-2015 10:01AM

Reality is that there is inconsistency in sizing. I am one of those awful skinny fellas some of you talk about with a 28" waist. But still need a belt with all 28" jeans even with the extra 6kg I have put on recently months.

speedboatchase · 16-04-2015 01:38PM

At the beginning of the last decade the fashion designer Hedi Slimane (then creative director of Dior, now creative director of Saint Laurent) basically redefined the ideal male silhouette by popularising skinny jeans, slim-fit shirts etc. This all took a while to fully trickle down to the mainstream, but that's where we are now.

Changing the silhouette has meant that there's now less options for broad-shouldered rugby types such as yourself. Basically there's a lot less options for your body type and a few labels have just forgotten about it altogether. Bootcut styles have fallen away too as jeans become more slim-fitting and as shorter leg styles become more popular (which matches the trend for no-show socks and bare ankles).

My advice would be to get shirts etc that are better quality, meaning a bit more expensive, but which are a lot less restrictive. They'll probably still be slim-fitting but as long as you can move around in them you'll be fine. Most of what I wear is slim-fitting but I've found that the likes of my Ralph Lauren or Lacoste shirts (labels with an athletic aesthetic) fit with a lot more versatility than my Topman or ASOS brand shirts of the same size, even when the former shirts are 'slim-fit'. As for jeans I would stay away from the likes of places that won't cater for bootcut at all (most high street places) but instead go for brands that are known for their jeans - Levis, Lee, Diesel. At least with those brands there should be a range of options and you won't be wasting your time.

Tar.Aldarion · 16-04-2015 02:22PM

I wish leg sizes were shorter, all too often the sizes start at 32 and I'm 30, the bastards. Unless all the short ones are sold out

I went to netherlands where the average height is 3 inches+ taller than here and I had much less problems. So maybe it is that haha

Slutmonkey57b · 16-04-2015 02:28PM

I certainly don't find any indication that slim fit has filtered down into shirts and jackets. The perennial problem that shirt makers seem to think that the average male torso is a 56" cone with a tiny neck hasn't changed at all.

Picking up an 18 inch shirt results in a garment that I could literally fit a second fully grown human in around the waist. I could button up a shirt and I'd be well able to fold half the body of it over before it'd stop looking like a balloon.

meeeeh · 16-04-2015 08:15PM

speedboatchase wrote: »

My advice would be to get shirts etc that are better quality, meaning a bit more expensive, but which are a lot less restrictive. They'll probably still be slim-fitting but as long as you can move around in them you'll be fine. Most of what I wear is slim-fitting but I've found that the likes of my Ralph Lauren or Lacoste shirts (labels with an athletic aesthetic) fit with a lot more versatility than my Topman or ASOS brand shirts of the same size, even when the former shirts are 'slim-fit'. As for jeans I would stay away from the likes of places that won't cater for bootcut at all (most high street places) but instead go for brands that are known for their jeans - Levis, Lee, Diesel. At least with those brands there should be a range of options and you won't be wasting your time.

Lacoste, Lauren and possibly the likes of Boss and other more premium brands cater for older generations than topman or river island. Even if you are slim in forties you are slim differently than you were in twenties. As a general rule Asian high street, Italian and Spanish stuff is smaller and Germans and North Europeans, British or Americans have bigger sizing.

Greenmachine · 16-04-2015 08:56PM

Slutmonkey57b wrote: »

I certainly don't find any indication that slim fit has filtered down into shirts and jackets. The perennial problem that shirt makers seem to think that the average male torso is a 56" cone with a tiny neck hasn't changed at all.

Picking up an 18 inch shirt results in a garment that I could literally fit a second fully grown human in around the waist. I could button up a shirt and I'd be well able to fold half the body of it over before it'd stop looking like a balloon.

True that.

Tar.Aldarion · 21-04-2015 03:59PM

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

It varies amongst manufacturers is the problem. Also there is a lot of lying on cloths, like a 34 inch trousers is often bigger than 34 inches as it makes people feel better, this has led to insanity in trying to get clothes some times. Especially as when you come down in waistsize everything is decreased. My waist is 32 and sometimes trousers are perfect but sometimes the legs are just insanely small. It's a pain having big legs tbh. I have some 34 inch reg fit jeans and I have to peel them off my calves. It's the same with shirts you have to get bigger fits than standard it feels like.

54cb625d91378_-_waistline-measurement-chart-for-men-090710-xlg.jpg

Greenmachine · 21-04-2015 04:04PM

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Old navy at the end is simply baffling. Remind me of an episode, of "The Royles" where Sheryl gets a new weighing scales in argos.
In a more serious note. I was called a few years ago for a wardrobe fitting for a commercial. Asking my size which I knew was 28". They gave me a 26" to try, amazing it was a perfect fit. Now I understand why.

professore · 21-04-2015 04:24PM

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

This is the opposite of what this thread is about? So you're telling me that jeans are sized bigger than the size on the label and shirts are sized smaller ???

WT actual F ?

Will result in some strange wardrobe malfunctions !

Tar.Aldarion · 21-04-2015 04:41PM

Hahaha, yep. It's pretty mad. Nobody used to to beleive me about teh trousers until i actually measured and showed them. As it stands i have trousers that are 30,32, 34 and 36...

21-04-2015 04:47PM

Ha! Its refreshing to know ye men have the same issues as the ladies when it comes to clothing! Used to think it was all in my head or the changing length of my legs !

hardCopy · 21-04-2015 04:55PM

Mens jeans have been a hit and miss for donkey's years but have gotten much worse recently. Lately I find the only jeans that fit my thigh:calf:hip proportions are Debenhams own brand Red Herring, I can get a waist that doesn't fall down with legs that fit past my calves. I'll never even look at a rail of jeans in Zara after a traumatic incident I once had in their changing room.

On the shirts, Abercrombie were the first brand I noticed to switch to crazy proportions, by the time I go up enough sizes to go round my waist I end up with sleeves that go past my waist, superdry are similar.

eviltimeban · 21-04-2015 05:01PM

It definitely depends on the brand. Some brands / designers make their XL a lot smaller than the "norm", for some reason. Also, Italian sizes are always one less than ours - the girl in Benetton told me that, hence needing an XXL shirt rather than an XL.

Strangely, large H&M t shirts work for me, though I'd need XL in Topshop (or anywhere else for that matter). I recently bought a Pretty Green polo top and ordered an XXL, even though I have two of their jackets and both are XL and fit perfectly. Sometimes XL t shirts are too long, sometimes just right. Depends on your body shape too (broad / narrow, longer / shorter body)

Diesel jeans 36W is a bit more snug than Gap 36, but that's also down to the style of the cut - the lower the rise and position on your waist, the more the fit will vary.

So not all clothes are made the same nor sized the same, you just need to find the brands that fit you and stick with them. I find that younger / high street brands = tighter clothes; more expensive brands can vary; "traditional" suppliers (M&S for example) don't seem to change at all.

None of that really makes it easier when you go shopping. And I'm 6'5" with size 12 feet.

lizzyman · 21-04-2015 10:17PM

Saruman wrote: »

All of a sudden, I can't fit in to any of the normal sizes I used to get. Admittedly, I haven't really bought much clothing in years but in the last few weeks, I have needed to replace certain items.
I get the same measurements as I always get and I can't fit in them properly.

It seems that the fashion is tight fitting items but that's useless when you are broad.

I have wide shoulders and now anything in my size is too tight at the shoulders and I can't lift my arms.

I have slightly shorter legs than my 6' frame demands so I need jeans with a 30" leg but the legs are never wide enough. I have to get jeans that are too large in the waist and 2 inches too ling to fit in to now. I used to always get boot cut but can't find any that work any more.

I never used to have this problem.

GANT and Hilfiger jeans and Lacoste shirts are the way to go in my experience. Basically brands targeted at 30-50 somethings that make the same style of clothes year in, year out. They've never gone out of fashion because they were never in fashion in the first place.

For trousers and jeans, get ones that fit well in the thighs and seat. Take them home and give them one wash and then take them to tailor to bring in the waist or hem them as necessary.

Saruman · 22-04-2015 10:13AM

Debenhams have a selection tool to help narrow down. Loose fitting, big and tall. Just tried it and these look promising.

While a tailor etc is one way to go, it's a lot of extra time and expense I can't be arsed with.

lizzyman · 23-04-2015 02:37AM

Saruman wrote: »

While a tailor etc is one way to go, it's a lot of extra time and expense I can't be arsed with.

A good tailor will have you measured and out the door in about 10 minutes. You collect your clothes a few days later and they should fit you like a glove. I don't give a flying f*** about fashion but I know what looks good on me and a tailor is sometimes the only way to get it.

What happened to mens' clothing sizes?

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