After giving up on buying the sort of clothes I like in this country of the slim and tiny (catalogues here always sell out on my size instantly though, so there must be others), I am now sat in front of the paradise that is the UK online shop a little confused.
M & S has an 18 as being a 46 and the measurements listed, which I know I don't/shouldn't fit into. Next also has 18 equals 46, also with measurements I should not by any stretch of the imagination be able to fit into, yet I have a size of recently bought 18 L Next jeans that fit just fine and two 16 Tall wrap dresses, that also fit. Sadly, the sort of things I'd like are sold out on Next so I'm trawling M & S but a bit worried that their sizing may be smaller.
Summing up - how would you say the sizing compares in the different UK stores and, for extra bonus points, is there a shop that you would say is suitable for a particular body shape, like, e.g. Coast, which is perfect for hourglass figures.
Thanks in advance for your help, I'd love to go to the UK to shop directly of course but I need to look smart for a trip that's in ten days and there is no way I'd make it / be able to afford a trip to London before then.
My personal experience - others may vary! - is that M&S clothes run small and their trousers are not for hippy women. But perhaps it is just the things I've tried there, so hopefully someone else will chime in with more info for you!
Have you seen this
http://www.marksandspencer.com/Gener...elp/b/47647031
it's all I got
(says 46 = 20, not 18)
Thank you anyway! Any info is useful as I will get slaughtered on customs and returns will be equally punitive.
That's the confusing bit, one site says one thing, the other says something else, the measurements are all over the place. Confusing.
You've got to stick with each company's sizing guide on their website.
Which, if we take the example of Next, is often wildly inaccurate. Stupid, if you ask me but I'm usually about three to four inches wider on the hips than the size I ultimately fit into should allow for. Weird...
M&S, at least, use French sizing for the Euro sizes which is not the same as D/CH sizing (CH 40 = F 42 = UK 14). I seem to recall, going back about 20 years, M&S changed their sizings completely and added 2 inches to all their waists for the same hip size. Being slightly broad of beam (classic pear shape), this was a disaster for me as suddenly, if I could get anything over my hips, they gaped like mad at the waist.
Why, oh why ? can't all shops have the same sizes? surely it can't be that complicated? it's the same problem with shoes and children's clothes .
I'm afraid the only thing you can do is measure your basics in cm: bust, waist, hips and inside leg and go to each individual mark's measurement page, it's the only way of being (somewhat) sure that you are getting the right size. Err on the too big side, it's easier to take in/up something than let it out. Good luck!
I do not know specifics of M&S but generally speaking, "department store" sizes for plus sizes (as in, sizes 14 or XL and up) tend to be simple larger "misses" sizes which tend to be glorified juniors sizes.
What I mean is that they don't tend to be designed for curvier figures... As an example, I recently saw an advertisement for a size 18 (which typically would be 48 in the US) that was designed for B-cup women. Sure there are some (one of my female friends bought same size clothes as me but was an A) but not as many as there are C or D at that size.
The best thing if you are large-scale hourglass or pear-shaped is to shop at stores specializing in plus size clothing. Usually they are cut more generously for bust, hips, thighs and bottoms while (attempting to be) more flattering for "trouble spots" like upper arms.
Maaaan, M&S have some really nice stuff at the moment that I can actually afford but if they are catering to the straight-up-and-down ladies, it won't be for me. Interesting what you say about the plus size shops, Peg, the ones in Switzerland seem to assume that all large women are 5'3" with skinny legs and a big belly. It's generally hard for those with a waist (my hip to waist ratio is about 0.71) to find clothes and if you are a large hourglass, then you own the wrap dress and not much else...
Still, some of the M&S dresses are cut A-line so maybe that's an option, if I understand correctly, their sizing runs a bit smaller, yes?
About using the measurements on the website, my experience in both US and UK shops is that they are not right, i.e. if I follow the sizing guidelines, the clothig is usually too BIG. I really don't see the point of putting measurement tables online when they are not correct...
The problem with any "off the rack" clothing is that the clothing designers use fit models for the cut so no matter where you get it from, it is hit and miss when ordering from catalogs.
If it is a style you like (and know will suit your figure), you could order the next size up and then take it for alterations.
I'm having a problem here myself with things being too lose in the waist for how I like them to fit my thighs and hips.
Ain't that the truth - trousers are a nightmare, and drop waists are my saviour
Wrap dresses seem to have gone out of fashion I'm not a hourglass but would still like to try a wrap dress, but simply haven't seen any in the shops for 3 or 4 years