There are a few companies that I patronize where the marked clothing sizes matches my measured size. Danner boots. Vertx pants. Ecco shoes (and some other Italian / made in Italy dress shoes). Some other brands as well.

But these are what I would call infrequent, premium purchases. Purchases I use for daily wear are a crap shoot when it comes to sizes.

Merrell, Salomon shoes. Various pants, shirts, brands. Sweat pants brands.

I bought a pair of pants and a pair of shorts online. They weren't even close; if I wanted, say waist size X, these were like size X+6, at least. A little tight or a little loose, okay. There some reasonable stdev acceptable. But this was several sizes off. Like a size 34 vs size 42 type of difference.

This is a problem. I have to go through a return process (not to mention the initial wait for delivery). The retailer probably can't sell the items as new anymore. And I'm still w/o pants and I have no idea what size to order still.

And don't get me started on variability between model / style numbers. I try on one item from the brand, and I need size X. I try a different similar item from the same brand and I need size Y. How does this make sense? Merrell shoes model A I need size 9D. Model B I need size 8E. Actual shoe size as measured by the metal device - neither of these two.

Surely this is a problem that can be solved. Other companies have (as mentioned above).

Waste of time and money. And I can't be the only one - thousands? Millions? At the expense this must cost, why is it tolerated? Who is at fault? Can it be fixed?

I don't remember this being such a problem in my earlier years....

Never buy clothes online. That’s my rule. Being able to them try on is a must. Can’t tell you how many times I told Mrs Q that, when she wanted to order clothes online. Same thing with going to the store. She saw something she likes and “It’s my size”. I always insist that she has to try them on. Half of the time, “my size” turned out too small. Clothes are made from all over the world. Size 4 made in country A will almost always be different from one made in country B.

Luckily, I have not had a problem with buying shoes online. I guess it’s because I’ve been buying only the same Asics running shoes forever.

quote:

Never buy clothes online.

Word.
This is a sure way to get screwed and your complaints go to China or somewhere else in Asia.
Best deal I was offered was to keep the pants I ordered and get this other size for free…neither size fit!

Online can be tough, but I dabble. With shoes or boots I’d rather slightly larger, take up the difference with insoles or sock thickness. Then with some walking is limited, certain outdoor activities, stand hunting.

With pants I have a vetted size, like jeans with Duluth Trading. The fallback option is to be willing to do the return hassle, or buy in person.

1. shop in person
2. buy clothes from manufacturers that you know fit you
3. spend more money
4. get nicer clothes tailored

Seemingly reasonable suggestions. But pragmatically unpalatable. Choices are limited in local stores - I wouldn't be able to buy the types of clothes (for example pants and shorts) I want.

I try to buy preferred manufacturers and have been. However, the pants, for example, are very pricey and it's hard to get them on sale. And in fact, it seems the style I have been buying have been discontinued. And hence these forays into other brands.

I try to buy shoes in-store but even this is unpalatable. Merrell, for example, offers some nice models online that I can't find locally in any store.

I guess my question is not how to buy clothes locally - it's actually not a scalable solution.

It's whether "industry" can / will solve this sizing issue. It costs all of us money when clothes don't fit. I wonder how much the prices of clothes could be lowered if returns were not necessary because sizes were off.

My waist size is X. I don't understand why it would be off by some unacceptable amount in reality. If I go to a tailor and get measured, and then take those measurements to another tailor to make clothes, the clothes will come out reasonably fitting. I don't understand how 'off the rack' can be so off.

Why is my shirt an M with one style / brand by L or XL with another style? Yet, I can go to a premium department store and buy any 16/32 button down shirt and it will fit.

I don't know how to make women's sizes work - I don't understand how a single number works for sizes.

But for men pant's, I don't understand how I buy a 32/30 pant and despite the label, have it be able to fit a 42/34 person.

Ok, maybe my man card is in jeopardy. I had some work pants problem a while ago, needed to fix the hem in place. I’ve done a poor job with needle and thread before.

As I got ready for the project, I did some googling. Low & behold they have easier methods, no sewing required. I’m talking about ‘hem tape’.

I know, often a woman picks up the slack in this area. Some of us spend time between wimmins, it’s us or the tailor. My hem tape project worked fine.

Just saying, if the legs are too long, investigate some hemming tape.

Also with full disclosure, I’ve added a button on some pants I like to get a little more room before snapping. I even have a few of those two buttons on a 1/2” of fabric, another way to easily gain waste allowance.

I just saw some type of 2 button attachment you can put on the waist of your pants to clip/cinch them together. It was for women, but it didn’t look obvious or gaudy.
Women sizes are all over the place as well. Some places go by small medium large, some go by sizes 2 4 6, etc. and some go by odd numbered 3 5 7 etc. Going international is crazy because almost all the countries have different measurements for S, M, L. Then you get these little boutique shops that decide that a size 0 actually means a size 8 in their shop “lingo”.
Look for sites to give you measurements in inches. If you’re shopping reputable brand names, they should be in the ballpark.

I feel your pain.

I hear what you're saying, it's frustrating but, gotta recognize that not all brands are the same nor do they appeal to the same customer and material-type will change how garments fits. A size-Large for a pair of slacks is going to fit differently than a pair of joggers and definitely differently than a pair of snow pants. The other part is the vast majority of people buy ready-to-wear clothing, in the world of fashion and design clothing is always fitted & adjusted however this costs more time & money than most of us have. Ready-to-wear is just that clothing styles that are finished and not designed for adjustments.

Good brands or, those that are on-top of their sizing ratios are able to stipulate the size adjustments for each size, before the factory gets its instructions. Most brands (in a cost-control effort) rely on the factory to make the necessary size-adjustments and often times the sizes on the end of the scale are distorted, this is apparent with very inexpensive/cheap apparel....see Costco, Sam's, Target, WalMart, etc. Other times, the brand screwed up, that item didn't get the necessary attention it needed and its sizing was all screwed up.

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Originally posted by sourdough44:
Ok, maybe my man card is in jeopardy.

I don't understand how having a DIY attitude for anything should be construed as unmanly.

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Low & behold they have easier methods, no sewing required. I’m talking about ‘hem tape’.

Stitch Witchery - it's been around forever. You could also look up other brands' version by searching iron-on hemming tape or hemming web.

Don't remember if I read or heard that factories used big cutting presses to cut a whole stack of fabric at on time. When the cutting edge got dull the top piece and the bottom piece could greatly vary in size. But the finished products would all be labeled the same size.
That was a long time ago I learned that so maybe things have improved over time.

Heck, companies can't even keep their sizing the same. I've bought jeans, liked the fit, and how they look. I bought another pair of the same brand/style/fit and they don't fit. One pair will be perfect, the next I can barely button and the third pair falls off without a tight belt.

Quality control and consistency apparently do not exist anymore. Something bought online that’s fit perfectly a year ago may not fit now if re-ordered.

I know my measurements and my wife’s… I carry two executive tape measures, foreign and domestic, metric in my left pocket, inch in my right. Old habit. I had to for 24 of my last years working.

I wont even try something on unless I measure it first.

Don’t measure your body, measure your clothes that fit!

Only other thing, Amazon Prime, easy free returns.

quote:

Originally posted by cparktd:
Quality control and consistency apparently do not exist anymore. Something bought online that’s fit perfectly a year ago may not fit now if re-ordered.

I finally found a work boot that is within company budget that fits. Fifth year buying them, special order, without previous issue. Now, I got new ones that are very tight. I understand manufacturing tolerances, but these were like a full size too small. Been spraying with boot stretch & wearing for 2 hours a day to break them in.

There’s not many men’s clothing stores where I’m at unlike in the Bay Area. Plus I wear mostly cargo pants now just about year round. Except I bought light travel pants for when I’m traveling.

I buy from Amazon. Sometimes, I buy a range of sizes and return what doesn’t fit. When I settle on a size and fit, I buy several colors of the same model.