Clothing sizes

I wish clothing companies would not adjust the sizes of their products. What used to be a large is now an extra large it seems. I've been given three different shirts over the last few months that I really like but can't wear. All of them were ordered or whatever that I couldn't just go somewhere and exchange. I could use them as a bed sheet. I've worn a large for about 20 years now and know I haven't shrunk. It's frustrating not being able to order something without trying it on or be given a gift that is really nice but you can't use.

I guess it's part of the "super size" world. I remember when ordering a large drink was 16 oz. Now if you order a medium it's 24 or more. Hardee's pushes this big lunch where you get enough food for a whole day and enough calories for three days.

Just because the country is fat please stop making things difficult for those of us who are not. End of rant.

 

I'm a 6.

 

So ... Track suits and sweat pants?

 

It's extremely frustrating.

The worst offender is Old Navy. The worst offender in the other direction is H&M. Even supposedly forward-thinking brands like Banana Republic and J. Crew seem to make their clothes for, shall we say, fuller figured men. It's known as "vanity sizing," and it makes it almost impossible to order online, at least unless you absolutely pinpoint the extent to which a particular brand hedges on a particular item.

I find myself rooting for winter because, for example, it's so tough to find casual shirts that fit in both the chest and waist, that I want to be able to throw a sweater over them to hide the lack of fit.

And, yeah, you could employ a tailor. But that seems great for dress clothes, not really worth it for the clothes you plan to wear to the movies or the game.

 

Welcome to our world, gentlemen.

 

I think the "vanity sizing" is the real culprit. Companies change the cut/label so as not to hurt people's precious self esteem. "Oh look, I can wear a large. I must have lost weight!"

I can take a size L from 3-4 years ago and hold it up to one I got a few weeks ago - made by the same company - and there is a good inch and a half, two inches difference in the shoulders/chest.

 

I don't care what they do, as long as everything is consistent. My ideal size is probably XLT. Most XXLs are too big on me, but it completely depends on the company. With Polo, Nike, Reebok, Champion, Columbia, I'm a clear XL. In some of the cheaper brands, I'm a XXL.

 

For years I'd been able to but 33-inch waist, 32-inch inseam Levis 505s with sufficient confidence that I wouldn't even try them on. (I hate trying on clothes.) The last year or so, not so much. But at least I get to feel good about my new 32-inch waist without going to the trouble of losing any weight around the middle. I've also gone from L to M in some styles of shirts/sweaters.

 

Some online vendors have a little popup box that translates what a large means (say a 16/34 shirt). Some also sell a "trim cut" or "tailored fit" as well as a "traditional" fuller cut. I prefer the latter because it's, well, traditional, more comfortable and lasts longer. As Maine shirtmaker Robert Mercer & Sons notes on its website:

Why don’t others offer old-fashioned, generously cut shirts?

Pure and simple- a truly full cut shirt is much more expensive to make.
Our shirts require at least 15% more cloth than other so-called “generously cut” shirts. Shirting fabric is very expensive- especially the two-ply, yarn-dyed, long staple pima cotton oxford and other high count Egyptian broadcloths which we require.

Does a truly full cut shirt last longer?

Yes, absolutely.
Other manufacturers intentionally make their shirts with little room for the give and take of every day wear. As a result, their shirts not only are less comfortable, they wear out more quickly, requiring replacement shirts much more often than necessary. As far as we’re concerned, good taste is good sense, and good value, as well.

http://www.mercerandsons.com/

 

Frank, I know we are on opposite sides of the ledger here, but I would look like a complete fucking boner walking around in a "full cut" shirt, traditional or not. I just don't think there's any reason to have a bunch of excess material flapping around the waist.

 

Now you've done it.

You might as well have mocked the man's shoe tree.

 

Trees. One tree per shoe.