Measure up

[debbie 38]

Can any of you lovely girls help with one item, how do you convert male sizes to female???. I dont have much of a problem with blouses etc but dress size and tightly fitting underwear is a bugbear with me. Is there a conversion chart ect or similar?.This is really holding up my spending on the internet and my credit card is cooling down!! xxxxx

[Shelly Preston]

Hi Debbie

It is sometimes different manufacturers that cause the problem.

both may say 14 but feel completely different.

[DanaJ]

A one minute internet search turned up:

http://www.fredericks.com/services/help.asp?89
http://www.fredericks.com/services/help.asp?85
http://www.fredericks.com/services/help.asp?88

Hope this helps ;)

[debbie 38]

your an angel DanaJxxxxx

[Angela Burke]

Debbie,
You could try this, http://members.aol.com/Suzannehen/Sizindex.htm It should be easy enough to find a Womens US to UK conversion table.

[Angela Burke]

I see there is one in Dana's post.
There you go,happy shopping.
But further to Shelly's post.
Dress/skirt sizes are completely unreliable.
If you can't try on at the point of purchase (ideal) make sure you get a return receipt (saves tears).

[barbie lanai]

Most online shops have some measurement guide. So take your measurements and see what dress size they say your are. I know Walmart does.

http://www.walmart.com/

In days of yore it was the Sears catalog fitting guide.

[EricaCD]

All the advice above is perfectly sensible. I will add one more bit: you WILL make mistakes. Women's sizing is dark magic even for women. I would estimate that 1/2 of the clothes my wife buys don't fit her, and she damn well knows her own size! Then we complicate matters further by trying to fit a fundamentally different set of proportions.

Don't get discouraged. Either get comfortable with returning things that you buy but which don't fit, or dump them on eBay, or (if you have cash to burn) just send 'em to Goodwill. But make sure that instead of declaring "this doesn't fit", you instead ask "WHY doesn't this fit?" Cap sleeves make your triceps look fat? Remember that for next time. Size 16 dresses run too wide in the bottom and too narrow in the top? Look for dresses that do not run skimpy through the bust and shoulders. Spiegel's sizes run consistently small? Buy a 16 next time instead of a 14. You get the idea. GGs have to do this as well.

Good luck and have fun with it!
Erica

[Megan_Renee]

I sew. I've always sewn things because I like to. So there. Having said that, I know that there are 6 or so different shapes of women. Diamond, Heart shaped, Double Heart (?), Square, Pear and so forth... This description is based upon the size of hips, waist, chest and length of torso. Look at the models for the product you are buying from. Do they fit the shape that you have? (Namely, if you have no shapely hips, do they?)

I know sewing pants that these body shapes can effect the pattern a good bit, and if a Diamond were to try on a Heart's pants, they would never fit. The point? Find some brands that fit what you, and stick to them.. brands usually aim at a target audience, and interestingly enough your body shape will probably show up somewhere.

The shape everyone likes (that nice hourglass figure) I think is the heart shape... Little difference between hips and waist is referred to as "Square." Now granted, I don't think these are industry-wide terms. I only saw them on a sewing site talking about adjusting patterns.

Megan

[paulaN]

Erica hit it right. what it realy takes is experance. even panties are differant sizes. And always keep your sales slips.