Quote Originally Posted by lovelygamer View Post
I struggle with this too and it drives me INSANE. According to most manufacturer charts, in order to get a cycling outfit that first perfectly, I'd have to go into the 3/4X category. 3/4X are you kidding me??????? Nothing against anyone else, but I'd personally commit hari kari if I was really wearing a 4X. And, do you know how few designers make and carry anything that size? Yes, I'm overweight but on top of that, I am curvy. Double Whammy in athletic gear, for sure.

I found a really cute cycling jersey at a retail sports store, I tried on the large and it was so small the only thing it fit was my neck, so I tried xl. No joy there either. There was no noticeable difference in size except the sleeves and torso were longer. Bigger sizes are code for longer arms and torso, with no noticeable increase in width. The xxl "fit" across the chest, but the sleeves were about 4inches longer than my fingers, and the torso so long it looked like a short dress. All fixable, but inconvenient.
I know a lot of ladies have posted they find the sizes bigger, Unfortunatley that has not been my experience as I'm finding things fitting very small. My 115lb dtr-in-law usually wears xs or small, and she is finding them often to be to small. I think the trick is not to get hung up on the size of the clothing, and just go with what actually fits. Personally I find the sizing to be all over the map, even from the same manufacturer. These days when I find something that actually fits, I tend to buy it in 2 or 3 different colors.
For someone really petite I know junior sized clothing tends to look teenager-ish, but don't they have basic black cycling shorts? Or tops in basic neutral colors that would fit properly and not look inappropriate?
Just a thought