Tired of the small sizing....arrrrrg!

[Wasp]

When did North Americian women become flat chested?. And why???? Are the top brands making clothing so small?. It seems to me that the clothing made overseas is not taking into account that most of us North American women have breasts larger than 32-A.
A lot of active wear type clothing seems to be geared towards very small women, which is absurd when the "average" size of a North American woman is size 14.
I have been looking for a high visibility water proof jacket to wear on my road bike. I can get jackets to fit around the hips, but they come to a screeching halt when they hit the girls. I even tried men's jackets on, and the sleeves and torso are way to long. Anyone know where I can find a jacket that will fit a women with breasts? I have looked at the plus size jackets on TE, but non are the high visibility killer yellow I'm looking for. (got to live up to my name
Thanks.

[pinsonp2]

Aerotechdesigns.com have a couple. I had an LBS order the LG Geminix jacket for me and it works out ok. Good luck in your search.

P2

[deeannef]

I hear you. You should try tall and big breasted. Fit nice on top, but look like you are pregnant on the bottom.

[Shellyrides]

Tall, big chested and over weight here. I pick up 3x sporting wear clothing for women and it looks like it might fit my 12 year old!

[ny biker]

Interesting. My jerseys and workout tanktops are all too big in the chest.

[Eden]

Speaking as a 5ft 32a, I'd certainly love it if that were actually true, but the reality is there's precious little out there that doesn't fit me like a bag....

[Crankin]

I was just going to say the same. I'm a 32A/B, 5' 1" and only certain brands have x small jerseys and shorts. I can actually get more cycling wear to fit me than regular, petite sized clothes at this point. What petite person has an inseam of 30 inches????

[Crankin]

I've had the same thing with Sugoi tights. Mid zeros are snug. Sub zeros loose. Bought at same time.

[GLC1968]

Ha, I got you all beat! Two weeks ago I was shopping for flats. Found a pair I loved (in store) but they only had one pair left in my size in the color I wanted. Unfortunately, even though that pair had two shoes labeled size 7...one was a 7 and the other was about a 5.5! I couldn't even squeeze my foot into them. Talk about quality control issues!!

Oak is right in that petites are designed on a 5'4" model. That 5'4" model also has long legs (like most women), so women like me who are also 5'4" but have a long torso and shorter legs cannot wear petites at all. Pants are ALWAYS too long and then too short in the rise and the waists on petite dresses sit in my arm pits. Standard clothing? Pffft!

[goldfinch]

When I was in grad school in the late 70's I wore a size 6 petite and weighed about what I do now. I was going through boxes at our old family home ( where me and all my relatives store way too much crap) and found some clothes from back then. I currently am a 4 petite. The sixes in the box fit about the same as my current 4s. So, it isn't a big difference. Ugly clothes though. Maybe then, like now, cheaper clothes were bigger than the more expensive stuff.

I agree with those who say that petite lengths keep getting longer. I now look for ankle pants because those are about right as full length pants.

[emily_in_nc]

Maybe then, like now, cheaper clothes were bigger than the more expensive stuff.

??? I have always thought just the opposite. I wear a size 2P at Ann Taylor or Talbot's, but 4P if I order from LL Bean, and take me to a Wal-Mart and I'd need at least two sizes larger! I thought it was vanity sizing so that wealthier women would feel better about themselves.

[GLC1968]

??? I have always thought just the opposite. I wear a size 2P at Ann Taylor or Talbot's, but 4P if I order from LL Bean, and take me to a Wal-Mart and I'd need at least two sizes larger! I thought it was vanity sizing so that wealthier women would feel better about themselves.

Wow, that's really weird! I have to order S or XS from LLBean because their clothes run so large on me.

It is true that much higher end clothing (not Ann Taylor but more like Ralph Lauren, Carolina Herrera, Chanel, Versace or the like) do run smaller than everyday labels you can buy at the mall. I don't think the sizing difference between Banana Republic and Target is quite as obvious even though there is definitely a price difference.

[Irulan]

??? I have always thought just the opposite. I wear a size 2P at Ann Taylor or Talbot's, but 4P if I order from LL Bean, and take me to a Wal-Mart and I'd need at least two sizes larger! I thought it was vanity sizing so that wealthier women would feel better about themselves.

from my favorite fashion industry blogger, Kathleen Fasanella of The Fashion Incubator

The Myth of Vanity Sizing

The Evolution of Sizing

These two articles have links to even more stuff: the history of women's clothing sizing, more on so called vanity sizing, why the fit of jeans sucks so much etc.

[OakLeaf]

That's weird. I'm also currently a 4 petite in most brands (sometimes a 2, which is ridiculous) but the clothes I bought in the 80s that I can still wear are 10s and 12s. Wonder why yours were 6s?

Still, my classic Jones New York silk suit that I bought in the mid-90s is a 6, and actually the waist is just a hair tight on me now. That's oblique development, not menopot. Yeah, right.

[Crankin]

I can't buy at Talbots or LL Bean. The smallest size (2P) is swimming on me. I can still buy at Ann Taylor, and the clothes are sized more like the old days. I just find the styles often not to my liking. I used to buy a lot of stuff there, but I don't wear suits anymore. I wish Gap had xx-small petites. I like their sweaters better than Banana Republic, but the x small petites are too big most of the time. I still buy them if they are shorter styles. Thankfully, the pants fit me. In the past 10 years, I have gone from a size 4-6 at the Loft to a 0. I have lost weight (not more than 7-10 lbs.) and inches, but still.