This post is inspired by recent shopping experiences and the thread here about slim fit.
Let it be said, I'm larger, but not portly. I'm not round, and I have shoulders that look like I'm wearing shoulder pads. Due to those shoulders and a chest to match, I've been a solid XL shirt size since I was 14. Also, I know a good tailor will help a lot with fit, and one day I may have enough filthy luchre to go that route. Until then, like many of us, I'm an off the rack Jack.
So anyway, along with a new shaving kit, I wanted to spend my tax return on much needed new clothing. Armed with a fist full of dollars, I headed out into the world to see what I could find. I wouldn't say I was doing a whole new wardrobe, but I definitely was updating my look and upping my style a bit to one I was more comfortable with. Due to life changes, divorce, and a few other things, it had been at least 3 years since I'd bought anything new that wasn't running clothes.
My first outing was disastrous. I didn't find a whole lot, and much of what I did find seemed like a compromise with fit and style. So I decided to not get anything, went home and hit the interwebs to see what other people were doing. I found a lot information, and the best piece of advice (common sense) that I'd ever read with regards to clothing:
Don't pay attention to the sizing, buy what fits.
Simple advice, so simple I'd never thought of it. So I went out into the world again, and this time I came back with clothing. As you'll be able to see, I'm not a brand snob, I look at fit, comfort and how it looks. All of these things, fit about the same, although the sizing is very different.
Like I said, I've been a pretty standard XL since I was 14. Fat and muscle change, but my shoulders are bone, and pretty much don't.
JCP OCBDs, XL regular fit, waaay too small. XXL, a little loose but still right.
Gap button up: XL regular fit, a little bigger than the JCP XXL.
Old Navy button up: XL regular/classic fit, a little tight but fit very well.
No idea what brands button ups at Nordstroms: XL, perfect fit, like the XL I've always bought. Somewhere between the Old navy XL and the JCP XXL.
This is where it gets interesting....
Brooks Brothers: Button up casual XL regular and traditional fits were HUGE. I felt like a little kid wearing my Dad's shirt. I went down to L, and they fit perfectly.
No idea what brand casual blazer at Macy's: These were on deep discounted sale, so took a look at them. They weren't sized like jackets are regularly, they were the S-XXXL sizing. I bought one, and it was XXXL. It was a little tight, but I liked it enough and it was cheap enough and I knew there were a couple things coming up I could wear it for and not be bothered by it being a little small in the pits. But XXXL? Seriously? It was the fit I'd expect from a L.
Sizing on dress shirts drives me crazy, so I generally skip those entirely. I have a large neck, and find that if I buy the 17.5 or 18 dress shirt, I get a shirt made by Omar the Tent maker that barely fits my neck. Surely, these are meant to be further tailored, so I skip entirely.
Pants inseam was even worse, especially within the same brand. I normally wear a 32" inseam. An Old Navy jean was a little short. An Old Navy pair of khakis at 30" inseam was just about right. Both fit around the waist about the same.
I can't be the only one who has run into this. It's fairly aggravating. I've had so many women friends say, "You don't understand, women's sizing is all over the place and it's impossible to find things to wear." No, I'm pretty sure I understand!
Anyway, that advice, go by fit not by size was a great tip for me. Not getting hung up on a size chart that's arbitrary at best allowed me to get some great clothes and actually enjoy shopping for myself.
Let it be said, I'm larger, but not portly. I'm not round, and I have shoulders that look like I'm wearing shoulder pads. Due to those shoulders and a chest to match, I've been a solid XL shirt size since I was 14. Also, I know a good tailor will help a lot with fit, and one day I may have enough filthy luchre to go that route. Until then, like many of us, I'm an off the rack Jack.
So anyway, along with a new shaving kit, I wanted to spend my tax return on much needed new clothing. Armed with a fist full of dollars, I headed out into the world to see what I could find. I wouldn't say I was doing a whole new wardrobe, but I definitely was updating my look and upping my style a bit to one I was more comfortable with. Due to life changes, divorce, and a few other things, it had been at least 3 years since I'd bought anything new that wasn't running clothes.
My first outing was disastrous. I didn't find a whole lot, and much of what I did find seemed like a compromise with fit and style. So I decided to not get anything, went home and hit the interwebs to see what other people were doing. I found a lot information, and the best piece of advice (common sense) that I'd ever read with regards to clothing:
Don't pay attention to the sizing, buy what fits.
Simple advice, so simple I'd never thought of it. So I went out into the world again, and this time I came back with clothing. As you'll be able to see, I'm not a brand snob, I look at fit, comfort and how it looks. All of these things, fit about the same, although the sizing is very different.
Like I said, I've been a pretty standard XL since I was 14. Fat and muscle change, but my shoulders are bone, and pretty much don't.
JCP OCBDs, XL regular fit, waaay too small. XXL, a little loose but still right.
Gap button up: XL regular fit, a little bigger than the JCP XXL.
Old Navy button up: XL regular/classic fit, a little tight but fit very well.
No idea what brands button ups at Nordstroms: XL, perfect fit, like the XL I've always bought. Somewhere between the Old navy XL and the JCP XXL.
This is where it gets interesting....
Brooks Brothers: Button up casual XL regular and traditional fits were HUGE. I felt like a little kid wearing my Dad's shirt. I went down to L, and they fit perfectly.
No idea what brand casual blazer at Macy's: These were on deep discounted sale, so took a look at them. They weren't sized like jackets are regularly, they were the S-XXXL sizing. I bought one, and it was XXXL. It was a little tight, but I liked it enough and it was cheap enough and I knew there were a couple things coming up I could wear it for and not be bothered by it being a little small in the pits. But XXXL? Seriously? It was the fit I'd expect from a L.
Sizing on dress shirts drives me crazy, so I generally skip those entirely. I have a large neck, and find that if I buy the 17.5 or 18 dress shirt, I get a shirt made by Omar the Tent maker that barely fits my neck. Surely, these are meant to be further tailored, so I skip entirely.
Pants inseam was even worse, especially within the same brand. I normally wear a 32" inseam. An Old Navy jean was a little short. An Old Navy pair of khakis at 30" inseam was just about right. Both fit around the waist about the same.
I can't be the only one who has run into this. It's fairly aggravating. I've had so many women friends say, "You don't understand, women's sizing is all over the place and it's impossible to find things to wear." No, I'm pretty sure I understand!
Anyway, that advice, go by fit not by size was a great tip for me. Not getting hung up on a size chart that's arbitrary at best allowed me to get some great clothes and actually enjoy shopping for myself.
Were you just skipping the last step all these years? I find it is particularly true for "letter sizes", which in my experience are completely useless. I own and wear, on a regular basis, shirts and sweaters which literally span the range from S to XL. And I don't like my clothes loose and floppy, either.
