For some years now, my wife has complained of "vanity sizing" in women's ready-to-wear clothes. Her experience has been that the actual measurement of garments has altered, so that if you used to wear a 12, or 10, or 8, and haven't gained a bunch of weight, you may find that now you will need to buy a 10, 8, or 6 respectively -- or even smaller. The point is apparently to make women feel better about themselves, able to define themselves as "a perfect size 6" even though their real size may be what used to be called a 10.
For my part, I was always happy that no such trend was evident in men's clothes, or ever would be. I was wrong.
Manufacturers and retailers are also playing around with men's sizing. In many places, a size "large," which used to fit me quite well, now hangs on me like a tent. It's not a matter of style - in casual clothes like polo shirts or sweaters, things haven't changed that much. And it's just in those basic types of clothes that the biggest problem occurs: It makes it difficult to order things online.
You might think that you could just check the seller's website for sizing. But part of the playful new trend is that they have not changed the stated measurements. A "large," for example, no matter where I look, is still described as fitting someone with a 42-44 chest.
I measured an "L" polo I got from L.L. Bean lately: Seam to seam it was 24.75 inches, or 49 and-a-half inches at the chest. Bean's customer service department told me the true measurement of a "Large" should be 48, and they allow tolerances of an inch either way, so 49 would be "acceptable" but they admit 49.5 is over their limit. I can send it back! (But not exchange it -- they don't make that color anymore.)
I'm closer to 42, so I have an extra 7.5 inches to swaddle myself in. But seriously, doesn't 48-49 inches sound like a pretty outlandish measurement to fit even a 44-inch body? After all, they do have a size "XL" which fits chests 46-48". Of course, most of us don't want a shirt that measures exactly 44 inches to fit our 44" chest; but I would think that two inches would be plenty. A large just isn't a large anymore, it's a huge.
"Clothes That Fit Your Style" is OK, but I'd like to see them thinking a little more about "Clothes That Fit Your Body."
Not to single out Bean's, which I consider a good company, and their customer service rep was cheerily willing to discuss these sizing issues with me -- but they're all doing it these days. What a nuisance.
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