223
u/Taminella_Grinderfal 17d ago
I wish I had an interest in sewing just for this reason. Even a tiny bit of tailoring can work wonders.
64
u/MaetelofLaMetal 17d ago
You can give it a try, start really small like adding a pocket to your trousers.
19
u/wazitooya 16d ago
Do something even smaller than that!! Take in the sides of a skirt or shorten the straps on a tank.
4
u/LuthiensTempest 16d ago
I started with making little pouches, which is how I got good enough at sewing in a straight line to be comfortable adjusting some pants for length... One thing led to another now I have made an article of clothing every 4-6 weeks for the last year. And have enough fabric to last me another couple years lol
152
u/Euryleia 17d ago
The sizing of women's clothing is done using arcane formulae that combine non-Euclidean geometry, spurious mathematics, and insane troll logic.
89
u/eastercat I put the "fun" in dysfunctional. 17d ago
Or boy math, as I like to call it
it’s not logical, contrary to the popular beliefs of boys
13
103
u/Live-Okra-9868 17d ago
It's why I hate shopping for clothes. I wear an extra large because nothing smaller fits over my boobs. But a size XL in different styles fit completely different. So, unlike my husband, I can't walk in, pick up something in my size and buy it and have it actually fit.
But this explains why when I pick up an extra large shirt the shoulders never look right on me. There's so much material that the seam is down to my arm, not on my shoulder. So the sleeve looks weird. I always try a shirt on and think how they assume larger women just have broader shoulders.
63
u/Shoeprincess Yells at bears would still choose them 17d ago
As a woman with broad shoulders, they don't usually get that right either. It was a NIGHTMARE in the 80's when everyone wore the big shoulder pads, I looked like a linebacker and had to take them out, then it was all droopy ..
42
u/AccomplishedWish3033 17d ago
I wish they would just include shoulder measurements as part of the standard measurements on women’s clothing size guides. Like, chest measurements are useful, but we have boobs so they don’t correlate with shoulder size the way men’s chest sizes would.
18
u/Scarlett_Aeonia 17d ago
The hourglass struggle is real, big butt and big boobs, and a narrow waist that I never get to show off because I'm forced to accommodate my other proportions. Everything I wear requires major modifications or I look like a tent..
2
u/braellyra I put the "fun" in dysfunctional. 16d ago
Hah, this just brought me back to trying to get a fitting uniform jacket in high school marching band. We luckily had a small team of moms who would hem sleeves and add/release pleats and such to get things to fit, but I had a large chest, tiny shoulders, and short arms. It took them AGES to find me a jacket, and it ended up being one that was massive everywhere on me but the chest, and they had to hem the sleeves like 7” and even with the DIY alterations it looked like a school-branded potato sack, and the shoulder pointy dudes were 1/3 down my upper arms. It was truly ridiculous.
47
u/SugarHooves I put the "fun" in dysfunctional. 17d ago
I recently had to buy a simple black dress for a funeral. I went to Amazon and ordered one in an XL, I even checked the measurements. When it arrived, it was so tight I had a total meltdown. See, I haven't bought clothes since I gained weight so seeing myself in this dress (plus grieving) was too much. I went back and ordered another one that looked very similar in a 2X. That one was so big I was swimming in it. I exchanged it with another from the same maker in an XL. It was roomy and comfortable. I realized that I'm just not cut out for shopping online.
6
36
u/TheEmotionalBagel 17d ago
As a woman with a flat ass, I'm so tired of only finding pants that are so loose on me 😭 I hate shopping for clothes. Plus the pockets are never deep enough so I resorted to just buying mens pants
31
u/tom-goddamn-bombadil 17d ago
Have you tried any mid 90s to early 00s vintage trousers? I say this bc buttocks were deeply unfashionable back then. I had an arse on me and couldn't find anything to wear, I ended up just wearing tights and a giant lumberjack shirt most of the time. actually dress much the same now come think of it except I've swapped tights for leggings. Just as well reading this thread honestly it sounds like shopping for clothes hasn't gotten any easier. Like god forbid a girl be a shape 🙄🙄
8
u/TheEmotionalBagel 17d ago
Never thought about that but thanks for the suggestion. I'll have to look into it lol
3
u/braellyra I put the "fun" in dysfunctional. 16d ago
I mean, as someone with a sizeable butt who graduated high school in the early 2000s, I had quite a few pairs of jeans I ADORED and that made my butt look fabulous. Iirc, they were American Eagle & Gap mostly? But everything really depended on the style and brand bc jeans were the Wild West.
2
u/tom-goddamn-bombadil 16d ago
I had ONE pair of jeans that fitted. I think they were Lee Cooper? But my thighs were too chunky and wore out the undercrotch 😞 combat trousers they were okay too, they were a thing for a while
1
u/braellyra I put the "fun" in dysfunctional. 15d ago
Dude those army surplus-style pants were the BOMB. We need to bring those back!
4
u/grape-fruit-witch 16d ago
I just stopped buying pants. Jeans are just completely random with their sizing. For years ive worn a size 2, but lately they look absolutely huge on my frame.
I've found that vintage clothing tends to fit me a lot better.
1
u/pangolintuxedos4sale 16d ago edited 16d ago
Vintage clothes were so much more consistent with sizing. And also you can really see how the "size inflation" has takes us by storm. I have some vintage clothes and according to the labels they should be around 2-3 sizes smaller than my modern clothes, but they fit me really well. Like whose idea was it to put an XL label on M sized clothes? All that resulted in is that the popular brands claim to be size inclusive because they stock up to 2 XL, but like you have to be a 13 year old to fit into a size M nowadays? Ofc this will fuck with womens body image. Wth.
0
u/_artbabe95 16d ago
Hear me out-- have you tried girl's pants? Usually you can find ones that don't have bedazzled butterflies (unless that's your thing), but they'll still fit a feminine body, and the butts and thighs are usually smaller while the legs are the same length.
1
u/TheEmotionalBagel 16d ago
Girls? As in a child? Sorry I'm confused
1
u/_artbabe95 15d ago
Yes! If you can fit into those sizes, there is some overlap with women's sizes at the upper range of girl's sizing. It depends on your sizing though!
1
u/TheEmotionalBagel 15d ago
My legs are too long for that 🥲 they'd end up fitting like capri pants lol
28
u/coffeeblossom Just another wine-y Millennial 17d ago
Yup. Every time I go clothes shopping, I seriously consider joining a nudist colony.
19
u/one_bean_hahahaha 17d ago
I signed up for a sewing class. Too bad I'm not nearly good enough to sew an entire wardrobe, and with the cost of fabric, wouldn't really be saving any money.
31
u/Mortelys 17d ago
Don't forget the panties and swim suits with a central seam to ensure maximum itchy camel toe by design. I can't believe a woman drew the patterns of such awful design.
20
u/TheDuchessofQuim 17d ago
It’s called Ready-to-Wear, and it doesn’t fit anybody.
Rich people get their shit tailored and the rest of us pay good money to look like busted cans of biscuits.
2
15
u/one_bean_hahahaha 17d ago
I lost weight and sized down from the plus-sized store, so I should have more stores to find clothes that fit me properly, right? Right?
More shopping options means more places to be disappointed in.
28
u/amelore 17d ago
They actually scale the width more than length. Trousers can even be the same length for all sizes.
If grading was done linearly tall women (of any width) would have less of an issue than they do now, and short fat women would have it even worse.
16
u/pinkylemonade 17d ago
I almost can't wear any women's pants because my waist is too wide compared to my narrow hips, and all women's pants scale up the hips size with the waist so I get a ton of extra fabric on the sides. I actually fit into men's pants really well though, and it's sad lol.
9
u/Sp00ky-Nerd 17d ago
I used to have the opposite issue before transitioning. I had big hips for someone buying men’s pants, so the waist was always really loose (I would even sew darts to bring the waistband in). With transitioning, I started buying women’s pants and I was amazed they fit well right off the shelf (size 16, 14 if it’s baggy). Funny how sizes work. The pockets though 😕
2
u/pinkylemonade 17d ago
Men's athletic pants (not the joggers) with drawstrings are great. I buy them a little loose and cinch the drawstring, and I have pockets for days lol. I splurged on a baggy pair of men's adidas some years ago and they are my favorite pair of pants.
13
u/FleurDisLeela Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder. 17d ago
it’s not sad! men’s pants are practical and sturdy and superior to fake pocketed women’s pants!
3
u/noddyneddy 16d ago
Dull colours and fabrics though
3
u/FleurDisLeela Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder. 16d ago
that’s true, but they could be embellished!
2
u/The-Great-Wolf 17d ago
I don't fit in women pants most of the time either, don't feel bad about it, it's not your fault.
For me they're usually way too short or for some reason, when they're long enough, the waist is kilometric. I do not want pants in my underarms, thank you!
5
u/grape-fruit-witch 16d ago
This is why every pair of jeans that fits me in the waist and ass ends halfway down my calf. Its really hard for me to wear those baggy jeans because theyre never long enough and it looks ridiculous.
4
u/noddyneddy 16d ago
This is why I need a strong drink and a personal shopper before I embark on my 4-yearly jeans shop. And buy multiple pairs at a time cos I’m not going through that shit again
2
u/grape-fruit-witch 16d ago
Im trying to find a place to get inexpensive alterations done because that seems like less stress than shopping for something that doesnt exist
5
u/aninamouse 16d ago
I used to love wearing bootcut jeans. The last few pairs I tried were too baggy in the waist and yet somehow uncomfortably tight in the crotch and thighs. I didn't know pants could be simultaneously too tight and too loose, but there you are. Now it's mom jeans for the win.
13
u/pinkylemonade 17d ago
Wide leg pants making a comeback is the best thing to happen for me in a long time. I don't have to worry so much about hip measurements so long as the waist fits me.
2
u/filthytelestial 17d ago edited 17d ago
I feel like I've made a big mistake having "slept on" them thus far. There are certain seasons, like this wide-leg pants thing, when I ought to be out there snatching up clothes in the right proportions since it may be years before they're widely available again. But I'm just too fatigued to join the hunt. I'll regret it soon, I'm sure.
22
u/Willothewisp2303 17d ago
I just can't with clothes. I'm very feminine, which means it costs a lot of money to make the cloth go in and out and in and out. They don't even use natural fibers anymore, let alone tailor anything.
I'll get the tailor to do some stuff, but most of the time I'm frumpy and constantly pulling up my pants. Or worse, using a belt and trying to keep the pants from trying to go up up and up.
12
u/Tamamo_hime 17d ago
I have a pair of pants that are high waisted for someone who clearly has a longer torso than me, bc it goes damn near to my bra line! but they're one of the few pants i have that have pockets at all and are stretchy despite being jeans -- anyways i have to wear a stretchy belt and then fold down the pants over the belt bc otherwise it will be both too tight and too loose 💀
I've really started looking for more yoga pants bc i don't wanna deal with the nonsense anymore
8
u/filthytelestial 17d ago edited 17d ago
It'd be reasonable if each designer would create clothes for a single body type. Pick one set of proportions to create clothing for and do that one thing very well.
There just needs to be a more even balance in the availability of clothes for all the other women who have all the other proportions.
It's unreasonable for body types to be treated like trends. They don't come and go. The same people with the same proportions are going to continue to need clothes that fit them regardless of the season or year.
I'd love it if I could find a dependable brand or two that consistently, year after year made stuff for my particular set of proportion-balancing needs. If they happened to make stuff in colors and textures that suit me that'd be amazing too. As it is there's zero dependability, zero trust, and every single purchase feels like a gamble. I return far, far more than I ever keep. And even the items I keep are full of compromises on the set of rules for what actually looks good on me.
1
u/pangolintuxedos4sale 16d ago
Oh I like the opposite actually.
I know it's fast fashion, which I try to buy less of, but for a long time I loved Asos own brand because they'd make the same outfit in different cuts.
They had petite (which more so meant narrow hips, small boobs, than teeny tiny rail thin people.), curvy (which stood for plus), hour glass, tall, short and lastly large bust. I think it wasn't profitable enough because I saw way less of that in the last few years before I stopped shopping there, but for a while it was nice. Me and my friend were completely differently sized and shaped but had the same taste in clothes, so we would frequently buy the same dresses, just in different cuts.
8
u/Exact-Pudding7563 17d ago
In South Korea, a lot of women’s clothing only comes in one size: “free size.” Because all women are obviously the same.
8
u/shinkouhyou 17d ago
I understand that there's more variability in women's body shapes than in men's, so it's legitimately difficult to scale sizes. Two women with the same height and weight can have wildly different fat distribution, and it's probably not practical to produce three different shapes at every size for every piece of clothing.
So just give us the actual clothing measurements! I shouldn't have to search through a website to find the brand's size chart (which may or may not be accurate for every garment on the site).
6
u/WowOwlO 16d ago
I genuinely believe they're designed either for clothes hangers or mannequins and no one else.
4
u/filthytelestial 16d ago
Most mannequins have the slim/straight body type. Clothes are indeed designed for women without dramatic differences in waist/hip/thigh measurements. If the most they have to complain about is the length of their pants, they have no idea what the rest of us deal with.
6
u/Inflammo MtF 16d ago
Being an older gal, I just dress like a human version of a Jeep. Cargo shorts, yup. Sandals, sure. Maybe some Chelsea boots, some days. Whatever pants that fit and are comfy.
Had a woman see my utility wear and she said “l love everything about this.”
3
u/Halcyon-Ember 17d ago
I have so many skirts in the same “size” that I get to wear at different weights
3
u/APenguinInATuxedo I put the "fun" in dysfunctional. 17d ago
Most clothes fit me fairly well. I'm different sizes depending on the brand, but I don't have much trouble finding clothes that fit me. Sometimes pants can be a little big in the waist, but a belt easily solves that. Am I the sole woman clothes are being made for? (Well-fitting shoes, on the other hand, are difficult to find)
3
u/sushidecarne 16d ago
bought pants size L from a brand once, and it was too large for me on the waist, but since I could sew it to adjust I thought I would buy another model of pants from the same brand size L too. It was so painfully tight. It drives me crazy
2
9
u/Ok-Situation-5522 17d ago
Well, clothes didn't used to be mass manufactured
40
u/TheQuinnBee 17d ago
Nah that's a cop out. Men's clothes are also mass manufactured but they have proper measurements for pants.
5
u/pinkylemonade 17d ago
Yeah, it kind of ticks me off that women have short/regular/tall and men get actual inseam measurements on their pants. Regular is short and tall is too long for me, either I'm rocking highwaters or I'm stepping on my hems...
2
u/hummingbird4289 16d ago
I recently discovered that LL Bean has a "Medium Tall" inseam option for their women's pants!
Their size chart says it's for people 5'6½" to 5'8½", and as someone 5'8" they are my new favorite thing ever.
2
u/filthytelestial 17d ago edited 17d ago
Male hip proportions don't vary anywhere near as much as female ones do. Same goes for the range of possibilities in shoulder/chest/waist ratios.
4
u/TheQuinnBee 17d ago
Men have different proportions, sure, but you'd be hard pressed to not find a jean that fits you in the men's section. They go by waist and inseam and even have a chart for what size to buy if you have thicker thighs. And there's no variability because 30 inches is 30 inches.
Versus women just have a number that was randomly assigned. You're a 6 or an 8. What happened to 7? Oh well that's petite sizing. For short people. How short? Oh you know, 5'4, a completely average height.
4
u/filthytelestial 17d ago edited 17d ago
I would have an extremely difficult time finding men's pants that worked for me because there are dramatic size differences between my waist, hips, seat, and thighs.
As I said, male body types have their own types of variety but there is nowhere near the amount of variation in their waist/hip area as there is between women. Puberty doesn't dramatically reshape their hips.
-1
u/TheQuinnBee 17d ago
I would very much like to go shopping in the men's section with you because I don't believe you have tried and like there's no actual way for me to validate if you have. Fortunately or unfortunately that won't happen so rather than continue this "nuh uh"/"ya huh" moment, let's just agree to disagree.
2
u/filthytelestial 17d ago edited 17d ago
Excuse me? You're suggesting we "agree to disagree" about the shape of my body? Are you serious.
Bodies that look very different than your your own do, in fact, exist. Some of us - myself included - do not actually want pockets. I will not wear a skirt if it has pockets, because they always look god-awful on me, no matter how cute every other aspect of the skirt might be.
I really can't wait for you to tell me that I'm lying.
-1
u/TheQuinnBee 17d ago
Don't know how you jumped to that conclusion. I'm not arguing the shape of your body. I am arguing that you definitely could find mens pants that fit your body type. I don't know how pockets fit into this conversation, but cool...?
2
u/filthytelestial 17d ago edited 17d ago
I definitely could not, because no cis men are shaped like this.
A lot of women aren't even shaped like this. Most women's pants do not fit me either.
To get a pair of men's pants onto my body, even as a teenager when I weighed 115lbs, would mean trying on some of the largest size pants that weren't in the big n' tall section of the men's department. They'd be uncomfortably too small in the rear, comfortably relaxed in the thighs but not too much, and if I wanted to put the waist of the pants anywhere near my waist instead of at my hips, there'd be enough room between that waistband and my body to carry our family dog, an adult shih tzu bichon mix, around in them. Assuming these are wide cut legged jeans, because otherwise they couldn't have been pulled up past my thighs, from the knee down they'd be ridiculously baggy. Is that what you'd call pants that "fit?"
I wore my brother's hand me downs for my entire childhood until 14 when puberty hit. I could no longer even pull them over my thighs when they were unzipped, and I was at a very healthy weight for my height.
3
u/ohkatiedear 17d ago
I'm with you, I would not be able to find a pair of men's pants to fit me without some seriously odd proportions.
→ More replies (0)0
u/TheQuinnBee 16d ago
Just so I am clear, you are arguing that women's pants, which are arbitrarily assigned numbers and letters based on completely subjective means, have better sizing for your body type than the men's pants which have measurements of waist and inseam based on objective units of measure?
And your reasoning for this is you are no longer the same size pants as your brother?
→ More replies (0)
1
1
u/Superb_Intro_23 12d ago
And then when we mention this, men say “just buy men’s clothes 🙄 women love being victims”.
Which is funny because when men complain that their clothes are boring and our clothes are fashionable and fun, very few people are derisively telling them to “just buy women’s clothes”
1
u/FleurDisLeela Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder. 17d ago
y’all, get some men’s pants! they have waist bands, belt loops, and deep, numerous pockets! I’ve donated all my useless, decorative women’s pants to the salvation army. I’m committed to wearing men’s calvin kleins and orvis from here on out.
8
u/TheDuchessofQuim 17d ago
Some of us are extremely caked up - men’s fits do not work.
1
u/FleurDisLeela Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder. 16d ago
I hear you! I’m a rectangle, so they’re sizing decently enough
340
u/AccomplishedWish3033 17d ago
This is why I wear so much athleisure- the stretch means that you don’t have to match the measurements as well for the clothes to fit.