General Chat

The half sizing of shoes is obviously much different over here, something that I'm glad to hear.

I take a size 9 for a snug fit or a size 9½ if I want to be able to wear slightly thicker stockings. I have no problems finding either full size or half size.

As I said above, shoe sizes over here are different from the UK and Europe. I'm currently wearing a pair of shoes size 41, which equate to 9½ North American.

Maggie, the google info. is in several newspapers of the time. If you put "average sizes" you can read the full article(s). Most are in 2017, so I guess some sort of announcement was made and all the press quoted it.

I also wear ½size shoes and I agree that they are very difficult to find. As I tend to wear trainers most of the time (because they give good support and I am less likely to fall over) the next full size is a good fit.

Regarding height, people are taller because the children are better fed and medical care is much improved.

My sister was born in 1941 and we moved to Bath when she was 11. Bath was very heavily bombed in 1941 and when she started at secondary school she found she was taller than most of her class mates as they had all been born during the blitz. The children in the years above and below were all of a more normal height.

I feel for you, nameslessone.
I say my shoe size is 4, but it's actually between a 4 and a 5 - depending on the style of shoe.
I also have one foot slightly smaller/bigger than the other.

Unfortunately, my smaller foot is the right one, and people usually try on the right shoe in the shop, which can make the right shoe slightly bigger than the left!

I use a lot of insoles :-S

I am not envious of small waists and dress sizes. But I am envious of those who have a full shoe size. I am a definite half size and don’t always find them.

Mens' sizings tend to be much more sensible, you measure your waist and inside leg and order a pair of trousers with e.g, 36" waist, 30" inside leg.

How women ever get the right size clothes I really don't know. Probably because they have to order three of everything in different sizes and send back all but one which is environmentally disasterous.

In the eighties, when the average woman was a size 14, my mate, who was that size explained to me that she needed to get to the shop soon after the size 14s came in because so many people wore them and they would be gone from the racks veery quickly.

I, however, in my fat frocks, had plenty of time to browse the monstrosities that were generally available to me.

Von, my 'driver' doesn't have any inkling of the internet.

Note ................. I haven't mentioned the sizes, not because I'm shy about it but the sizings over here do not compare with UK sizings, even shoe sizes are different!!

however, I'm about 5' 6" (was close to 5' 8" once upon a time), and weigh around 170 lbs (ca 12 st)

Then "fashion" enters into it ...............

I do order clothes online from companies whose sizings I've come to trust over the years, or from stores carrying "designer" names that have sizings that fit me

Until ...............

the last couple of years when, designers for young women decided that clothes should be tight.

I'm not sure why everything should look shrunken and 2 or 3 sizes too small ........... but it looks even more ridiculous when "plus" sizing follows the same pattern

I'm wearing a Ralph Lauren turtleneck sweater that I bought on sale last year from a local department store, in what should have been my size, comfortably loose.

It is a good job that I am flat chested these days or it certainly would not have fitted had the boobs still been there!!

I didn't mind it so mu8ch when the trend was for very long sleeves or long length trousers as I'm tall and have long legs and long arms .................. for once I could have sweaters that really fit my arms, and trouser legs that went as far as the top of my shoes.

But tight and clingy??????

come on!!


As a long-legged person, I've bought trousers for over 25 years online from Land's End, an American company that offers FREE hemming to size for most of the trousers it offers ................... down to the nearest ¼"!!!!

It has never been easy to get free alterations for women's clothes.

Oh my, I feel huge now against all you petite ladies!

When I left school I was 5' tall but by the time I was 18 I had become 5'6" tall. Always had skinny legs and big feet ( think Olive Oyl) size 8.. At 34 before getting pregnant I weighed 8 stones but after my son was born I couldn't get below 9 stones and now weigh 13 stones. I had actually managed to lose a few pounds before Christmas but with 6 boxes of chocolate gifts, that might not continue lol

I don't buy clothes on line but tend to be ok buying size 20 from Tesco, Sainsbury, etc. Lidl, and Aldi.

Lizx

Some online Maggie. Marks and Spencer, River Island etc

Makes you wonder where 'Google' got it's information on the 'average' woman.

I wonder what the 'average' size for men is, and whether any of the men comply? :-D

My 'driver' - Irish surname, mother's mother a Croatian gypsy stranded here after transporting horses to Southampton at the start of WWI, thereafter married a 'Forest Lad' (from the New Forest), (that's for the pedant who thinks nationality is important) has a size 28 waist and can't find trousers to fit him anywhere!

My missis is 5ft tall weighs 6 stone wears size 6 (used to get into 8's)
size 3 in shoes

It can work the other way too.

Clothes where sizes start at 10/12 and shoes that start at size 4. ;-) ;-) ;-)

I’m now in my 60s, 5’ 0, 12 stone and size. 5 or 6 shoe, I was 5’ 3” in. 2003 and 10 stone.

Dream on!

Island, that was my reaction and no, it didn't open down the back!!

I buy what size happens to fit and never mind the label. One of the disadvantages of online shopping, as I don't like returning items, however easy they make it.

As for sizing, the most annoying is unisex :-( :-( :-( when will they learn that men and women are NOT the same shape and certainly have different length arms. The clothes all seem to be sized for men, so it's tough if you don't have skinny hips and a pot belly!!

When I married in 1969 I was 5'4" tall and 8 stone and my wedding dress was a size 12, shoes size 4.

51 years later I am only 5' tall (possibly less than that now), 15 stone, size anything from 16 to 22 depending on the brand and my feet seem to have got bigger with the extra weight and are now size 5.

My dream is to be 5'6" tall and a perfect size 12 no matter what I eat :-D :-D :-D

Kath. x

I had great fun in the 1970's - English (but if 'we' have to imply nationality is involved) - half Cornish) 5'3", size 4 shoes, just over 6 stone - and smaller than the (scarce) size 8 at the time :-S
That's when I taught myself to sew! I had no desire to continue wearing children's clothes.
Ny veu kevys sewyans vyth!

When I reached the 'heady' weight of 8 stone, and size 8 in the 1990's,after 2 children, I more or less gave up sewing, though I did have to alter a few items of clothing.

Since then, I have slowly, but steadily gained weight, and not had to sew a thing!.
I find M&S clothes - size 12/14 fit, but many aren't my style.

My youngest - a quarter Cornish - is, at the age of 38, after 2 children, 5'2", size 3 shoes, just over 7 stone, and still, generally a size 6, but may need a bigger size in the bust area :-D

That must have been a very generous size 8 that the 5'10 model was wearing! FGS! She must have been skin and bone or was it open down the back?

Then of course there is the even more frustrating small, medium, large etc. Hubby bought some tee shirts different sizes but all fitted the same.