How clothes are sized has often puzzled people for many years. As a women you are usually offered clothing in sizes such as 12’s, 14’s, 16’s etc or small, medium or large. These are just a few examples of the way in which dresses are sized and even this can be confusing. Dress sizes are usually based on hip, waist and bust measurements but where as you can be a twelve in one shop you may be a 14 in another, making it very difficult to ever buy clothes without trying them on. This can sometimes be caused by clothing manufactured to American sizes for example, and then converted in to UK sizing – causing a difference. Even in some shops a small in one item can relate to different sizes to a small in another item of clothing. Sometimes shops will say a small is the equivalent to an 8 -10 and other times it’s a 10-12 or even a 6-8.

Unfortunately there is no getting round this and therefore a trip to the fitting rooms is often requires. When going to the fitting rooms, take the item in a size large or smaller as well, if you are unsure of how it will fit. This will not only save you time but can actually mean you end up getting an item that is better fitted to you. You should never worry about having to go up or down a dress size when shopping from place to place as this is often the norm for many women.