high street shops: which are true to size??

eyeontheprize

can see the end in sight!
the other thread about pull in pants got me thinking, what's been everyones experience with which high street shops are true to size, which are small (usual suspects like topshop and h&m!) and which shops do the old vanity sizing??

i have found m&s sizes to be smaller lately... they must have a new supplier or something! Dorothy Perkins are pretty true to size...but having always bought my clothes there because they go up to a 22 i never want to buy from there again!

what are your thoughts??
 
I find Next true to size for me and what I use as a guage for most of my clothing, especially their jeans. For something a bit special Coast are spot on too.

Principles, Boden and M&S I think are generous in their sizes.

River Island, H&M, New Look, Miss Selfridge, well all the teenie bop shops are a bit on the skimpy side. Still wearable but usually have to go 1 size up.

Monsoon and Wallis clothes are huge.

Alison
 
There is a thread already done on size comparisons which is worth reading, not sure where it is, I will try and locate and bump it up.
 
Generally, your cheaper clothes stores will vary more. I'll try and make this as short as possible, but I might end up spieling off everything from my retail management studies!

Basically, for every design for every item in every size there's a pattern, obviously. And that pattern is what guides them to make the outfit to the right size as it tells them where to put the seams. Every retailer has a... err... oh what's it called! Basically, they'll only accept items where the seam is within a certain number of mm of what it should be. Lower end stores like Primark have the highest margin of error, and it could be up to 6 or 7 mm either way, which is actually a huge difference! So sometimes it's worth trying on more than one in the same size if it's a little tight! Medium places like topshop etc. have a smaller margin, of maybe 4mm and so their sizes are more standardised. And then your high end stores, especially anything designer will have a much smaller margin, of maybe only 1mm and so their sizes are pretty standard.

Though, that really wasn't what you asked was it, so not sure why I typed it all!!

I agree with weepoppet on the Next, M&S and Monsoon front. New Look I've found has always been ok though. A large majority of my clothes are from New Look!
 
i love new look, there is a lot of tat there but some gems too!

thanks for the info :) very informative! x
 
Asda/George stuff comes big - I got a pair of size 12 trousers there, and they're even big on me! :eek: (The other 12s I bought are nice and snug.)
 
i dont know about asda, i bought some 18's and they are really loose but the 16's are sooooooo tight...major camel toe action! and i fit into new look 16's perfectly. thats just my experience!
 
i have been shopping (again) today and i think dotty ps are great for sizes, next aint bad and river island are crap!!! (AND EXPENSIVE!!)
 
I tried on a size 10 pair of next bootlegged jeans and they were really loose. Bargain, thinks me...try the 8. Couldn't do the bloomin' things up!! They were the same style! Size 9, anyone?? x
 
It depends too because they they change from store to store, the 16 might be right, but the 14 wrong. So worth knowing your measurements and checking the size guide in store probably if in doubt!
 
Well the other day I bought tops in River island size 12 they were perfect and bought a top in new look today SIZE 10..... OMG but I know in other tops i would need a 12 very strange....... hmmm
 
Back
Top