(A) The
answer is both YES and NO. For many ladies, young and not so young,
vintage clothing sizes ( and how they compare to current/contemporary
sizing) present a HUGE dilemma.
DILEMMA: Jane walks into a
local vintage clothing store and after much searching, finds a fabulous little
1950's Cocktail dress that looks like it's just her size. She waltzes over to
the fitting room. frock in hand. Once disrobed, she proceeds to try on said
dress. What looked like a simple act of tossing the dress over her slim form,
now became a mild struggle. She manages to get it on but it's a bit snug
around the waist and bust area. Intrigued, she wiggles out of it and takes a
look at the label. To her shock and mild HORROR it's marked a size 12 ! That
can't be right, she mutters under her breath. It just fits her and she KNOWS
that she's a size 4.
Her mind is buzzing
with unanswered questions; (a) Who the hell made this dress? (b) Did some
unfeeling fool change the dress/size label? (c) Has the whole world gone Mad?
She quickly dresses
and storms up to a sales person, demanding an answer and some sort of
confirmation that SHE hasn't lost the fragile grip on reality she's been
clinging to since college.
Naturally, they
haven't a clue and after a sideways roll of the eyes and a deep sigh...they
respond by saying " Look lady, if it says size 12 then that's what it IS!
QUESTION: Who's right here?
Jane who knows she normally wears a size 4 or the snotty kid who mans the
store and only makes $5.25 an hour and couldn't/wouldn't Begin to care unless
he/she was making at least $10 ?
ANSWER: Both of them are
right. Jane hasn't lost her marbles and the dress is a size 12 but there's a
huge misunderstanding here. What neither Jane nor the underpaid sales person
realizes is that Vintage Clothing sizes are much much smaller than today's
clothing sizes. Without getting into a really long explanation of the changes
made in American clothing size charts during the last 50 years, let me say
this...generally speaking, vintage clothing sizes run 4-6 sizes smaller than
clothing sizes today. For example, I normally wear a size 4-6 in most
everything ( dress, pants, skirts) but if I'm trying on a 50's dress, I need a
size 12. Likewise, if it's a dress from the 70's, I can usually fit into a
size 10. That's just the way the cookie crumbles. Get over the NUMBER Chica !
Sizes back then were much smaller, period.
If you don't believe
me, take a look at a dress/clothing pattern from the 1950's. As a rule, they
list the dress size with bust ( and sometimes waist size) on the front. A size
size 12 dress will list the bust as 31-32" and the waist as 24". Now if you
look at a current clothing chart or pattern you'll see that the same
"Bust/Waist" measurements will say size 4/6. if you need even more proof, get
your paws on an original Sears Catalog from the 1950's ( you can find them at
large book stores) and feast your eyes on their clothing size charts. Then
you'll see that Mama-Milan is speaking the truth. Anyway...are you starting to
get the picture?
After 20+ years of
working in women's retail clothing, I can't even BEGIN to tell you how many
verbal arguments I've gotten into over "What the tag says vs. what actually
fits". As you probably well know, differences in sizes today can vary from
designer to designer or from store brand to store brand. Cut, fabric and
overall basic construction can all play a major role in "what fits and what
doesn't". One size 8 in a more tailored piece may not fit properly while a
size 8 in a less structured garment will. The "Gap" is famous for their
generous clothing size allowances. When I'm feeling BLOATED (and Ladies we've
all been there), I go into a "Gap" store and try on a pair of pants ( for
example) and when I can shimmy into a size 0...well...the world doesn't seem
so cruel anymore! Now I know that I don't normally WEAR a size 0 but the
momentary illusion is welcomed and the deception embraced. This is just one
example of how crazy the whole "Size" thing can be (and this is with
contemporary clothing/dress sizes). When you add "Vintage" to the fashion mix,
it can get even trickier ( as our heroine Jane demonstrated).
So when it comes to
vintage clothing, my advice to you is to think "Outside the box/dress". Don't
get caught up in the numbers (sizing) game. Bring a tape measure if you plan
on trying on vintage, that way you can measure the garment before trying it on
and thereby avoid any unnecessary therapy sessions brought on by vintage
clothing vs. contemporary clothing size conundrums.
(B)
So my lovely reader, Marilyn ( at one point in her life/career) probably WAS
a size 12 but what 99.9% of people who mention this fail to point out, is
that she was a VINTAGE size 12. Today, with the same measurements, she would
probably be a size 6 (in most garments). Would we love and adore her any
less if her dress size was bigger or smaller? I think NOT. She was Fabulous
no matter what her size was, vintage or otherwise. Just as YOU are fabulous,
what ever YOUR size is!
This section on "Vintage Clothing Size Issues" will be continued and expanded as
time goes on. We realize that there exist many other questions/concerns and
subtopics ( as they relate to vintage clothing sizing) that have yet to be
addressed. So hang in there Princess...we've still got tons to say!
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