Editors Cut Sizes Out Of Clothes To Cater To Celebrity Egos (VIDEO)

"The Today Show" took a look at the difference in clothing sizes among retailers, after the New York Times' most e-mailed article on Monday was "One Size Fits Nobody." Said report, in a nutshell:

Take a woman with a 27-inch waist. In Marc Jacobs's high-end line, she is between an 8 and a 10. At Chico's, she is a triple 0. And that does not consider whether the garment fits in the hips and bust. (Let's not get into length; there is a reason most neighborhood dry cleaners also offer tailoring.)

Uh-huh. Exactly as we suspected.

Writer Stephanie Clifford told Ann Curry that men's sizing was standardized around the time of Civil War uniforms, but there were no measurements put in place for women and eventually designers started dabbling in the dark world of vanity sizing. Clifford also believes that sizing issues have upped the outrageous amount of clothing returns -- $194 billion last year.

More magazine's Lesley Jane Seymour was on-hand to share the following anecdote: "When we go to shoots, it's all about the ego. We actually cut out the size. If a celebrity says that she's a size 8 and we know she's not, we cut the sizes out because she won't put it on if it says it's a size 10."

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Comments

[Comeplayinmyreality]

05:58 PM on 04/27/2011

this is nothing shocking or new, I remember reading about this 5 or 6 years ago.

[jglow77]

11:52 AM on 04/27/2011

It's the same thing with men's sizes. At least with women it's arbitrary numbers. Men's jeans are sized by waist and inseam (in inches) yet with some retailers the actual waist size will be 2-3 inches more than indicated.

[nancynancy]

09:07 AM on 04/27/2011

Vanity sizing is to some degree responsible for the obesity epidemic among women. If you can gain 30 pounds but still buy the same size you did before you put on the weight, you're not as likely to realize there's a problem.

[Ganeshari]

01:18 AM on 04/27/2011

My entire life I wore 7/8 size pants. Now I wear a 4 (and sometimes those are even too big)and I am the same size as I always was, which is average. I wonder with the change in sizing, what do really thin women wear - juniors? I mean, there is only one size below me for misses.

[naschkatze]

11:40 PM on 04/26/2011

I've always suspected that, and I think the pricier your clothes are, the smaller the size numbers. A 'size 6' is really a size 10.

[shelshock22nd]

10:24 PM on 04/26/2011

I buy the clothes that fit me. I may not always like the number, but wearing the right size looks better than forcing myself into a number I want but am not.

[Yam716]

03:44 PM on 04/27/2011

What a monumental quote...I am learning that now.

I'd rather be comfortable in clothes than stuff myself in something just because the number is desirable.

[Kitten Kramer]

10:06 PM on 04/26/2011

Men determining the size of women's clothes? Hummmm, something wrong with that. Never go by size, go by how it fits, how the style looks on you and is the color great on you.

[samantha818]

10:00 PM on 04/26/2011

All women know size doesn't matter....

[style-delights]

07:10 PM on 04/26/2011

And I wonder if these are the ones who are on magazine covers and talk about "being so comfortable with my body/size/age" (with fake bodies) just to prove how lovable they are!!
http://style-delights.blogspot.com/2011/04/timeless-polka-dots.html

[booker52]

06:09 PM on 04/26/2011

When will womens clothes get standardized in sizing???

[Ganeshari]

01:20 AM on 04/27/2011

It would make it a bit easier to shop and try on clothes, wouldn't it?

[GraceNotes]

05:20 PM on 04/26/2011

Celebrity=Delusional.

[Rachel Lena Esterline]

05:14 PM on 04/26/2011

i do the same.