Clothing sizes driving me insane

the black fox

the black fox

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Don’t know if it’s just me but for the last couple of weeks I’ve been trying to find a winter coat to use while out wandering ,taking pics etc .. tried a few places but most stuff seems to come in small or medium to xL sizes .
Now I’m a big bloke 6’1” and 20 stone bit of a tummy but not excessive . Got coats that fit but want something warmer . So thought I would try the likes of Amazon as they list chest sizes for some . All I can say after my two latest buy and returns this week is what a load of garbage , cheap Chinese crap that’s obviously made for physically smaller people and with metric tape measures that don’t know what inches really are .. .
Went to quite a few shops prior to turning to Amazon even found some coats that claim to be 4x XL , can’t even do them up let alone get my arms in .. really frustrated at the moment . If my experiences are anything to go by there’s gonna be a lot of returns the other side of xmas .
This seems to be a post covid thing as all my coats bought previously still fit nicely so I haven’t ballooned in size . Grrrrrr
 
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Sizes do seem to be a lottery, and have been for some time. At least it's easy to return and exchange.

Can't comment on quality. That's subjective and often cost dependent.
 
That's the thing with l/xl/xxl they are meaningless, every maker has their own idea of what size each one is.
 
At 6' 1 and 18 stone, I consider myself excessive! I almost always try clothes on before forking out for them, even if it is inconvenient - it's more convenient than going without the item until the correct size appears and going to a Post Office to send the wrong sizes back.
 
Clothes sizes are a nightmare :headbang:
I've recently lost a fair amount of weight, meaning I have to buy new clothes (not something I enjoy)
Most shops I can just go in and get the right size without trying them on, M&S seem to have no
standard, either too big or too tight, given up shopping there now
Never have bought clothes online, like Nod I like to try things on before I buy
 
We thankfully have an excellent mens clothes shop in Wellingborough - Warwicks - about the only shop in town wotrth a candle. I can go in there, they will measure my chest/waist size etc and then measure the clothes before I even try them on. Last weekend I went in for some shirts, ended up with a mix of 2XL and 3XL, there is a difference but both fit nicely. It is a nightmare though and most shops are hopeless, they mostly don't have stock for us pie-eaters. (50in chest/42 waist)
 
M & S appear to have lost the plot.

I bought all my shirts in there for about 50 years. A couple of years ago I picked up a couple of casual shirts marked medium, regular - my usual choice. I noticed that the label said “improved sizing” or something simila. When I got home, and tried them on, they were too tight to wear, so I went back to try the large size. They fitted me around the chest and waist, but the sleeves were about 6 inches too long - they were slipping over my wrists and down to my fingertips! It appears that they think, if you need large for your body size, you’re 7ft tall. When I spoke to the lady at the till, she said it was hopeless. She was getting loads of returns, and her husband could no longer buy his shirts there. Called a ”manager” to discuss and his response was “we don’t seem to sell as many shirts as we used to”

tried a few times since, and it’s still hopeless -poor fit and inconsistent sizing.

I’ve now discovered Charles Tyrrwhitt. Perfect fit time and again, and good quality, with reasonable pricing.
 
Try somewhere like Arco.
 
On the rare occasions I need a new shirt, I go to Primark and see what they have in 18 or 18 1/2 collar. I usually get 2 or 3 if they have them in stock!
 
Thanks for the replies , seems I’m not alone in this then .. thought I was going loopy for a while ..
The other thing I can’t get my head round is the new fangled double zips that work from either end . What’s that all about ?
 
Nod said:
On the rare occasions I need a new shirt, I go to Primark and see what they have in 18 or 18 1/2 collar. I usually get 2 or 3 if they have them in stock!
Click to expand...
Primark actually had a nice winter long coat that fitted 4x xL but the material was stiff and noisy and didn’t feel quiet right
 
the black fox said:
Thanks for the replies , seems I’m not alone in this then .. thought I was going loopy for a while ..
The other thing I can’t get my head round is the new fangled double zips that work from either end . What’s that all about ?
Click to expand...

Handy on coats the come below the waist - unzip from the bottom so you can sit down more easily or get a little more ventilation.

Luckily, my clothes shopping is very seldom these days - almost all my trousers come from Rohan (whose sizing I have sussed!) as do jackets (although GoOutdoors also get used - in person so I can try on) and shirts from Primark (as above). T-shirts are XXL and it doesn't matter if they're a bit too big.
 
the black fox said:
The other thing I can’t get my head round is the new fangled double zips that work from either end . What’s that all about ?
Click to expand...

I love them, great if you need to get something out of jeans pocket etc. You don't have to undo the coat, just pull the zip up
from the bottom
 
Gremlin said:
Clothes sizes are a nightmare :headbang:
I've recently lost a fair amount of weight, meaning I have to buy new clothes (not something I enjoy)
Most shops I can just go in and get the right size without trying them on, M&S seem to have no
standard, either too big or too tight, given up shopping there now
Never have bought clothes online, like Nod I like to try things on before I buy
Click to expand...

Just like me at the moment, as with my weight loss I have started to buy more clothes to fit me now.
 
They've been driving me nuts too - for many years. :headbang:

Why can't they just stick to a proper measurement like inches or centimetres? S, M, L, XL etc. mean nothing at all. :rolleyes:
 
Before the pandemic started in 2020, I went to a local T J Hughes (discount shop which sells everything) and bought a Regatta waterproof coat with a warm lining for £29.99, probably my best winter coat ever. I tried onj the XL size but when I put it on, my wife thought I had been abducted by aliens, so I went for the L instead. I have noticed that Tshirts seem to be shorter nowadays. I like GoOutdoors, but our local branch has closed. Edinburgh Woolen Mills sell Pringle and Barbour, their sizes seem to be sensible.
 
Well my problem finally solved today , visited T.K.MAXX, then matalan both had good variety but really just made for xmas stuff and grossly overpriced sizes all over the place to .. then stopped off at winfields outdoors and found a trespass coat in 2xl that actually fitted with room to spare . Also tried a couple of other 2xl from same brand but to small so go figure ..
Anyway bought the first one ,reduced from £86.00 to £35.00 and with a 20% off winter sale on got it for £28 half the price of the flimsy bit of crap from Amazon . That’s that one put to bed satisfactorily
 
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