What size am I again?

As anyone who knows me can attest, I have a curvy figure, Not "curvy" as a euphamism for plus-sized, but curvy in the sense that I have a round butt, larger chest and a medium-sized waist. "Baby Got Back" is a part of the soundtrack of my life.

Shopping for pants is a nightmare that usually involves packing a lunch, calling my mom up to say "you did this to me!" and sniffling into a dirty martini after spending a handful of hours to find two pairs that might be passable. Shopping for dresses or tops usually involve buying a size too big and nipping it in at the waist...eventually...when I have time. You know, when I'm not working, cleaning, sleeping, spending time with my fiance or pets, or typing away...eventually (*looks at looming mending pile*). I had to learn to sew as a form of self-defense or resign myself to a fate of a closet full of clothing devoted to making me look frumpy-dumpy or to having my cups runneth over with very little wiggle room in between the extremes.

Off-the-rack clothes often have little love to show for the hourglass girls. Working in fashion has helped me learn to make some passable choices, but it its still a battle to face the closet each evening to lay out the next day's clothing.

This handy chart from the New York Times may make it a bit easier:




This is from an article on the sizing differences for women's clothing between companies and how we are trying to sort through the confusion through innovation and ideas like body scanners and standardized sizing. Read more here.


Note, "My Best Fit" referenced in the article has now been rebranded as Me-ality. Now if only we can get some of these machines at the Mall of America, where they can reach a broader audience.