I remember, back in the 80s and 90s, when it was possible to venture into a ladies’ clothes shop and buy a garment in your particular size, and it would generally fit you even if it didn’t flatter you. A size 8 garment would fit a tiny person, a 10 fit the slender person, the 12 the average person and the 14 or 16 was for the slightly larger than average person. A size 6 was rare to find and was designed solely for stick insects. Huge sizes belonged to the outsize department.

 

Now, the sizes on the label usually aren’t the “real” size. I’ve seen a few size 6 garments and even managed to squeeze into one, although sitting or eating in it was painful. And, while the Marks & Spencer size 8 dress might fit an average person, a size 12 dress from Primark will often fit a tiny person because it has hardly any fabric on the bust area (this probably reduces the unit cost in the sweatshop). A size 12 from Next, M&Co or ASDA is huge, while a size 12 from Top Shop or Dorothy Perkins is much smaller. Currently, a size 16 or 18 from M&S is like a bell tent. And I doubt that Twiggy (a favourite for M&S ad campaigns) would be seen dead in any of it. Karen Millen remains closer to the traditional sizes from the past.

 

Kids’ clothes sizes in ASDA are screwy as well – somebody is making huge babies and toddlers or feeding them far too much ‘gack’, according to the size labels in that store.

 

I once asked a sales assistant in M&Co.: “What on earth is happening with ladies’ clothes sizes these days?” She replied: “People are getting bigger in general, so the sizes are getting bigger to reflect the larger population. A size 10 is more like a 14”. The attempt at flattery might be well-intentioned but the result is that sizes aren’t uniform between shops – or even in the same shop - and it’s difficult to select a garment based on what the label says, thereby rendering the UK clothes sizing system generally useless.

 

I recently bought three garments from Debenhams online, which sells clothes from a diverse range of third-party suppliers. A vest top from Warehouse marked as “12” was immense and should have been labelled “16”. Meanwhile, a tunic dress marked as size “M” was miniscule - approximately size 8. The skirt that said “12” was thankfully a ‘real’ 12. With such a huge disparity, the lack of standardised sizing between manufacturers is especially unhelpful to people who shop for clothes online.

 

Online fashion retailers make a point of publishing “size guides” but the manufacturers certainly don’t adhere to the stated sizes. According to the ASOS size guide, a size 10 garment should have a 26.5” waist and a size 12 garment a 28” waist. I know very few adult women with a 26.5” waist and have handled even fewer size 10 garments with such a small waist. As for the 24” waist stated for the size 8, that’s either an anorexic or a 13-year-old girl.

 

I sell numerous ladies’ garments on eBay and it has reached the stage where I must measure them all and state the dimensions, especially across the chest and waist. If I didn’t do this, garments would be returned because the buyers would be disgruntled to find that the size 12 was tiny and the size 8 enormous.

 

It would be helpful to consumers and online retailers alike if the UK sizes could be re-standardised, reflecting the current population's dimensions, instead of mislabelling garments to flatter the fatties out there who have consumed too many cakes and cookies before they go shopping for a body-con dress, pair of skinny hipster jeans, or whatever. There’s no need to massage people’s egos by convincing them that they’re a size 8 when, really, there’s nothing wrong with being a size 12 or 14 (or larger) and being honest about it.