French Connection the worst high street store for "vanity sizing"

Vanity sizing. It's when shops assume we're stupid and stick a size 8 label on what should really be a size 10 or larger, in a bid to convince us that hey, we're actually thinner than we thought, and that we better snap up all those flatteringly small labels while we have the chance! Of course, the fact that clothes manufacturers do this will probably come as no surprise. What is surprising is just how many of them are doing it, and the extent to which they're prepared to be economical with their size labels, if not their waistlines.

In a study by The Sunday Times this week, for instance, it was found that many of the high street names are making their clothes up to three inches wider than the size stated on the label. Trousers are the items most commonly "inflated", although dresses and other items don't escape either.

In the study, French Connection was found to be the worst offender (no surprise there - I can't even shop there because their sizes are so strange), with Next (no surprise there either) and Zara also coming in for criticism. So, what do you think? Are these the worst three stores for vanity sizing, or are there others where the size on the label bears no relation to the size on the waist?

Teresa

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It's a bad thing if you are really small and there are no pants that fit you! Hello! I am a size 24 in BEBE petite jeans, and those are the only jeans that will fit me and they are impossible to find. My Express size 2 from like 5 years ago still fit.. but these days 0 is ENORMOUS for someone who is actually a 0. Yeah i know you are all thinking "cry me a river" but whatever, vanity sizing makes me mad. i like pants too!

fedup

Thank God other people have noticed, a couple of weeks ago i bought a pair of jeans in river island, in size 8, (i would be about an 8 or 10, but really dont know anymore because of mad sizing!!)then yesterday i went to the same store and tried on a pair of size 8 jeans in the same style, just a different colour and they were falling off me, so i tried on a 6, they fit, but had a little room, so i got to thinking, for those who are actually a real size 6, where do they shop?? Im not going to pay 75 euros for a pair of jeans that 'almost' fit, they have just lost a customer in me, im a regular sized girl, but apparently im too skinny to fit into their clothes, most shops i go to these days are like that!!

Gemma Wilson

living in Geneva, my fave shops are Zara and H&M - Zara's a little funny at times (lou, the trousers are ridiculously long because it's a spanish shop and spanish women have statistically longer legs than us brits...lucky them!), but H&M I can be sure to always be a size 8 in.

Claire

I don't think it's a good thing at all what French Connection are doing and haven't their sales dropped dramatically recently? I wonder why...

Amber

Interesting comments from everyone (Gemma, I was surprised by Zara too - I've always found the sizing quite good there).

Monicake, for me the problem with French Connection is that I literally can't shop there AT ALL because of the sizing. I'm by no means super-skinny, but FC's size 6 falls off me - I'm always seeing beautiful clothes there, but I just can't buy them!

I think the idea of vanity sizing also gives a whole new perspective to the size 0 debate, too. It's not really size "0" if they've added three inches to the waistline.... For instance, to stick with the example of French Connection, they'd probably need to introduce a size 4, or even a size 2 before those who wear a "normal" size 6 or 8 could wear their clothes. Just imagine the fuss if they did, though!