What's the deal with the sizing of pants?

[y_p_w]

Obviously many pants are sold with waist and inseam sizes. I've also bought pants that had no listed inseam size where it was extra long. Trimming/sewing the hem was included (or I had to get it altered).

I just got another pair of pants that are sold as S/M/L/XL/etc. I already have a pair and the inseam is just right for me. I suppose people with shorter legs could theoretically have them altered. But I got another one for dad, who is a bit shorter than me. They also have a big and tall version, where I guess it's just longer.

I guess the same goes for long sleeve shirts. I have my preferred size, but sometimes I get one size larger if that's all they have. I've had some where the sleeves might have been a bit too long and I bunched it up a bit, even in my preferred size. Heck - once my dad asked to borrow a shirt I really liked and I figured that it would be returned to me intact. But the sleeve length was just right for me but a bit long for him and he had it altered/trimmed on vacation. Then he thought I was ingrateful when I complained that he had my shirt altered without asking.

 

[Pablo]

Pants? Shirts? Those are logical.

Shoes on the other hand are completely wacky size wise, no mfr seems to hit a standard, plus get narrower and narrower for a given size over the years. Not old age or foot swellage. Just material saving, IMHO. For something important as the human foot.

 

[Passport1]

I've also noticed this phenomenon but it seems to have a temporal facet When I was a young man the pants in my closet would gradually decrease in size. I knew this because they got tighter especially the circumference at the belt loops. Now that I'm much older this effect is reversing to the extent that some of my pants now need suspenders to hold them in place. Nothing I do mitigates this trend.

I'm stumped. Sizes ought to be immutable. Some things in this universe just can't be explained.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Cheaper to stock a "medium" rather than 30, 31, 32, 33.... You get the point.

OK for things like gym shorts. Not so good for pants.

 

[earlyre]

the one that always used to get me was when you get 2-3 pairs of the same pants. same sizes, same cuts, etc... should be identical right? nope.. they all fit differently. one's just right, ones too snug, etc.
I never understood this until i saw a video clip from an old episode of Mr. Rogers... showing how Clothes were made.
Instead of cutting out the pattern for each piece of cloth, they started with a stack of fabric, probably 50-100 layers tall. then a Press pushed a Die through the stack, like a Cookie cutter through dough.
of course! there's deflection/stretching/Deformation through the stack! meaning each piece of fabric is just a bit different than the next! hence multiples of the "same size" not fitting the same.

 

[Urshurak776]

I don't worry about it. I get the kind that "stretch" for us fattys.

 

[y_p_w]

Cheaper to stock a "medium" rather than 30, 31, 32, 33.... You get the point.

OK for things like gym shorts. Not so good for pants.

But that's the way sweatpants are sized. A drawstring and elastic makes it fairly easy to fit a wide range of waist sizes. I do feel fortunate that my legs are just right for most of these pants. But not so much for someone taller or shorter. At least with someone shorter it might be possible to re-hem, although spending $10 to alter a $20 pair of sweatpants is another matter.

 

[ecotourist]

Heck - once my dad asked to borrow a shirt I really liked and I figured that it would be returned to me intact. But the sleeve length was just right for me but a bit long for him and he had it altered/trimmed on vacation. Then he thought I was ingrateful when I complained that he had my shirt altered without asking.

My mother in law borrowed a beautiful and expensive dress from my wife for a special cruise. It fit really well except it was a little too long for her - so she had it shortened! My wife was not best pleased. And my MIL thought my wife was just being picky.

That was years ago, my MIL has died (of dementia), and that beautiful dress hasn't been worn since.

 

[crashz]

Yeah, but I had a nice experience today with the inconstancy of sizing. Seems like for the last few months my pants have been shrinking, and it's become a bit of struggle with some of them. Pulled a pair out from the back of the closet today and Woah! Too loose? Well, that was a nice surprise! Currently, I have a dozen pair of pairs of the same size that go from not even close to buttoning to so loose that I need a belt. The loose ones are a minority though...

 

[ecotourist]

I find jeans with stretch in them lose their size really fast. So I stick to 100% cotton.

I've seen reviews of jeans where the same size of different brands varies by a couple of inches.

 

[4WD]

Here’s the deal. Starting at 40 - you can keep the waist size - just get a shorter inseam

 

[Escape08]

S<>M<>L<>XL<>XXL etc.
In between those sizes (<>), you need a belt.

 

[97prizm]

Pants? Shirts? Those are logical.

Shoes on the other hand are completely wacky size wise, no mfr seems to hit a standard, plus get narrower and narrower for a given size over the years. Not old age or foot swellage. Just material saving, IMHO. For something important as the human foot.

So far I've stuck with Asics as my running shoes and 10.5 has consistently stayed the same. My newest pair the tongue is significant thinner. Apparently shoe companies are going this route.

 

[Urshurak776]

I find jeans with stretch in them lose their size really fast. So I stick to 100% cotton.

I've seen reviews of jeans where the same size of different brands varies by a couple of inches.

Have you tried the company The Perfect Jean?

https://theperfectjean.nyc/products/slim-admiral-blue?view=5-reasons&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=brand_21323364859&utm_content=163607282158&utm_term=perfect jeans&gadid=707880685881&nbt=nb:adwords:g:21323364859:163607282158:707880685881&nb_adtype=&nb_kwd=perfect jeans&nb_ti=kwd-714282861&nb_mi=&nb_pc=&nb_pi=&nb_ppi=&nb_placement=&nb_li_ms=&nb_lp_ms=&nb_fii=&nb_ap=&nb_mt=e&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAACinBnCsCRX3qi1CSG47en9mo_iZE&gclid=Cj0KCQjwzrzABhD8ARIsANlSWNMN8lxpwYCZc297OZjexe-l7oq7Btym-WQGfUbUmnoKpi0KqzbbTrUaAn0UEALw_wcB

Honestly, been using them 2-1/2 years now, in a work setting sometimes also, and they're really nice. Good quality. Not cheap, like $75 a pair. Been great after 2-1/2 years.

 

[PandaBear]

Materials today are more stretchy than before, and people no longer mind loose clothings if they are already plus size. Also easy return if you don't like them with free return shipping?

 

[Patman]

I have two pairs of jeans from the same manufacturer that are both 32x30 but yet one pair is slightly loose and the other is slightly too tight

 

[RhondaHonda]

Have you tried the company The Perfect Jean?

https://theperfectjean.nyc/products/slim-admiral-blue?view=5-reasons&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=brand_21323364859&utm_content=163607282158&utm_term=perfect jeans&gadid=707880685881&nbt=nb:adwords:g:21323364859:163607282158:707880685881&nb_adtype=&nb_kwd=perfect jeans&nb_ti=kwd-714282861&nb_mi=&nb_pc=&nb_pi=&nb_ppi=&nb_placement=&nb_li_ms=&nb_lp_ms=&nb_fii=&nb_ap=&nb_mt=e&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAACinBnCsCRX3qi1CSG47en9mo_iZE&gclid=Cj0KCQjwzrzABhD8ARIsANlSWNMN8lxpwYCZc297OZjexe-l7oq7Btym-WQGfUbUmnoKpi0KqzbbTrUaAn0UEALw_wcB

Honestly, been using them 2-1/2 years now, in a work setting sometimes also, and they're really nice. Good quality. Not cheap, like $75 a pair. Been great after 2-1/2 years.

I’ve got multiple pairs from them that I like, but, their sizing is also inconsistent. I’ve got 2 pair, exactly same size, style, fabric and production month and the legs are noticeably wider on one pair vs the other. They do have a solid return policy so I just order 3 or 4 pair at a time and return a couple.

 

[earlyre]

I have two pairs of jeans from the same manufacturer that are both 32x30 but yet one pair is slightly loose and the other is slightly too tight

yep... see my post above...

 

[scoot]

Why do they call men's underwear Jockey shorts ? If I saw a man wearing them riding a horse I would run the opposite direction .

 

[RaymondP]

Same issue with shirt sleeves. Some end a good 3 or 4 inches up from my wrist, while others almost reach my fingertips for the same claimed size. When shopping any clothes I now find it is best to get to know the size of a specific brand you like. The sizes of that specific brand are generally standardized within the brand so there is a constant you can work with. If I step outside these parameters I always try on. Another reason why I almost never buy clothes online.