No, this is not going to be a post about weight.
We all know that sizing between brands are inconsistent. But by how much?
Apparently it can be quite a bit. A clever lady from the UK, Anna Powell-Smith, collated clothing size information from a number of UK and US retailers and built an interesting app called "what size am I?" that helps you find the brand and size that best suit your body measurements.
I found the article on The Guardian and it listed the bust, waist and hips measurement of UK brands included in the app. Below are the measurements for 5 brands in size 12 (in centimeters).
| FCUK | Zara | Topshop | ASOS | Dorothy Perkins |
| 90 | 94 | 92 | 91 | 92 |
| 74 | 74 | 74.2 | 73 | 73 |
| 99 | 102 | 96.5 | 98.5 | 96.5 |
As you can see, the sizes vary by a lot. For instance there is a 5.5cm/almost 2 inch difference between hips measurements for Zara and Topshop/Dorothy Perkins.
I was also interested in comparing the standard measurements published by the brands and actual measurements from items that I own.
First, this dress from ASOS.
ASOS's published measurements for size 12 are 91-73-98.5. The measurements of my dress are 89-79-97.
Next up in this Dorothy Perkins dress.
Dorothy Perkins' published measurements for size 12 are 92-73-96.5. The measurements of the dress are 93-77-[I didn't measure the hips as it is an a-line dress].
So it appears that actual sizes are not that consistent with published sizes. Nonetheless I think this is a handy tool to see how different sizings between stores are. If you want to have a play yourself, the app is here and the Guardian article written by the creator of the app is here.
Are you frustrated by the lack of consistency in size between brands? Do you find this app useful?