I WAS 5 DIFFERENT SIZES IN THE SAME STORE!

We know sizes can vary from shop to shop. But our size 12 writer reveals an even worse changing room nightmare...

Gingerly slipping the dress over my shoulders, i was delighted by how roomy it felt. By the time i’d pulled the brightly patterned shift over my hips — with room to spare — i was so elated i was whooping with joy!

The reason for my uncharacteristic good mood? i’d just slipped into a size 6 dress.

i have never been a size 6 before, or even an 8 for that matter. And the only time i find myself easing into a size 10 is after a bout of gastroenteritis.

At 5ft 9in tall, with measurements of 36/29/39, i should be a standard size 12 in most stores. eager to believe that i might, inexplicably, be a lot smaller than i’d thought, i grabbed a bundle of other size 6 outfits and set about trying them on.

Alas, not only was i unable to squeeze my thighs into a size 6 dress in another design, but i couldn’t manage the 8, 10 or 12 either! it was the same story with tops, trousers, skirts and jackets. in one item, i’d be my standard 12, in another a tiny 8 — and sometimes a 14.

There was no consistency in the sizing at all. in store after store, the pattern was repeated, until by the end of the day i was completely flummoxed. i’ve always known my size can fluctuate

between stores, with high- end brands offering more generous sizing than the cheaper shops aimed at the younger market. But such a huge variation within the same store was an eye-opener.

According to brand expert nick ede, the discrepancies in clothes sizing is ‘a fashion epidemic and needs to be addressed’.

nick blames the growth of fast fashion and changes in manufacturing for the haywire sizing that i experienced.

‘Some stores are pumping the stuff out so quickly, in a bid to get the latest trend before their competitor, that they don’t pay careful attention to the sizing.

‘it used to be that most things were manufactured in india and Sri lanka, but now you have Turkey, Portugal and even Manchester.

‘They probably all have slightly different patterns and models that they use — plus the company making the T-shirts won’t necessarily be the same as the one making the trousers.’

Figures from Mintel’s Online Fashion report 2017 showed 46 per cent of women struggled to find clothes that fit well.

So how do the stores measure up? i visited five popular High Street chains and put their sizes to the test . . .