Universal sizing

We had a huge response to our article on a WI campaign to tackle the variation in sizes between shops. Here are a few of your letters and emails

I’m four different sizes!

I don’t think you can take any notice of clothes sizes any more. Years ago I was seven stone and was a size 12, no matter where I bought my clothes. Now I am seven and-a-half stone and don’t know where to buy from as all sizing is different. I have in my wardrobe sizes eight, ten, 12 and 14 and they all fit! Help! Grace Bryan, Wisbech

Shoe problems

I have had problems for a long time with different clothes sizes – and the same with shoes. I struggle to get shoes to fit my size three feet. I used to be able to go into a shop and buy shoes easily but now I find a size three is more like a three-and-a-half and I’m sure this is to do with American sizing. E Battersby, Whitefield

No to universal sizing

The thought of universal sizing fills me with horror. As someone of non-standard size, the current system gives me some choice at least – I just have to shop around, try things on and eventually I find something. Helen Gaen, Oxford

What about sleeves?

I was very interested in the article on clothes sizes, but was surprised there was no mention of sleeves. I am a size 16 on top and 14 below and my daughter is a size ten. Taking measurements of the sleeve-widths we found size 10 and 16 the same width. Also size 14 trousers in some stores are too tight but a size 10 fits perfectly! Mrs F McLean, Belfast

It’s a nightmare

As a longstanding member of Southsea-Portsmouth WI, I was so pleased that the subject of universal sizing has come to the fore. Clothes buying for me has become a nightmare. Only last week I ordered two size ten summer jackets from a catalogue but knew immediately when they arrived that they weren’t actually size ten! Iris Hoare, Southsea

Clothes are often too long

I would like to know why clothes labelled ‘short’ are never for 5ft tall ladies. In the past, ‘short’ would fit me, but now they are three to five inches longer. M&S used to be a good fit but now like the rest they are always too long. And why does the length of trousers or a skirt always increase with size? When size goes up you don’t necessarily become taller because you are bigger in size? Whether you are 12, 16, 18 or 20 you still remain short! Mrs Connor, Gillingham

Variation is good

My vote is against universal sizing. I am 60 and find buying clothes so much easier now because of the variation in sizes. In my younger years when sizes were more consistent, clothes were either too tight or too baggy for me. It’s easier now to return clothes to retailers rather than paying for alterations.

I’ve resorted to cropped trousers

I’m 4ft 10in tall and do a lot of mail-order shopping. I am convinced many catalogue models are 7ft tall! To address the problem of trouser length I resort to buying cropped trousers which generally fit my vertically challenged legs! June Jones, Swansea

Too many size choices

Years ago sizes were uniform across all makes and shops, but today! We have small, x-small, medium, x-large, xx-large or even xxx-large! I consider myself a large size 18 but in one wellknown shop that makes me an xx-large. And on a slightly different note why can’t we go back to measuring in inches for bust sizes? Lilian Armstrong, Belfast