Advice Please

[Big and Bashful]

I have tried to start this thread once already but nothing seemed to happen. Apologies if both attempts appear later.

I am a large person who is thinking about buying some skirts on Ebay. I don't know what UK sizes equate to a waist of 44 to 46 inches so can anyone help me please?

Is there a conversion chart which goes up to size big, through size fat and size huge to size colossal? and I hope being long as well doesn't make things more complicated!

[Departed Member]

Try (UK) "22", or "24" even. Better still, ask whether waists are 'elasticated' or 'fixed'. Several companies have produced 'masculine' skirts (you know, left over right zip flies, East Coast, even M&S!) which fit the male form better than the female - makes you think they were actually designed for blokes(?).

[Scott]

Well, see how long it measures from the waist. Female legs are usually (or maybe it's the only ones I notice) are slimmer and longer than the tree trunks guys have. I'm far from short, but skirts that run over 30" from the waist usually hit me somewhere around the ankle or longer. Yeah, though, that's a pretty good measurement sizewise. I know I got two denim A-lines with back elastic that were 18W-20W and they, sadly, require a belt to wear (the downside to weight loss as I got them before I moved back home so I didn't get to wear them before I lost the weight. I could hold a circus under my skirt now.).

[recox286]

Rather than rely on Brit/US conversion tables, it is better to contact the E-Bay Seller and ask the pertinent questions in regards to size because it seems that pattern sizes are not all that standard. (ergo: dressing rooms)
You will probably be much happier with a close fit than a size 2. (2 big, or 2 small!)

Sincerely, Bob

[Big and Bashful]

Oops!
I have bid on a size 26 gypsy and a size 30 long denim (both UK). Still they will probably clamp onto my beer-gut. If they are too loose there is always my kilt belt which is tight enough to feel like a very shallow corset!, or an ordinary belt I suppose. Thanks to all for your help. Iwill let you know just how huge these skirts are if I get them.

[Milfmog]

Hi B&B,

My experience of women's clothes sizes is that they don't seem to mean anything when you try to move from one manufacturer to another. The size chart in the Next Directory suggests that I need to buy 24 or 26 to fit my monster waist however most of the skirts I buy are 16 or 18 and fit well. I looked at my skirt collection and they range in size from 14 to 22 (nothing as big as Next suggest) but all fit without the need to use drawcords or belts. My wife has a theory that manufacturers are deliberately making clothes bigger for a give nominal size to appeal to the vanity of the buyers, if they can buy a size 14 in M&S or a near identical item in monsoon in size 16 they will buy the 14 because they feel better about themselves (and I thought I was the cynic in the house ). I have no idea if she's right, but there certainly seems to be an upwards size drift when placing older clothes against new from the same manufacturer.

The approach I have adopted for buying on ebay is simply to ask the seller to measure the waist with the skirt laid flat and if it is elasticated to also measure the fully stretched waist. So far this has worked well and saved me bidding for skirts that won't fit.

Hope that helps,


Ian.