When it comes to wearing clothes, ignore the number that's printed on the label. It's a suggestion, plain and simple. It's not an ideal or a wish. It's not a solution to a fractional geometry math problem. It's nothing but a suggestion.
Wearing clothes that don't fit is a problem for all sizes, no matter if you're a 2 or 32. A size 6 is not the same as a size 8. Different clothing companies have different sizing guidelines they follow. Just because you might wear a 10 at American Eagle doesn't automatically mean you'll be a 10 at Gap. You might even be an 8 at Aeropostale. Take your measurements with a tape measure, and memorize them or write them down. Use the company's clothing size guidelines to see what size you are for them. A lot of places use vanity sizing, which can make you seem bigger or smaller than what you really are. That's why I say a clothing size is a suggestion.
Sizing will even differ within the company. Dress pants and jeans the same size are probably cut entirely differently, and that can distort the sizing.
In fact, wearing clothes that don't fit properly makes you look bigger. Rolls should not be seen. Your rib cage should not be countable. Just because you can wrestle a dress on in the fitting room doesn't mean you should take it home. If you have to fight with clothing, there's actually only a small chance you're going to wear it after you purchase it. If you have even the smallest doubt in the fitting room, it's not worth buying.
Clothes will shrink or stretch out even with the best of care. Just because your size whatever jeans are seemingly too big, it's more than likely they've stretched out. Always take a variety of sizes with you into the fitting room. Try on the middle size and go from there.
It doesn't matter if your dress is Chanel, Shosanna, Marc Jacobs, or from Walmart. If it's too small, people are going notice that it doesn't fit, and not the great print, or how lovely it is.
If anything, it's okay to go up a size! You can always get it tailored to fit you for a small cost (to get a pair of jeans hemmed is less than $10). A tuck here or there is about the same amount. When you have clothes tailored to your sizing, it makes them look a million times better. A white button down from Macy's, when tailored, can make it look and fit better than a shirt from Brooks Brothers.
Just don't be afraid of the numbers. You haven't failed if it's not what you normally wear.
