This ones a little close to home today.
When buying clothes, go for fit rather than size.
I worked hard to go from 2X to a small pant size/ medium top. So when I went shopping for an outfit at a new store, Lucy, I was ticked when the medium active tank with built in sports bra fit more like a sausage casing than a supportive and lightly compressive yoga top. I did not NOT want to admit defeat and buy the much more flattering large. It took a few minutes to realize that, no, I had not changed shape since the last time. This was a new brand with a different size chart
But oh, my pride did not want to listen. I wanted to go find a store where the mediums fit. Even though this “large” top was probably the most comfortable well made and flattering item I had tried on.
In the end I did what I am advising you to do…ignore the size. In some brands you will be a M in others a L or XL. But guess what? The only person that ever sees that little tag is you. What everyone else sees is how it fits. So would you rather squeeze into the size 8 jeans that give you a horrible muffin top, just so you know you are wearing an 8. Or would you rather find a pair of jeans that make your butt look fabulous, even though it might be a size or two bigger in that brand.
Unless you leave the sales tag on, the general public will never know your size. And if you want, you can cut out the tag so you don’t have to either. A proper fitted garment will make you look slimmer than an ill fitting smaller size or much too big size that swamps you.
I know what you mean, but in reverse. I was afraid of buying smaller clothes. Go figure. So I had clothes that were too big but comfortable an ill-fitting. You’d think I would want to show off the 100 lbs I had just lost. After surgery I gained back 50 but have last 25. Still have clothes too big, but comfortable. Do get mad when I can’t find a swim suit that will fit right without paying big $$ for one.
I have Stacey London and Clinton Kelly from What Not to Wear in my head whenever I am experiencing tag troubles. They are all about wearing what fits and not worrying about size (and tailoring when something doesn’t fit off the rack). It can be hard to go up a size, especially when most other items/brands fit in the smaller size, but it is worth it.