Gap=Crap?
 

So the other day I decided to go shopping for some new jeans. All of my size 18 clothes are starting to look really sloppy on me and I felt inspired to try my hand at size 16. I was happy to learn that the Gap stocks size 16 and headed on down. WELL....6 pairs of pants later I finally found a pair that kind of fit and that was really stretching it (pardon the pun). So I left discouraged and accepted the fact that I had over-estimated my progress. Anyway, I went shopping today and was able to fit quite easily into size 16 clothes of 3 different brands. GO Me! :Party: I think I'm going to send the Gap my psychiatrist bills for my low self-esteem issues!

You know what...I bought a pair of Gap size 12 jeans. I am fitting very comfortably in size 12 dress pants and other jeans, but the Gap ones are still super tight. Like, it hurts to button them up.

My conclusion? I may have accidentally bought hip-huggers (the label doesn't say, but the rise sure looks small) or The Gap's jeans just run really small. Try another store!

That's true, they were pretty low. They were so tight my body was tingling with relief for an hour after I took them off!

well, i don't know how old you might be, but gap seems to be designed for the younger girl....not young woman, i said younger girl. i always need bigger sizes there than most other places, so don't worry about it--they are just made for girls without hips!

I find that gap does run about a size smaller than it's sister stores- bannana republic & old navy. try the ones with the "Stretch" in them. i always have to buy a size smaller b/c they stretch a LOT, especially in the butt area (on me) so after wearing them for a few hours i have sagging denim back there

I should have known from the models they use, they all have the bodies of a 9 year old boy. I on the other hand have hips that could handle triplets.

Amen to that!!! The models they use are stick thin and I dont like my 9 yr old dd watching the commercials even. I dont know what kind of jeans I will try when I am ready. I am thick in the waist, long in legs, and shorter in the midriff.....meaning, gut issues.

On the jeans issue...

I really love the Levi Strauss brand jeans that Wal-Mart carries. I like the boot cut, they aren't really low rise AND they are stretch jeans. I also find that they run a little big (I think). I have a size 16 that I've been thinking of downsizing to a 14, but tried on a 16 of another brand and could hardly button them up! Talk about discouraging! Anyway, you might try them out.

Ali

Is boot cut the kind with a little flare at the bottom?

You know, I thought the Gap was getting with the times wehn they were advertising their new spring line up - they had madonna and that Missy Elliott girl, who is quite heavy, and I figured they were carrying the larger sizes - NOPE!...still the stick people sizes!

What I hate is as soon as you get below a size 12, they assume you must be thin :P I wear a size 8 usually, and most of the clothing I can find is either tight, revieling, or ment for teens. I don't think I want to go out in a mid drift and low riding jeans just yet. Belive me, it's not as much fun as you think when you start to get down to the smaller sizes.

It probably means that the Gap hasn't caught up to the other stores in the trend of "vanity sizing":

Clothing Sizes aren't what they used to be

Boy, it really does matter what store you go to for your "shopping pleasure".

There are some pants that are so tight in the leg, I couldn't even consider getting them on, while others in the same size at another store are fine.

Obviously, I'm not in the anexoric crowd (or the pre-pubsecent) any more (and, yes, my spelling is probably deplorable)

ohhh jeans!!!
 

OH!! I hate shopping for jeans!! Jeans and (sorry guys) bras. You try on 40 pairs before you find one that fits somewhat decent.
I wish you all the luck finding some that fit and are comfortable. For me, some of the Bill Blass's are comfy. We have a store here called Dress Barn. They have lots of cute clothes for women who look like women and not a pre-teen. I have been there, done that, and don't want to go back! lol
wishing you a sunshine day!
:daizy:

My problem with the Gap jeans (and a lot of jeans these days for that matter) is that they're cut really small through the thighs. I'll find a pair that fit the waist but are really tight in the thighs. If they fit through my thighs, they're too big in the waist. Also, I'm all for pants with a little stretch or give in them, but the ones they make now are ridiculous. If you buy them to fit in the store, an hour after wearing them they're sagging in the butt and your crotch is at your knees. The other option is to get them tight in the store, but then you have to leave the house looking like a hooker because each time you wash them they'll shrink up and will take an hour of wearing to stretch them again. I'm tired of doing squats to stretch out my pants. What happened to good old fashion denim?

On another note...if you want to feel good about the size you wear, shop at Ann Taylor. I'm a pretty consistent size 10 in most brands but wear a 8 and sometimes even a 6 in Ann Taylor. When I was this same size a few years ago (5'5" approx 160 lbs), I was always a 12. Sizes have definitely changed.

Back in the day when I shopped at Gap, it was always a lot tighter on me than other stores brands.

Say, I got a problem with pants maybe you all could help with. I have a proportionately small waist for my hips. Most pants end up way too big in the waist to fit my hips. Anyone found some jeans that are ample in the hips yet snug at the waist?

I know you will all hate me, but I have a hard time
finding smaller sizes in stores such as kohls or jcpennys.
it seems they stock some 6's , but very little in terms of
4's. Since I have done this WOL I have dropped from
a 10/12 to a 4/6. and YES each brand is different. I have some 8's that are still tight. I wont shop from
catalog/internet for pants since you never know which
size for each brand. The designer stuff happens to
run pretty large. i.e. ralph lauren I am a 4, but in generic
brands, I am a 6.

sandy

I had the same problem today. I've been thrilled to fit in size 14 capri's that I've been trying on in the last couple of weeks. Well today I saw some cute denim capri's in Walmart so I tried on the 14's and could barely get them up. Ditto with the 16's!! Ended up buying the 18's! What a miserable feeling. I've decided to cut off the label and forget what size they are. They look great compared to the 22/24's I was wearing last summer!

Here's one more note on Gap jeans...I have three pairs of identical, button fly, boot cut pants that I bought a couple of years ago. All three were bought within about a month of each other. The only difference in them is that one is a slightly lighter colored denim. The darker ones are smaller than the lighter ones. The denim type is the same, one is just more faded. Now why would that be? Can't they at least be consistent with the same line?

This holds true for Mens clothing as well, the GAP always runs small. ..... and so does Old Navy.

FYI - when clothing makers cut jeans out of a BIG stack of denim the ones on top are smaller than the ones on the bottom. In theory they should allbe the same size, but that's why even in the same brand, same size, there can be big difference in fit. And yes the gap runs smaller. I am shrinking out of my 14s and had a small victory today - I bought a size 12 suit for Talbots! Most of my clothes there have been 14s or 16s over the last few years and I am FINALLY in a 12. I am so excited I can't stand it. Pants suit even. WOO HOO! Find a manufacturer that you like and stick with it!

I haven't noticed Old navy running small. I just bought some shorts there and they seem to "fit" compared with pants I have from Kohls and Eddie Bauer. I am going to buy maybe 2 more pairs of 42 shorts, and then REFUSE to buy any more pants/shorts until I can wear a 38 :D

I also have found that old navy can often run really large in some items. Their shorts are so big that I wear a four and they gape in the back and make this funny pooch out when i sit down. So it looks really odd and sometimes I get a breeze down it!! I HATE their capris because they are too long for me and look like I have highwater flood pants on. Their tank top sizes can be decieving so be sure to try all those on. One medium was way too small and the other one had gaping arm holes and you could see the sides of my bra.

Also the quality of clothing from walmart & old navy is less than desireable. Target has some nice items. Aeropostale has some adorable shirts & summer tank tops.

Old Navy runs big for me. I am a 12 there and a 14/15 everywhere else.

I don't care much for the Gap anymore... pricey for the quality. I'll take Old Navy instead.

Anyone who has shopped around Vancouver knows how hard it is to find clothes over a size 10.
One quarter of our population is of Asian descent, and the stores stock many more of the smaller sizes.

My complaint about the Gap is not so much their sizing -- it does not concern me what "size" the jeans are as long as they fit. I can wear a range of 4 sizes depending on where I'm shopping -- I think sizing is BS anyways. What I don't like about the Gap is the cut of their jeans. I guess they are marketing to the young things, but I don't know why the young things like such low rising jeans. I call them "Refrigerator Man" jeans. Do you remember the Dan Aykroyd skit on SNL where he played the refrigerator repair man? He'd always squat down to take a look at the fridge and expose his butt crack. That's how I feel with Gap jeans. My DH says that my granny underwear does not coordinate with the Gap jeans -- I probably would need a thong for them but I REFUSE.

I find that Levi 550 jeans for women are super great. They hug your butt, but are not so tight that you can't sit down!! They are not low cut either. If they are too expensive (I know that they are for me) because you have to shop more often because of your shrinking size, just check out the Goodwill stores!! The stores in my area have a great stock of gently worn jeans for only $4.39 a pair!!

I have just recently purchase a couple of pairs of "regular" jeans. I'm used to wearing a legging, stretch denim type without pockets. Anyway, I seem to have the opposite problem from the pp's. Mine fit comfortable in the waist and they are too loose in the butt and leg area. I have found that Bill Blass stretch denim are absolutely the most comfortable for me at this point.
Alli

I buy my jeans at old navy and When I got to a certain size I started buying mens jeans. They just seemed to last longer.Anyway since I have purchased both mens and womens jeans their and I can say that for me the old navey jeans are way more loose then the ones I have from the gap. In fact I wear a size larger in the Gap Jeans.

Gabrielle

:wiggle: hehe I am in Canada and I have to say that the Gap is a thing of the past
The new "IN" thing is OLD NAVY
They have a great selection, lots of jeans and alot nicer on the pocket book
Ladies please be careful with those really tight super hip huggers I read about how it causes damage to your internal organs or something like that and can cause problems in conceiving. I really didn't pay attention to the article because I didn't need to worry about tight hip huggers :lol:
:roll: :agree: