Jeans…

Jeans from image above: (clockwise from top left)

High Waist Enhancer Boot Cut Jeans, Blue Vintage Straight Jeans, Lift, Slim And Shape Boot Cut Jeans, Retro Blue Smithy Bootcut Jeans and Lift, Slim And Shape Boot Cut Jeans (Dark blue/Inky)

Before I was pregnant with Jaxon, I was still a size 16, I’d lost about half a stone having done Slimming World when I found out I was pregnant. By the Christmas rolled around, my size 16s were getting snug around the middle where my bump was growing but I was nowhere near needing maternity trousers yet.

Once Jaxon was born I stayed wearing my maternity trousers until I really had to give up, at which point I went back to my size 16s until I really needed to move down to size 14s. For a long time, I was at the point where I needed a size 15 because I couldn’t fit. I moved down to size 14 and the other weeks ago but have found that they are too big now. I’ve tried looking for a size 12 and that I like but they all seem to be ridiculously too long in the leg. I tweet to Tesco’s to find out why they are so long. The personal refers both to then we directed me to the petty sizes do you to the fact I am 5 ft 3 inches. However when I have looked at petite jeans in the past, they have usually been too short in the leg and have looked like I’m actually wearing cropped trousers instead of normal jeans.

Today while I was in town when I looked on various charity shops to see if I can find any that fit. The first pair that I found size 12 trousers that I liked the look of wouldn’t even do up. The second pair of jeans I tried on would do up but we’re far too long in the leg.

By yesterday, I was getting a bit desperate, I currently have three pairs of jeans. My usual pair is getting so grubby and so shredded at the bottom that they needed to be replaced. I switched to one of my other pairs to put my “favourite” pair in the wash, but they are so big that they keep falling down. I really need a pair of braces for them.  My favourites are from Next (via the Charity Shop) but are getting to the point that I’m going to have to cut off four inches of shredded denim from the bottoms because I’m too short for Next regular jeans. (They have a leg length of 32 inches according to their size guide – my legs are 27 inches). I had a second pair of size 14 jeans that I got from the charity shop a while ago but they are actually so big around the waist now that I need a pair of braces to hold them up! On my way home from town I popped into the supermarket, I figured I would try on a pair of jeggings because if needed I could wear long tops and do that until I’m into the next size properly. Although they were comfortable around the waist, they were so tight in the calves/ankles that I would have had to wear them with my boots instead of my trainers. Now I near enough live in my trainers so my jeans need to go with my footwear rather than my footwear going with my jeans.

I had previously seen a blog spot about the inconsistencies between different brands that one size across the different brands can come up so differently. (That particular post was by Iona St. Joseph you can find her website here).

I certainly agreed with her with regards to Primark clothes coming up small. I’ve had to buy 18/20 T-shirts because a 14/16 doesn’t fit. When I was pregnant I bought some Size 18 T-Shirts from Primark and they had enough extra fabric in them to cover my bump rather than me spend out extra on maternity shirts. I bought a jumper in Tesco once, it was a Size 18 and I thought it would be baggy, it actually came up so tight that it kept riding up.

This post started about my clothes but as I’ve been writing it I’ve noticed that even Jaxon’s clothes aren’t really matching up size wise. He’s now almost 19 months and today he’s gone for a nap in a 2-3-year-old shirt and has a pair of 4-5-year-old pyjamas that although they are long in the leg the shirt is snug. He’s not overweight, he’s not particualry tall for his age (or at least I don’t think he is) and yet his clothes can be different depending on which shop I purchased them from. 

Then you’ve got Our Sidekick who is very tall and skinny. He has trouble finding clothes that are thin enough round the waist not to fall down bit long enough in the leg so he doesn’t look like he’s wearing shorts. 

Why can’t there be a universal sizing chart or something like that? Don’t even get me started on the differences in styles between girls and boys either!