Like it or not, ladies, size does matter. Muffin top, plumber's butt, back cleavage, armpit boob ... not a day goes by that you don't see way more of another woman's body than you want to. Why aren't modern women wearing clothing that fit them? How can you even tell if an article of clothing looks like the designer intended it to? Have no fear, the Fashion Informer is here!
For some reason, 90 percent of the friends I have shopped with think they are a size small. Don't ask me why this is, but girls in every shape and size somehow think that small is the only acceptable size to purchase, regardless of how it actually fits.
What these friends don't understand is either a) they haven't been a size small since grade nine, b) every clothing company has different sizing standards, or c) both.
I have clothing from Juicy Couture in sizes small, medium, large, and extra large and Miss Sixty jeans in every size from 28 to 31 - same company, same body, four different sizes.
Why? Because no two pieces of clothing are ever alike, and because I understand the cardinal rule of sizing: choose your size based on what the mirror says, not what the tag says.
For some reason, this cardinal rule is too often ignored. Call it ego, call it vanity, but females refuse to budge from what they believe is their size. Get over it, ladies! No one is ever going to see what the tag says except for you, so wouldn't you rather go a size up and buy a dress that flatters you, not flattens you?
I was shopping with a friend (who shall remain nameless) last year who browsed the racks of her fave designer and picked out a few items in size small to try on. She is not a size small. She tried on item after item, squeezing into each one and promptly discarding them because she "didn't like them."
I suggested she try a medium, but she scoffed at the idea, because "she was a small" and they "just weren't right for her." It's a shame, because she missed out on some really unique pieces, all because of a silly tag.
At least she didn't buy them. I've stood by friends at the cash register, cringing, because I know that the shirt they are about to buy gapes at the buttons, and the shirt they should be buying is lonely on the racks, the "Large" tag rendering it an outcast.
Clothing should work for you, not vice versa. That is to say, never buy something a size too small because you want to try to fit into it - it will never look good on you.
Always bring more than one size of an item to the dressing room with you, and try on both sizes, no matter what. Does it highlight your waist? Hide your tummy? Thin your thighs? Accentuate your widest part or smallest part?
Clothing is meant to make you look good, so don't ever settle for anything mediocre. Look around you as you walk across campus today, and you'll see that this seemingly obvious advice is almost always ignored.
On the same note, just because something is in style does not mean that you should wear it. For example, I cannot wear thick belts on my waist, because a thick belt creates curves, so on someone who already has curves, it just makes me look fat.
I do, however, look good in longer shirts, because I have a short torso and these tops are lengthening. And skinny jeans are great for me, because they accentuate my long legs. Find out what styles look good on you, and stick with them.
Dressing fashionably makes you stand out, especially on this campus, where pajamas are considered acceptable in public. Make sure you stand out in a hey-she-looks-cool way, not a look-at-her-stomach-rolls way. It's okay and even encouraged that you experiment with fashion, but don't let any trend pass the experimentation phase unless it makes you feel comfortable, beautiful and sexy.
So what has the Fashion Informer taught us today? When buying clothing, check your pride at the dressing room door and let the mirror, not the tag or Glamour magazine, tell you what you should or should not purchase.
Trust me, you'll thank me later.
Jyll Saskin is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major.
