Know Thyself, Part 1 -- Your Size

The KEY to making smart, stylish choices is to know yourself -- your style, your shape, your size, your lifestyle, and your budget. Sure, that chinchilla fur coat looks awesome on a model, a Real Housewife of Detroit (it's inevitable) or a New York socialite, but you live in Florida and it costs THOUSANDS. No matter how much you make, how you justify your purchase (imaginary ski trip to the Alps), you will end up regretting the purchase because (a) you wear it twice a year TOPS (b) it makes you look like Chewbacca on a humid day and (c) you're wearing roadkill. Even if this baby is on sale, it's not worth your time and money.

But before you can even find the right, practical thing to buy, you have to know your size. Be honest to yourself. I've bought countless items on sale because I think maybe if I skipped that In-n-Out burger or only eat two plates at a buffet, I can maybe squeeze into that gorgeous form-fitting Vena Cava dress size 0 with no stretch and no zipper. Well, it's not happening. Because you will always eat the buffet and you will always hate the treadmill. That is not to say that you won't lose weight. You will someday (that's what I keep telling myself anyway), but you're buying clothes today for your body today.

Take an honest look at yourself and get a measuring tape. Don't Rachael Ray the whole thing by "eyeballing" it. Don't guesstimate. Take your own measurements. At the very least, you need to know --

• Your bust size, at the fullest point
• Your waist, about 1-2 inches above your belly button
• Your hips, at the fullest point
• Your height (if you don't know already)
• Your shoe size (if you don't know already)

But if you have someone to help you, you should also find out --

• Your inseam, from your crotch to your ankles
• Your calf size, for those knee high boots that you love
• The width of your shoulders
• Your sleeve length
• Your head circumference, if you're a hat person

Then use the standard chart to find out what size you are roughly. There is a lot of size inflation (a.k.a. vanity sizing) out there, especially among American mass retailers like GAP, J. Crew and Ann Taylor. Traditionally, there is no size 0. ZERO means no, nada, nothing. No one likes her existence to be negated. But the standard practice of size inflation is to reduce a size. Once you go below 2, which is conventionally the smallest size, retailers were forced to start calling people zero or nonexistent. So if I'm generally a size 2, I would expect to buy Gap XS or 0. Or, in other words, Gap says I don't exist.

Always check the brand's size chart against your own size. When in doubt, order two sizes to try. Generally, American brands tend to be a size bigger than European brands or Japanese brands, so the safe bet is to size down. For example, whenever I buy from European or UK retailers like TopShop, Mango or ASOS, I go to up a size. Instead of buying a UK equivalent of US 2, I get a UK equivalent of US 4.

But most importantly, build a mental library of sizes by trying various brands and see which size fits you best. If you always shop certain brands, you can easily (and quickly) grab the right size before anyone else gets her sweaty paws on it. You will score the best deals fast.

Women's (Misses') Size Conversion Chart

US	US (L)	UK	Europe	Italy	Australia	Japan
2	X-Small	4	32	36	6	5
4	Small	6	34	38	8	7
6	Small	8	36	40	10	9
8	Medium	10	38	42	12	11
10	Medium	12	40	44	14	13
12	Large	14	42	46	16	15
14	Large	16	44	48	18	17
16	X-Large/1X	18	46	50	20	19
18	1X/2X	20	48	52	22	21
20	2X	22	50	54	22	23
22	3X	24	52	56	24	25
24	3X	26	54	58	26	27

Misses’ sizes

5'5"–5'6" (165-168 cm) tall, average bust, average back
Dimension/Size	2	4	6	8	10	12	14	16	18	20
Bust	32-34	34	34	35	36	37½	39	40½	42	44
Waist	22-24½	25½	26½	27½	28½	30	31½	33	34½	36½
Hip	33-35½	36½	37½	38½	39½	41	42½	44	45½	47½
Back-waist length	14½	14¾	15½	15¾	16	16¼	16½	16¾	17	17¼

As for those under 5'4 or over 5'6, if you can find clothes in Petite or Tall sizes, buy them. Contrary to popular belief, Petite doesn't just mean that you have shorter legs and shorter arms, it also means you have smaller arms, a shorter torso and a shorter rise. Tall, too, doesn't just mean that you have longer legs and arms, it also means you have a longer torso and longer rise. Retailers account for those differences in Petite or Tall sizes. So it may be beneficial for you to buy those sizes. Some retailers do special sizes better than others. I've found that among the American mass retailers, Ann Taylor probably produces the most flattering petite clothes. Whereas, J.Crew, for example, does not make petite well, in my opinion.

That said, the caveat is that not everyone is made the same (that's the fun part!). Some people are short but have proportionally long legs or tall people with proportionally short legs. That's where your measurements will come handy. You may find that you fit petite on top but regular on the bottom, and so on.

And then, there are Plus sizes. If you are plus size, you must try, try and try on clothes. This is a market that the fashion industry has had a hard time tapping into, mainly because of how difficult it is to make well-fitting plus size clothes. Retailers cannot simply make clothes larger, because different people carry weight differently. Retailers also have different templates for plus sizes, some will suit you but not others and vice versa. So don't get bogged down by the actual size, just go out there and put some clothes on!

For some of you (those who like small clothes, those who like cheap clothes, those who like both) sometimes it will be tempting to buy Juniors. But resist the urge! Unless you're built like a teenage girl (small bust and hips, no defined waist), juniors will not flatter you. Furthermore, juniors tend to be made with lesser material and much too trendy. You just may end up tossing your $12.99 of a bargain away in a few months. What a waste! HOWEVER! There are a few instances that juniors might work. Unstructured pieces like sweaters or tee-shirts may be okay, but I wouldn't attempt wearing juniors clothes for other items.

Coming up, more on saving, style and shopping...