Dress size

[JerseyGrl81]

I am nervous that I ordered my wedding dress too big. I ordered the Anjolique 930 in a size 12. My everyday clothes is a size 4. The bridal shop recommended the size 12 to me, based on my measurements. She said to order based on my largest measurement which is my chest. She said that it is no problem taking the dress in if needed. I hope she is right. Do you think I will be okay?

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Hmm, I wonder if you can change it?

I am a street size 4 and ordered a 10 in the Anjolique 930--I wish I''d ordered an 8. If I remember correctly, I was a 2 in the chest (great), an 8/10 in the waist (I have a 27-inch waist) and a 6 in the hips. They ordered a 10 to be safe, but I still needed a little taken in around the waist. I had a ton taken in around the chest and hips.

Hopefully others will chime in, I know Mimzy just got married in the 930 and she might be able to share her experience. Bee also has a similar style, though I know hers hasn''t come in yet.

 

[DiamanteBlu]

Remember that wedding dress sizes have nothing to do with street clothes sizes [where "vanity sizing" has taken over]. You will have to order a much larger number than your street clothes number to get the same size.

This phenomenon can also be seen in pattern sizing. One day I had a passing thought of sewing something for myself [seemed like a good idea at the time - LOL!]. I looked at the pattern size numbers and noticed that they only went down to a 4 [I was in a 2 - 4 size in street clothes]. I assumed they only made patterns for fatter people until I noticed the measurements. The hips on the size 4 measured 31.5! The joke was on me! I crept up and saw that I would need a size 12 in order to get enough fabric to go around my "giant" 36" hips! That sure taught me a lesson on sizing. For your entertainment, here is the measurement chart.

Many designer lines have also avoided vanity sizing so you feel fatter when you try those on too.

 

[kittybean]

Despite the difference in street sizes and bridal gown sizes, I am concerned that a 12 may be quite a bit too big for you. One of my friends is a street size 2-4 and will be wearing a wedding dress in size 6 in Vera Wang. Two of my bridesmaids wear size 4 in street clothes, and they ordered a 6 and an 8 in their Watters bridesmaids'' dresses.

It never hurts to double-check, so I would try and take a look at how your measurements correspond with the Anjolique size chart. Maybe the salesperson made a mistake? Going from a 4 to a 12 seems like a pretty big jump, regardless of the vanity sizing in street clothes.

 

[angielea]

From the size chart, anjolique 12 has a 38 inch bust, 29 inch waist and 40 inch hips. How do your measurements add up, if you don''t mind me asking?

I had to order a pronovias size 16, but I''m a size 12, so not nearly the jump that you had.

Here''s the size chart link, if interested

http://www.victoriasbridalcouture.com/anjoliquesizechart.html

 

[Blair138]

I am a 2 in street clothes and my Pronovias wedding gown is an 8-fits me nicely in the hips, not the chest

I probably will have to get it taken in lots because I seem to be losing weight!

 

[mimzy]

ooh.... i'm a size 8/9 and the anjolique 930 size 8 sample fit me perfectly, so that's what i ordered. i was surprised that it fit true to size, but it really did. my dress in the 8 fit me perfectly. i hope you can change it! (and if not i'm sure that alterations won't be a problem....maybe you can get the shop to pay for some of them since they sort of led you astray).

eta: i'm not sure what the chest measurement sizes are, but i am 34D and i had plenty of room in the bust of my dress!

 

[jstarfireb]

Ugh, this has always been my pet peeve. Wedding and bridesmaid dresses are sized for toothpick-thin models, and the bust/waist/hip measurements never "line up" for real women. Most real women have much bigger hip measurements than sizing charts allow for, meaning that the top has to be altered a lot just to get the dress to fit in the hips. I''m not a very big girl - I wear a street size 8 in jeans and 6 in tops - but based on that sizing chart, I''m a size 4 bust, 6-8 waist, and 12 hips! So why don''t they just change the proportions to fit real women? All it would take is bumping up the hip (and for a lot of women, also the bust) measurement within each size.

Rant aside, it''s better to err on the larger side, because dresses can always be taken in, but they can''t always be taken out. Very few designers leave a seam allowance to be taken out (Alfred Angelo does). Also, while it''s correct to go with your largest measurements, there''s a little secret out there that not everyone knows. If your dress is an A-line (yours isn''t, so it doesn''t really apply to you), and your hips are the largest measurement, disregard the measurement and just order based on bust and waist. A true A-line skirt (not "slim A-line" which really looks like more of a trumpet) has enough allowance for the hips, regardless of your hip size.

 

[JerseyGrl81]

I do remember when she measured me she said that my bust was 38 (I wear a 34D) and that is where the size 12 came from, but she measured me with my bra on. My other measurements were smaller than the size 12 measurements and she said that it wouldn't be a problem to alter the waist. She was the owner of the store, but not a seamstress. She said that the sides of the dress are simple to take in and could be altered a lot. I hope this is true, I am so confused

It just seems like a lot to be taken in and I am worried that it will change the look of the dress.

 

[JerseyGrl81]

Date: 12/29/2008 12:06:44 PM
Author: mimzy
ooh.... i''m a size 8/9 and the anjolique 930 size 8 sample fit me perfectly, so that''s what i ordered. i was surprised that it fit true to size, but it really did. my dress in the 8 fit me perfectly. i hope you can change it! (and if not i''m sure that alterations won''t be a problem....maybe you can get the shop to pay for some of them since they sort of led you astray).

eta: i''m not sure what the chest measurement sizes are, but i am 34D and i had plenty of room in the bust of my dress!

Mimzy- I looked at your wedding thread. You looked amazing!!!

 

[katamari]

You should also ask about D-cup sizing. I have tried on dresses by several designers that offer D-cup sizing which allows the dress to be ordered with a little more fabric in the bust for us busty ladies out there. The associate told me that this often saves a lot in alteration costs because you can get closer to all your measurements.

 

[mimzy]

Date: 12/29/2008 12:19:08 PM
Author: JerseyGrl81

Date: 12/29/2008 12:06:44 PM

Author: mimzy

ooh.... i'm a size 8/9 and the anjolique 930 size 8 sample fit me perfectly, so that's what i ordered. i was surprised that it fit true to size, but it really did. my dress in the 8 fit me perfectly. i hope you can change it! (and if not i'm sure that alterations won't be a problem....maybe you can get the shop to pay for some of them since they sort of led you astray).


eta: i'm not sure what the chest measurement sizes are, but i am 34D and i had plenty of room in the bust of my dress!

Mimzy- I looked at your wedding thread. You looked amazing!!!

aw thanks so much jerseygirl! that's so nice of you to say!


ETA: what size sample did you try on?

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Date: 12/29/2008 12:12:21 PM
Author: JerseyGrl81
I do remember when she measured me she said that my bust was 38 (I wear a 34D) and that is where the size 12 came from, but she measured me with my bra on. My other measurements were smaller than the size 12 measurements and she said that it wouldn''t be a problem to alter the waist. She was the owner of the store, but not a seamstress. She said that the sides of the dress are simple to take in and could be altered a lot. I hope this is true, I am so confused

It just seems like a lot to be taken in and I am worried that it will change the look of the dress.

I really think you''d have plenty of room in an 8 or 10 in that dress. The bust is very "ample" as my seamstress put it--she joked that the dress was made for a Pamela Anderson look-alike because there was more room than usual up there. I am a 32 C and had to have it taken in about 2 - 3" on each side (the bust alterations alone cost me about $400 because she had to hand-sew all of that beading back on).

Again, I am a 4 and wished I''d gone with the 8--I think that in a 12 you might have to do so much altering that it sort of changes the shape/look of the dress.

 

[JerseyGrl81]

Date: 12/29/2008 1:35:56 PM
Author: NewEnglandLady

Date: 12/29/2008 12:12:21 PM
Author: JerseyGrl81
I do remember when she measured me she said that my bust was 38 (I wear a 34D) and that is where the size 12 came from, but she measured me with my bra on. My other measurements were smaller than the size 12 measurements and she said that it wouldn''t be a problem to alter the waist. She was the owner of the store, but not a seamstress. She said that the sides of the dress are simple to take in and could be altered a lot. I hope this is true, I am so confused

It just seems like a lot to be taken in and I am worried that it will change the look of the dress.

I really think you''d have plenty of room in an 8 or 10 in that dress. The bust is very ''ample'' as my seamstress put it--she joked that the dress was made for a Pamela Anderson look-alike because there was more room than usual up there. I am a 32 C and had to have it taken in about 2 - 3'' on each side (the bust alterations alone cost me about $400 because she had to hand-sew all of that beading back on).

Again, I am a 4 and wished I''d gone with the 8--I think that in a 12 you might have to do so much altering that it sort of changes the shape/look of the dress.

That is what I am afraid of. I ordered the dress right after Thanksgiving and I already got a call that they have it in. I doubt they will exchange the size for me. I havent went to try it on yet.

 

[Nocturnius]

I don''t know, my wedding dress sizing was a disaster. [This is with a different brand, mind you.]

They measured me and recommended a size 6. I admitted to them I was nervous about ordering a 6, because I was never a 6 in ANYTHING. She insisted also that I should order for the biggest part - which was my hips. So I got a 6.

When it came in, it was ENORMOUS. I almost cried. It was huge! Then the seamstress came out and even she said "the BIGGEST she should have had was a 4." My chest was a 2, my waist was a 00, and my hips were a 4. I had to pay HALF what the dress cost for alterations (three inches were taken out of EACH side of the waist.)

I honestly would try to see if you could get it just a size smaller. I spoke to the dress fitter at another salon and she said, "almost all wedding dresses come in a little bigger than the posted measurements, just in case someone makes a mistake measuring."

 

[galvana]

Well I am a size 4 street size and I order my dress in a 10 based on measurements of my chest. I am a 34D.
You may be ok if you are REALLY busty.

my dress is a maggie sotter w/ corset back, does yours have one? if she recommended getting the 12 and said taking it in will be fine, that i would hold her to that!

 

[honey22]

If they have messed up the sizing, I would think they would have to reorder you a new one. I know dresses can be taken in, but I worry that taking a dress in several sizes would affect the look of the dress.

 

[JerseyGrl81]

Date: 12/29/2008 6:16:30 PM
Author: iloveprincesscuts
Well I am a size 4 street size and I order my dress in a 10 based on measurements of my chest. I am a 34D.
You may be ok if you are REALLY busty.

my dress is a maggie sotter w/ corset back, does yours have one? if she recommended getting the 12 and said taking it in will be fine, that i would hold her to that!

My dress doesnt have a corset on the back it zippers up and then you button over it. It would be so much easier with a corset back- they dont have to be the "perfect" size, since you have control of how tight you make them. You made me feel better about the size you got. I guess my best bet is to go in and try the dress on and speak with the seamstress. If she thinks there is a problem hopefully they will reorder in the correct size. My wedding isn''t until August so I know there is time to reorder- it they are willing to do so.

 

[galvana]

Yes please dont worry, i really think you will be fine. The dress may need to be taken in a bit but not too much-
In finding my dress, i tried on a few 12''s that were just a tiny bit too big BUT they fit, its so odd how the sizes are done in bridal gowns.
I tried on 8''s, 10''s and 12''s and most fit, the 8''s were snug on chest, really snug! 10''s were good and 12''s were just a bit big.

If you are really worried, go to the shoppe and try on any Anjolique in a size 12 to see how it/they fit you - that can ease your mind a bit until your dress comes in.