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Hips vs Waist size?
Brand variation?
Oddly (just a weird side issue):
What is actually in the stores around here is kind of hit and miss weird. They will have different sizes in a certain style/cut and next in totally different style other sizes in a different styles with some sizes missing completely. Is it normal to have to mail order panties because they are NOT in the stores?
Another issue is I have always purchased one size under what the label would indicate when buying male underwear.
>i< ..::
Comments
Depends on the style of Panties!
It's a minefield the best advice I can give is you know your dress size then buy some inexpensive panties in your dress size to try (don't take the labels off or remove the hygiene strip then when you try them on at home (with a thin pair of panties underneath) if the don't fit you take them back and either go smaller or bigger whatever
I take a size 12 in clothes and for thongs, hi rise and hipster panties I go with hip size. The panties I wear go nowhere near my waist so I can't comment of waist size!
There will be a size on them somewhere even if its in clothes size for example I get size 10 to 12 (UK) in most panties but for a thong I wear a 10 which for some reason fit's better. Oh and you got it spot on as the make does affect the size I generally find the more upmarket or sexy the weirder the sizing is so a 10 often becomes a 12 but you get to know the brands that have smaller sizes - somehow they are always smaller very rarely bigger - another of life's mysteries!
Christina
I would never buy mail order as I like to see them in person - but that's just me.
Sizes are all proprietary :P
I usually go for comfort more than sexiness, so the only brand I'm highly familiar with in terms of sizing is Hanes. That said, buy based on hip measurements; most styles nowadays are usually pretty low rise unless you intentionally go for the high waisted types. Typically bikinis and even boy shorts will ride very low on the hips, for instance.
One important thing to keep an eye on, though, is material. Less giving fabrics you may want to consider a larger size on, like Lycra "control" fabrics, while very forgiving fabrics can sometimes be even trickier to judge depending on what kind of fit you want. Eventually you'll learn how to roughly judge fit just by style and fabric alone, though yes, manufacturer can make a big difference too and should never be discounted.
Oh, and keep an eye out on the bands around your legs, too, since some styles can be uncomfortably tight there as well, regular briefs in particular tending toward an assumption of chicken legs.
After something like 12 years not looking, I think I'd have a harder time judging men's, to be honest :)
Melanie E.
Ooooppppphhhhh...
Because so much depends upon the manufacturer and the country they were produced in, your best bet is to check the sizing chart that almost all manufactures put on-line. Many retailers also post the sizing charts on line. But be forewarned...the sizes will vary with the style of panty as well and 's', 'm','l', xl' and all that go right out the window without an accompanying waist measurement. Then...to top it all off...European sizing is completely different!!!
Peace to You from a semi-well clad brat...
Kelly
The only way...
The only way you really KNOW is to try one on (over your own)... You will make mistakes (some will seem like they fit at the store, but not when you get home). It is probably worse to buy to small than to large.
Stretch is a GOOD thing! It allows for less than perfect fits. Non-lacy are more forgiving than lacy. The lace can stretch, but over a short time it forgets how to contract back, so they tend to slide.
Believe it or not, you can actually find pantie styles that mimic Jockey style men's briefs (I doubt they FIT like briefs though).
If you have a guy shape - the ones that have a "high waist" will probably end up "rolling" down to your guy waist from the expected woman's waist location (near belly button rather than at top of hip bone).
But, from the same vendor, two different styles can have a very different fit, despite allegedly having the same size. (Bras have similar issues - in that two different bras from the same vendor that allegedly have the same size can fit VERY differently.)
Once you find a style that fits (it can be challenging) get several pair! Vendors can/will CHANGE how a given style fits over time... And, if you are on/go on HRT, YOUR shape can/will change as well.
As to mail order vs. buy in store... It depends on your store and size - quite a lot. This is true for those assigned women to begin with as well. My daughters went shopping over the weekend. the 18 yr old had no trouble finding quite a few at Victoria's Secret. Her 27 yr old sister (very similar size, but not identical) found ONE pair that fit... Despite many supposedly in her size.
Good luck,
Annette
Shape and cut is probably the
Shape and cut is probably the main source of your problem. The lower the waistband sits on the (slim female) shape, the wider it has to be at the same size.
Some cuts won't fit on plus sizes, others won't fit on minus sizes. That's why they are not manufactured in those sizes.