So I thought I'd do some market research on sizing. I have always liked the idea of being a size ten...I would love to pick up a pair of jeans and see that lovely number stamped on the tag and be able to slide them on with ease. But what is a size ten?

So during my googling I came across many websites telling me that Australia doesn't have a standard sizing for women or men. Just for kids. Well that makes it more difficult doesn't it! This is why you can be a size 16 at one shop and a size 12 at the next. Apparently it's all to do with flattery in some stores and selection of 'preferred' body types in others....So if you're actually bigger the store might mark you down a size so you'll get all excited and buy the item...where as others might mark you up outside their "standard" range so that you can't wear their clothes at all. Oh the world we live in!

Many of the more prestigious brands I searched didn't even offer a sizing guide. I couldn't find one for Myer Miss Shop, Cue, Review (I love their range, one day I might fit!), the list goes on. Not surprisingly for the lower end on the chain they're happy to give me that information without any hesitation.

So,  what I found is in the tables below....... I have no idea where I fit! And the stupid thing is a centimeter is such a tiny unit of measurement. Why are some of these brands a single centimeter different?  Why do some favour bigger hips? It's all so bizarre

SIZE TEN	Big W	Kmart	Target	Portman’s	Just Jeans	Cotton on	Country Road	Supre
Bust	90	90	87	91	89.5	90	89	89
Waist	70	70	68	72	70	70	69	69
Hips	95	95	93	98	97	95	96	99

SIZE TWELVE	Big W	Kmart	Target	Portman’s	Just Jeans	Cotton on	Country Road	Supre
Bust	95	95	92	96	94.5	95	94	94
Waist	75	75	73	77	75	75	74	74
Hips	100	100	98	103	102	100	101	104

SIZE FOURTEEN	Big W	Kmart	Target	Portman’s	Just Jeans	Cotton on	Country Road	Supre
Bust	100	100	97	101	99.5	100	99	99
Waist	80	80	78	82	80	80	79	76
Hips	105	105	103	108	107	105	106	109

Oh, and for a laugh, can you make sense of this sizing guide? Because I sure as hell couldn't figure it out! Why is the size fourteen smaller than the size eight? Why is the extra extra extra small 84cm or 84" on the hips?  I don't think most girls in an XXL would have a hip measurement exceeding 220cm...

I think I might just aim for clothes that fit well.... what a ridiculous country we live in!

S.