Vintage Clothing Sizes Explained: Why a Vintage 14 Fits Like a Modern 6

Vintage sizes run much smaller than modern ones. A size 14 dress from the 1950s was cut for roughly a 32 to 35.5 inch bust (depending on whether it followed pattern sizing or the 1958 standard), which today is about a size 2 to 6, depending on the brand. US sizing was never truly standard, and the numbers drifted down over the decades as makers flattered customers with smaller sizes. Ignore the number on the label and go by measurements. A size label can also help date a garment, because the size systems changed at known points.

Quick answer

• Never buy or sell vintage by the size number. Measure bust, waist, hips and length, and compare them with your body or a garment that fits.
• A 1950s or 1960s size 12 was cut for roughly a 32 to 34 inch bust. A size 12 under the 1995 and 2011 ASTM standards is cut for about 37.5 to 39 inches.
• In one widely cited comparison, a 32-inch bust was a size 14 in Sears' 1937 catalog, a size 8 in 1967 and a size 0 in 2011.
• Sewing pattern sizes changed in the late 1960s, so a pattern marked 12 from 1960 and one from 1970 fit different bodies.
• Odd-numbered sizes (7, 9, 11) are junior sizes. Half sizes (12 1/2, 14 1/2) are for shorter women with a lower bust.

Why vintage sizes are so different

Men's sizes were worked out early, based mostly on chest measurement. The US army used standard sizes for ready-made uniforms by the War of 1812. Women's sizes proved much harder, because women's figures vary far more, and early attempts based only on bust size did not work well.

The main attempts to standardize US women's sizes:

After the federal standard was withdrawn, each company set its own sizes, and "vanity sizing" (labeling garments smaller than their measurements) pulled the numbers down further.

How women's sizes changed: the tables

These tables use body measurements in inches. Garments are cut larger than the body to allow ease, so a garment's flat measurements will be bigger than the body measurements in the tables.

Ready-to-wear standard sizes (misses)

In the 2011 revision of ASTM D5585 a size 8 has a bust of about 36 1/4 inches, so the same number kept moving.

Sewing pattern sizes

Home-sewn garments are a large share of vintage clothing, and pattern sizes changed separately from ready-to-wear. The Du Barry / Woolworth pattern charts show the shift:

Two things stand out. Pattern sizes from before the mid-1950s ran very small (a size 14 for a 32-inch bust). Pattern sizing was reset in the late 1960s, which is why sewers and pattern collectors talk about "before and after 1967". Other pattern companies had their own charts: a 1947 McCall's chart gives a size 14 as 32 / 26.5 / 35, close to Du Barry's.

Size categories you will meet on vintage labels

Half sizes and bust-numbered women's sizes are much less common on modern labels, so meeting them is a mild sign of an older garment. They are not exact dating clues on their own.

How to tell if a vintage garment will fit

Labels are the least reliable guide. Measurements are what count.

1. Lay the garment flat and measure across the bust (armpit to armpit), across the waist and across the hips. Double each figure to get the circumference.
2. Measure length from the shoulder seam to the hem, and the sleeve from shoulder seam to cuff.
3. Check the shoulders and back. Mid-century fitted garments are often narrow across the shoulders and short in the back waist length. The PS 42-70 misses table, for example, assumes a back-waist length of about 15 1/4 to 16 inches.
4. Compare with a garment that fits you well rather than with your bare body measurements. That builds in the right amount of ease automatically.
5. Remember the foundation garments. Much mid-century clothing was cut to be worn over girdles and shaped bras, which changes where the bust and waist sit.
6. Look at the seam allowances if you hope to alter it. Some have room to let out; others are trimmed close to the stitching and leave nothing.

The Vintage Fashion Guild publishes free measurement charts showing where to measure dresses, jackets, trousers, shirts and more. Our guide to photographing and listing vintage shows which measurements buyers expect.

Size as a dating clue

Size labels can narrow a date range, but only alongside other evidence:

• Small numbers for large measurements (a garment measuring 36 inches at the bust labeled size 6) point to recent decades.
• Large numbers for small measurements (a 32-inch bust labeled 14 or 16) point to mid-century or earlier.
• Separate size tags in hats were common in the 1930s and 1940s, according to the Vintage Fashion Guild.
• Shoe widths: vintage shoes from before the 1970s are usually marked with letter widths (AAAA to DDD, as in "7AA"). Later shoes use N, M and W.

Garments made outside the US followed other size systems entirely. European dress sizes, British sizes and Japanese sizes all have their own histories, so the US tables above only apply to US-made or US-market clothing.

Why sizing matters for price

Many mid-century garments are small by modern standards, so measurements decide how many buyers can actually wear a piece, and that affects how easily it sells. Our pricing guide and vintage dress values cover this in more detail.

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Sources

• Wikipedia — US standard clothing size
• Wikipedia — Vanity sizing (pattern size tables and Sears comparison)
• Vintage Fashion Guild — Clothing Measurement Charts
• Vintage Fashion Guild — Quick Tips for Dating Vintage