Shopping in large French department stores like the Galeries Lafayette in Paris can be a heady experience. What woman wouldn't want to spend at least one afternoon trying on the latest fashions? To make the experience even more enjoyable (and less mysterious!) we offer the following conversion charts for women's sizes in the USA, the UK and France. Please visit again soon for a future article on menswear.
| Basic Apparel In Europe, dress size depends on both height a figure type. Junior is suitable for a height between 5'2" and 5' 5" with a slender figure. Misses is suitable for women between 5'5" and 5'7" with a well proportioned figure. Women's is suitable for ladies 5'5" through 5'8" with a fuller and rounder figure. Women's sizes do not correspond to bust measurements. A half size is somewhat shorter than a misses size and a bit fuller and rounder. A petite size is somewhat shorter than a misses size, with heights running from 4'8" to 5'4". The more expensive the dress, the more likely the manufacturer is to label the dress with a size or two smaller than its true size. The following is a general conversion chart to get you started. As always, it's best to try the garment on before purchasing anything. |
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| Bra Size Note: cup size is the same
in all Western countries - Just as in America, European bra sizes consist of the band size (a number) and the cup size (a letter). The band size is found by measuring around the rib cage just below the bust line, adding 5, and rounding up to the nearest even number. The cup size is found by measuring along the fullest part of the bust and subtracting the band size. The letters correspond to the result as follows: A (1"), B (2"), C (3"), D (4"), DD (5"), and DDD (6"). Conversion Example: If your bra size in the United States is 36C, it is the same in the UK, 96C in France, and 80C on the global European scale. |
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Ladies Shoes In the USA, each whole shoe size differs by 1/3 of an inch. In Europe, whole shoe sizes differ by 2/3 of a centimeter (about 1/4 of an inch). This makes the correspondences between US and European shoe sizes only approximate. European shoe sizes are the same for men and women. In the US a woman's shoe is about 1 to 1-1/2 sizes greater than the same length men's shoe. Infant shoe sizes run from 0 (4 inches) to 13 (8-1/4 inches). These correspond to European sizes 15 to 31. Boy's shoe sizes run from 1 (8-1/2 inches) to 12 (12-1/4 inches). Girl's shoe sizes run from 1 (8-1/4 inches) to 9-1/2 (11 inches). Add 1 to the boy's size to get the equivalent girl's size. Of course, there's a lot of variability, so it is imperative to try on a shoe before purchasing. If the shoe fits, wear it.
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Due to popular demand here is a list (Junonia, Avenue, Torrid ...etc..) of internet Plus-Size stores with Coupon Codes.
For men's sizes, please visit Men's Clothing Size Conversions (USA, France & UK)