These Brands Love Them Some Vanity Sizing

We're all familiar with vanity sizing, right? It's the reason a size six fits you perfectly in some stores and is waaaay too big in others. Sizing just isn't standardized across the market, unfortunately, which can make shopping an incredibly stressful experience. How do we know which of our favorite brands are guilty of this common practice? According to StyleCaster, social shopping network Fitbay put together infographics on vanity sizing to help us find out.

Fitbay is an app that helps you find clothing that actually fits your body, making them a perfect brand to delve further into the question of vanity sizing. By assessing how frequently women have to "size up" or "size down," the company was able to figure out which stores frequently makke use of vanity sizing. According to their data, brands like LOFT, J. Crew, and Gap are most guilty of selling larger clothing with smaller size numbers to women, while American Eagle is the number one culprit for menswear.

"There are a lot of dynamics that come into play," Fitbay CEO Christian Wylonis told Racked (who published their own analysis of vanity sizing practices this past summer). "People have a tendency to think of themselves as a smaller size than they are in reality, and there are certain brands that tend to increase the size of clothing so that people fit into a smaller size." So maybe that's why I love shopping at Free People so much?

Another interesting fact from the data, pointed out by Racked? "Seventy percent of women have to size down when shopping at LOFT, while almost 40 percent of shoppers have to buy a size up at American Apparel because the clothing runs small." I found this fascinating because one of the reasons I'm obsessed with shopping at LOFT is because, as a petite woman with moderate curves, it's one of the only stores that stocks pants and dresses which perfectly fit my frame. American Apparel clothing, on the other hand, often makes me feel ridiculous because of how tight and ill-fitting it is.

Check out the Fitbay infographics below to see where your most treasured brands fall.

Images: Getty Images, Fitbay