I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner as a sewist: womens’ sizing has changed a lot over the years! Anyone who is interested in vintage sewing patterns (I have quite the collection) will know that sizing was not the same back in the day. I can be a size 16-20 in old patterns from the 30s-90s, even though in today’s sizing I fit a size 6 on top and an 8-12 on bottom (depending on the retailer). So what has that got to do with thrifting? Well, most stores sort by the tag size, which means a lot of vintage clothing that would fit me ends up in the plus size section. For years, I would sort through the straight sizing sections and never find any pants that fit my body, so I pretty much just gave up thrifting pants. But soon after I began my sewing journey, it finally clicked! If I wanted to find vintage pants that fit, I had to look at vintage sizing. Normally when shopping at non-thrift stores, I had learned to not pay attention to sizing, and just see what fits best; and obviously I am privileged to not be completely between sizes and can get all of my clothes at straight-size retailers, which is not the case for a lot of women. Even at second-hand shops, they typically have “plus” sized clothing in a different part of the store, which is why I never thought to check there. I think it would be helpful if stores didn’t segregate plus and straight sizing; this fight for more inclusive sizing still has a long way to go - even when shopping second-hand. All this to say, if you’re someone like me who struggles with clothes, I share a lot about that, as well as thrifting, sewing, and slow life in my heritage apartment. #thriftedfashion #vintageaesthetic #scandistyle #coastalgrandmother #thrifttips #midsizefashion #redshirt