H (and) M Clothing - Lost In Translation

Over the weekend I made my way to the White Flint Mall and Montgomery Mall (sorry, Westfield Montgomery) because it was about time I replaced two dress pants (I don't like writing "pairs of pants"). The first stores I went to were places like Banana Republic and H & M. Banana's prices, not surprisingly, were just a wee bit too high, even with a gift card so that left H & M. I hate shopping and only spend a minute or two browsing the selection before moving on. Well at H & M, I found two pants that looked formal enough for my needs in the first 30 seconds so I gave them a shot. I got my size and one above just to be safe. Unfortunately, I really should have found pants at least 8-10 sizes above my normal waist.

I know the tape says inches, but H & M thinks it's centimeters.

I was warned by my cohort that H & M clothes are small, but this was ridiculous. I couldn't get my real size up to my waist in the first place (and no, it's not because I'm in some sort of size-denial). The next size didn't help much either. I went back and looked for my size +8, but at the time that size wasn't on the rack so I left. I went to a department store in the Montgomery Mall and bought two pants in my normal size without issue. This begs the question, why are H & M clothes so much smaller than their sizes? Perhaps something is lost in the size translation from Europe. I don't know. If anything, I'd make clothes a little larger than the printed size so everyone feels better about themselves.

I know how ya feel.