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It's not a dress size that is fat, it's a person. Dress size is neutral. US dress size 8 is a waist of 27 inches and hips of 38. If you happen to have a large bust compared to waist and hips, or large hips, dresses that fit your bust size won't fit your hips and vice versa.
Clothing stores can make it difficult to put a number on plus-size. Some departments may designate a size 12 as plus-size while others use a size 14. But according to Modeling Wisdom, plus-size models often fall into the range of sizes 8 to 12. Sometimes, even a size 6 can be considered.
A women's size 8 is not considered plus size, it is considered middle size. Middle sizes are size 6–12. They are the cutoff point for petite and plus size. A plus size person is size 14 and beyond.
“Straight” sizes refer to sizes small through large for women, or sizes 0-14. Straight sizes are more commonly found in U.S. retailers than extended and plus sizes, though it's more and more common for an average adult woman to fall into the plus size range.
The application of the term varies from country to country, and according to which industry the person is involved in. According to PLUS Model magazine, "In the fashion industry, plus size is identified as sizes 18 and over, or sizes 1X-6X and extended size as 7X and up".
Fit models need not have the editorial and runway figures printed in magazines but their job requires them to be well-toned and maintain consistent body weight, whether petite or plus-sized. With ideal size 6 or 8 physiques, fit models play a very important role in how the clothes we buy actually fit.
I found a chart at a site called “stitchfix” that says that Size 8 is the same as “medium”, and women anywhere from under 5 feet tall to over 6 feet tall, and from 120 pounds to 160 pounds can fit in a Size 8 garment. It's crazy! What size would a woman who weighs 180-200 lbs. wear?
For example, if your measurements were 36-inch bust, 28-inch waist, and 38-inch hips, you'd fall into the “M” or medium size and US Womens Size 8.
This is what might politely be called the chubby category, with body mass indexes (a measure of weight for height) of 25 to 30. A woman, for instance, who is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs between 146 and 175 pounds.
The Difference Between Plus-Size & Size-Inclusive
“Plus-size” is defined as any size above 18. Despite plus-sized people being the majority in Australia, clothing that is not plus-sized, also referred to as “straight” sized, is considered the standard.
Plus-size clothing is generally considered a women's size 18 and beyond. “Missy” or “straight” sizes range from 00–16/18, XXS–XXL whereas plus sizes range from 12W–28W, 0X–4X and greater. You might think plus sizes are just extended straight sizes, but guess again.
Straight sizes are generally considered to be 0 to 8, and plus sizes are conventionally known as 16 and up. That would put the midsize range from 10 to 14.
You can be any size from 2-18 and above and be considered petite, though you won't necessarily find all of those sizes readily available from fashion brands in the UK. The majority of petite fashion brands sell clothing in sizes 8-14.
As an average, a Medium is likely to be a around a size 12. Generally a Small will be an AU 8-10 and a Large an AU 14-16. An Extra Small is likely to be a size 6, with an Extra Large likely to be a size 18.