An extra-medium--that's me!

While I prefer to shop at Chico's, where I know the merchandise and how, with the exception of slacks and jeans*, everything will fit, I occasionally fall under the spell of the mail order catalog. I leaf through them, mark what looks interesting with a fold down to the corner, and try to hide it from my finding it again. But they're persistent, these mail order people, and another one will usually follow on its heels. Sometimes, I succumb.

The results are mixed; I hate sending things back, but I will. However, I have found one rule of thumb: If a Medium size isn't a 10-12, pass it by. This is what a friend calls extra-medium. (I wish I could remember which XM friend said that.)

I can't wear an 8-10. Too small. 12-14: probably too large. As to the single sizes--8, 10, 12, for example--I have to have a real good feel for the item, like, it doesn't have a waistline and the shape could be mainly described as drape.

Shoes are a different matter. I'm a 7. I was a 7 when I was 12, my feet didn't grow after I was pregnant, and I'm still a 7. Good ol' feet. Of course, they're a little XM on the wide side...

*From personal experience, no two pair, identical in cut and manufacturer will ever fit the same. Or, maybe, it's just me.