Too small for the sale!

Yay! So the good news is that the half- yearly/ pre- Ramadan sales are on at many stores. The bad news? Well they are mostly of no use to me 😦

Women folk who are reading this, if you can turn up at a store, just eyeball a couple of pieces and then pick your size, try it on and leave with a ton of stuff, then HALLELUJAH! You are truly blessed. You probably have no idea how one feels when you look for the smallest size in the store, and then find out that it ain’t small enough. Or to be told to look in the kids section.

To make matters worse, the sizes run big here in the Middle- East I think. I’m not sure if it the case everywhere, but it is the case at least in the UAE and Qatar. For eg. M&S start from size 8 apparently and this what their website says on their sizing guide-

Source- http://outlet.marksandspencer.com/info/womengeneral

Now ladies, go on and try a pair of size 8 trousers at the store (if you are a size 8 according to this guideline). You will be able to shove in you waist and your handbag into the trousers for sure. 26? Hahaha

The H&M sizes also run along the same vein. BHS does far better, though they too don’t seem to carry the “smaller” sizes. But the BHS 8 seems to be an 8 at least.

The ZARA XXS is great, but finding it is like finding a shawarma at 10 AM. Splash sizes also tend to run bigger. A Matalan store in Qatar (finally!) got me excited, but the excitement soon fizzled out thanks to their ‘start-at-8-that-isn’t- really-8″ policy.

The sales assistant told me they start at 8, and then I go and find myself a 6 at Splash! Is it printed wrong?

MAX start at 10 😦

The US size 4 at Zara is still not small enough.

Atleast the Bhs 8 is better off

MANGO does all the petite girls a huge favour!

But seriously, what’s with all the uneven, inconsistent sizing?

Speaking from experience, if you are size 8 (the real “8”) or smaller, the best bet for finding a pair of decent- fitting, formal trousers would be Mango or ZARA. Of course you are welcome to try everywhere else too, you never know when you ‘luck- out’. Also, a couple of stores at Ezdaan mall (one being New Yorker) and Old Navy have authentic 6s and 8s.

Also, if by some rare chance you are a size 35 in shoes, then stock up on insoles and padded socks folks. You ain’t gonna find shoes in Doha!

I asked the sales assistant at M & S here for size 2 shoes a while ago, just for fun (I know they don’t exist here).  She gave me a downright scornful, condescending look, and told me slowly (as though asking for size 2 shoes made me retarded or dumb) SUCH. A SIZE. DOES. NOT. EXIST. MADAME.

I wear size 3 shoes (actual size 2.5) with insoles many times, and size 35 shoes in the UK are called size two, but apparently they are not taught that in training.

Source- ZARA

Even a size 3 shoe is a rare sight in Doha.

Almost all the multi- national stores from abroad have their own range of petite clothing, but apparently there is no use for them here!

Ignorance is truly bliss! To the lovely lady at … (Source River Island website)

More (Source Clarks website)

Sigh!

Till next time..

Dr J.