clothes-sizes-standardisation

Clothes Sizes, Standardisation, Lack Thereof

We live in an age where we can construct machines out of individual molecules. Where we can dig tunnels from both sides of a sea and meet at the middle. Where aircraft are assembled seamlessly from parts produced across a continent. Any yet, we don't have standard clothes sizes.

Now, I don't like clothes shopping. At all. Consequently, I have put it off until I now find myself with one or two pairs of jeans that fit and a few that are too big, a few tshirts, and one pair of shoes. The worst is shoes, as you actually have to ask for sizes, thus it is awkward if you get it wrong first time. My current ones are a European size which approximates to UK size 11 (about US size 12). They're too small now, so will have to move up slightly. But to what? And in which incompatible scheme? Argh!!!

Then clothes. Jeans are sized in terms of two variables, both in inches. Theoretically, then, the same waist size should be the same for all of them. It isn't, though. My two pairs of waist size 30 jeans are significantly different. For tshirts, it's even vaguer, "Small", "Medium" and "Large". Which aren't defined at all, and vary to an amazing extent between brands.

Honestly, would some sort of simple standard be too much to ask for?