She handed the 46 back over the fitting room door. Then she tried it, and got very quiet.
It started as a measurement
Roughly your bust in centimeters, halved. A bust of 84 gives a 42, which is an American 6.
It has been moving for decades
Vanity sizing relabels the same body smaller every few years. Your mother's 12 will not go near today's 12.
Closer, not smaller
The shoulder sits where the shoulder is. The waist is placed rather than suggested. Less ease, everywhere.
Buys the widest point, alters the rest
Shoulder on a jacket, hip on a trouser, bust on a dress. A waist, a hem, a sleeve. Budgeted like shoes.
Read the measurements, not the tag
Three garments made to fit one body beat eight that fit approximately.