Sizing It Up

This past week I tried to find a leotard for Anna's gymnastics class -- the one I signed her up for mid-term, now that she's done with her D.I. season. Anna's got a long torso (like all four of us) and a healthy rib cage to boot. She's at the top of the kids' size range for swimsuits, but for some reason leotards run way smaller than suits. Tiny. As in Itty Bitty. I looked at an "adult small" at WinKids but can't imagine any adult or teen I know could fit into it much less Anna. I found out that one of Anna's friends (who is several inches shorter and quite petite) has some adult smalls within her collection, so if that's who's wearing them, what chance do bigger girls have? I sent her to class in cheer shorts and a tee shirt.

Kate needs a new swimsuit. She's grown out of all but one sad, faded, elastically-challenged suit from last year. She has to have a one-piece for girl's camp, but I see tankinis in her future. Kate's rib cage is actually smaller 'round than Anna's but her torso is as long as mine. I found a darling suit for her at Old Navy, misses XS, but it was a bit snug and not long enough. There didn't seem to be much difference in the S, so I exchanged it for a M --  mind you, she's wearing size 2 jeans -- but that was still way to short and now too loose in other places. Other attempts had similar results. So yesterday Kate and I, wielding ribbon and the Big John tape measure (I couldn't find my sewing tape) shopped Land's End for long torso suits. Fail! The smallest size they had was a 6 and the only measurement that matched Kates' was the length.

In desperation I googled long torso swim and worked through websites showcasing a million bikinis and one or two suits geared for mature women. Then a tall woman's blog tipped me off to teen-centric Delia's, which happens to be one of Kate's favorite stores. The clouds parted, rays of sunshine streamed down and a chorus of heavenly angels sang out. We measured again and ordered a cute floral tank that will hopefully fit and be darling on Kate.

In the past year I've seen both girls outgrow most conventional dresses -- the ones that are supposed to hit the knee just don't, because the leg length is used up in the torso. Larger sized empire waists and A-line dresses sometimes work, but even they are usually too short for my liking. Skirts and tops are better, but that can get tricky. Jackets tend to be too short.

It's awfully familiar to me. And strangely gratifying. Because seeing how difficult it is to fit my skinny young daughter in swimwear, dresses, shirts, and jackets gives me great perspective on my own issues. So many girls have body issues! I remind mine frequently that everybody's body is different and that a label's size means nothing, it's the fit that counts. A lot of the time I shop for the girls myself, to scout out possibilities and try to shield them from the frustration of finding nothing that fits.

Because I've been there. And it aint pretty.