Thailand - Women's clothes sizes
 

Will it be tough to find pant sizes in 8 or 10 and tops for larger bust? From what I've read, Thai sizes run smaller than U.S. Would MBK be a good bet for a wide selection of sizes?

Yes, Thai clothes run smaller. I wear a 10 and have a hard time.The cut is different and VERY flat chested for tops.I had on one of my hilltribe-style Thai jackets yesterday...thesolid-colored woven cotton ones with the real silver buttons down the front...and the length was about 2 inches shorter than I like my short jackets. Try the British India clothing line,it's not Thai, but my favorite for gorgeous colonial tropical looks of cotton and linen....sort of like Catherine Denueve in Indochine... I can't remember what department store I was in, in Bangkok, where they had a British India section in the store, but it was one of the malls near the Chitlom skytrain stop. Ask at your hotel, someone will know because many Thai women, I've met, are wild for British India clothes.The Thai woman who owns the fabric store where I shop(Come Thai store in the Amarin Plaza mall at Chitlom station) went wild when one day I stopped by to look for a piece of fabric to have her make into a sarong to go with my just-bought British India top... on half-price sale. As soon as I took the top out of the bag she said,"Oh...Oh...It's British India...has the sale started yet!" Too bad you won't be in Singapore where there are gorgeious British India stores.I don't buy many Thai clothes while in Thailand, but concentrate on textiles to wear sarong style. Happy Travels!

Don't forget that you can have gorgeous clothing custom-made for you at very reasonable prices in Bangkok. I can buy casual clothing "off the rack" (there are lots of loose, casual clothes available where size doesn't matter so much). I had some beautiful silk brocade jackets made last trip.

my wife is not flat chested and finds things impossible in thailand...nothing fits...so we go the custom route also...

don't believe any sizes....they are all wrong....an XXL is like a medium in usa

having said that if you go to jim thompson or other full retail place you will find the sizes to be more accurate....

thai women are very small, short and flat chested (so i am told)....

US sizes are one size different from the UK. Your 8 is a 10 in England. So I expect Asia is the same.
Great for people buying in the US from Britain ! Makes us feel slim !!

Darn! It looks like I will have a tough time :( I was looking forward to being able to buy things off the rack at MBK and Suan Lum, but it sounds like I'll have to see a tailor upon arrival. Thank you to the Fodorites for rec's on where to find good tailors :)

The only thing that my wife found that fit at MBK was a pair of Deisel jeans, and then they still had to tailor them there at the store. My wife really loved thailand but was ready to come home after being told so many times that she needed xxl when she is so small here at home!

... it's amazing when a size 6 in the USA can't find any Thai clothing to fit. The xxl worked around the bust which wasn't much, but the shoulders and sleeve lengths were way off. So forget it, if you're an 8, 10 and don't even consider this if a size 12.

Jim Thompson is much better in comparison, but you must try on everything as there didn't seem to be any consistency.

However, wrap-around skirts, pants, shirts seem to work, as does loose/full/flowing-type clothing.

Ok, then. Looks like I'll be feeling rather large in Thailand! No worries, I'll find other things to buy :) However, I was excited about Travelduo's price re: $10 in Thailand vs. $150 in U.S. jeans, so I must perservere!

We were excited also about the price, but not until after we got home becs we had no idea what we really bought! I will never forgot standing in that tiny store with this huge skirt up to my armpits while i tried on the new jeans becs they didnt have a dressing room:) Thank God my wife didnt take a picture of that!