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What do old vintage sizes W, WMS, WMNS, WX, OS and XOS mean?
A puzzling system of sizing was often used on vintage clothing labels, called the 'Alpha System'
Vintage sizes such as 'WMS', 'WMNS', 'WX', 'OS' and 'XOS' can be difficult to understand these days and the actual sizes varied quite a bit between manufacturers. A vintage sizing comparison chart like the one below can only give approximate guidance. Therefore my advice would be to use this vintage system of clothing sizing as a very rough guide only and use the actual measurements of each garment instead - only that way can you be absolutely sure of accuracy.
I have compiled the following explanation of the meaning of each size, which I hope you find useful.
- SW size means 'Small Women's'
- W / WMS size means 'Women's' (Standard)
- WMNS also means 'Women's', which is the same as WMS.
- WX size means 'Women's Extra'
- OS size means 'Outsize'
- XOS size means 'Extra Outsize'
- XXOS size means 'Extra Extra Outsize'
Fact: sizes WMS and WMNS were often shown with an apostrophe , for example WM'S and WMN'S. Both refer to the word 'women's' of course. Sometimes, WMS and WMNS standard size were described simply as Women's in advertising.
On 19 July 1946, the UK Board of Trade made a ruling that from that date all women's underwear sizes will be marked by numbers instead of letters in the hope that label sizes would be clearer and easier to understand. The letters OS and WX could still be used on 'outsize' ladies underwear provided they were accompanied by numbers as well. This ruling is important to anyone who wants to date vintage women's underwear because use of the old 'WMS', 'WX', 'OS' etc Alpha system would be manufactured no later than 1946. A little word of warning is due at this point though because I have seen clothing advertisements showing the old Alpha system as late as 1949, 1950 and even 1966, which strongly suggests manufacturers and retailers were reluctant to change for fear of confusion in the eyes of consumers.
Acceptance of the 1946 change over to a numerical system of clothing sizing was definitely slow for the female British consumer. Four years later in 1950, a member of the Drapers' Chamber of Trade Executive Council is on record as saying "The public do today as they have always done. They go around asking for W, SW and WX sizes. That is what they understand, and they don't want anything else". In 1953, the British Standards Institution were still trying to get over 30 clothing industry organisations to decide on a common numerical system of sizing, as had already been done successfully in America. Agreement on a standardised numerical sizing system in the UK was finally reached in 1954.
British made garments displaying the same size regularly had a margin of error of up to 2 inches until 1951 when the BS1445 standard was introduced in order to inspire trust and confidence in sizing for shoppers.
One of the reasons this archaic and confusing system of sizing clothing was eventually discontinued was that women with a fuller figure understandably resented being described as "extra outsize" (XOS) or "outsize" (OS) when buying clothes in shops.
To make matters even more confusing still there was a similar but different system in use in mid-century Australia that appears to be finer than the British system and used terms such as XSSW, SSW, SW, W, SOS, OS and XOS.
How to buy a vintage slip - a helpful guide.
This article was written by Emma Benitez, BA (Hons) in Fashion & Dress History, incurable vintage fashionista and the lady behind Nylon Nostalgia.
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What size does WMS mean on my vintage clothing label? This helpful guide will explain everything.
As a seller of 1940s style vintage clothing I often see size labels with confusing terms such as 'W', 'WX', 'WMS' or 'OS'. While this old sizing method has now almost completely disappeared from use, anyone who collects and wears vintage garments will no doubt be puzzled by the old Alpha system of clothing sizes. In this helpful article I will share with you the meaning of sizes such as 'OS', 'WX' and 'WMS', based on my own experience of understanding old vintage labels. I hope you find this information useful.
More information about the vintage WMS, WX, OS clothing sizing system:
When did the old vintage label sizes like WMS, WX and OS come to an end? On 19 July 1946 all British made ladies underwear had to use a new number system of sizing rather than the confusing W, WMS, WX, OS sizes.
Vintage British clothing labels like this one are typical of this method of sizing. In this case the CC41 garment label shows the single letter 'W', which is the same as 'WMS' or 'Women's Standard' size - in other words, approximately 'Medium' as we would know it in the present day. Once you know what size W is on your vintage label then identification of 40s style fashion becomes a lot easier.
Even back in the 1960's, the WMS, WX, OS vintage clothing sizing system was being described as "mysterious", as can be seen in this 1966 newspaper article. It seems that even in those days, this confusing labeling system was proving unpopular with consumers.
Even earlier still, as this 1958 British newspaper article points out, the "older" "SW, W and WX" system was adding to the confusion of shoppers as various clothing manufacturers used different sizing systems. This suggests me that this original Alpha system of labeling dates to the earlier 1950's and 1940's at least.
"It would be nice if stores and the people who make women's clothes could get to
Going back further still, to 1942, this newspaper article outlines further changes to the wartime CC41 Utility Mark clothing regulations abandoning the established SW, WMS, WX, etc. sizing system for a new one using letters of the alphabet - a true 'Alpha' system. As to some small extent the old WMS, OS etc. label system is still used today, I wonder if these proposals were ever really enforced.
A British newspaper ad from 1958 showing vintage sizes like WMS, WX and OS.
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Best sexy vintage underwear for a romantic staycation break.
5 August 2020|This and That
2020 was a tough year for us all so 2021 is time for some vintage lingerie pampering.
When, right out of the blue, he told me to pack for a hastily arranged few days away my first thoughts were 'city break!' with all the opportunity to wear my best glitzy gear along with some seriously indulgent retail therapy. How wrong. Instead, he'd booked a converted 19th century church complete with its own graveyard. Time for a radical change of packing plan then. Bye bye city glitz, hello seductively soft and sexy 1950s lingerie. Here's what I chose to pack for the trip...
So, up to beautiful remotest Northumberland we went. This lovely de-commissioned ancient church set in stunning countryside and complete with obligatory bell tower (out of bounds - health & safety) and graveyard (I pretended it wasn't there) was a fabulous setting for some sexily seductive vintage lingerie indulgence, just him and I, miles from anywhere and anyone. Bliss.
1. Vintage slips, of course.
It is no secret that slips are my thing, so I made room in my little case for three classic cut late 1950's to mid-1960's slips deliberately chosen for their frothy lace and super silky soft feel.
Slips are SO versatile in situations like this. You can wear them as they were originally intended under your dresses to give that welcome extra layer if the weather is true to British form or if you just want that authentic vintage lingerie feel to be in keeping with your setting.
I have lots of pretty slips to choose from so I need to be picky if I am packing for just a few days away. In the end I selected a thoroughly classic cut 1960s vintage slip in pure white Perlon with deep lace and pleats to the bust and hem - more than ideal to just float around in as well as warm nighttime cuddles by the fire.
Along with my lovely Perlon slip I also took along a beautifully silky soft figure-huggingly long slip - again from the 1960's - in deliciously warm peach nylon and really just for floating around in (see photo). Considering we were in an old church this lovely peach slip had sinful and most inappropriately sheer, see-though wispy nylon. You certainly wouldn't answer the door in it, not that anyone would come to the door in this remote place.
Baths are for luxuriating in - especially in a slip. Relaxing just for fun after a long journey...
My third vintage nylon slip was a pretty wide-strapped number in the sweetest silkiest pastel pink nylon, once again not only for gliding around the place like a diva but could also double up as a nightgown. If you are travelling light and haven't much room in your case then using a slip as a nightie is an ideal choice as they fold really small and thin and hardly take up any space while having multi-uses. I covered the subject of wearing slips in bed as nighties in a bit more detail in another recent blog post.
“Where everything else has been reduced to boobs and butts, the slip takes the entire body into consideration. It is understated, subtly seductive, mildly suggestive, inciting the imagination to run wild.”
So says Rebecca Apsan in her essential book The Lingerie Handbook. I have to admit there is something really nice about it being cold, dark and wintry outside and being indoors in warm and secure cosiness while wearing luxury vintage lingerie. It makes life bearable after periods of seemingly endless hard work or, more lately, enforced lockdown due to COVID. It reminds us that there is always something nice to look forward to and to make the most of every opportunity to embrace unashamed feminine glamour.
If you don't own a slip yet but are considering making a purchase then there are some absolutely gorgeous items on offer online dating from the 1940's (usually) right through to the 80's and 90's and in many different fabrics and styles to suit your mood. If you are teetering over the 'buy now' button when it comes to vintage slips I wrote another article some time ago that you might find useful as a slip buying guide.
2. Vintage nightgowns - sheer nylon nighties.
When I first learned I was going to spend nearly a week in an old church I had somehow got it into my head that it would be bitterly cold inside that cavernous structure as well as out. It turned out that I was completely wrong and we were as warm as toast inside even when it was bleak and wintry outside, but that didn't stop me packing a pretty little 1950's vintage double layer nightgown in lovely pink nylon by Vanity Fair. Certainly fabulous 1950's style vintage nightgowns, exquisite bridal nightgowns or deliciously feminine peignoir sets are the icing on the cake of any vintage lingerie collection.
A girl will never be or feel ignored in any true vintage nightgown from the bygone age of unashamed femininity and those delightfully dreamy double layer nighties are sheer bliss to wear either in or out of bed.
"Always wear pretty nighties to bed. You never know who you will meet in your dreams"
I am sure anyone reading this who has worn one of these beautiful creations would agree that there is nothing quite like the feeling of sliding (literally sliding) into a lovely clean bed while wearing a double layer vintage nylon nightgown is something undoubtedly very special. What makes this kind of 1950s lingerie so unique is that you simply can't buy them in the shops these days so the secret of true nightwear bliss resides solely with lovers of vintage lingerie. Lucky us, eh?
My husband, a man who has a very straightforward way of getting his points across, summed up my choice of vintage nylon nightgowns rather well:
"...if your nighties were meant to be hidden under the duvet all night they wouldn't have made them look like that!"
He might have been a tad more eloquent when he said it but I think he was absolutely right so I thought I'd quote him here.
Is there any single item of vintage lingerie that lends itself so perfectly to spending time with someone you love than a beautifully silky soft wispy floaty nylon nightgown? Most definitely not. They are without doubt the ultimate romance accessory. Almost certainly made in the ultra feminine 1950's or 1960's, you just can't buy them in the shops now, which is such a sad state of affairs. Thankfully we can still purchase them from reputable vintage lingerie shops - although I would have far more on sale if I didn't go all sentimental and hog them for myself!
Nighties and peignoirs are for snuggling.
If you want to own, wear and cherish beautiful 1950's style nightgowns or a lovely peignoir set then now is definitely the time as they are becoming more and more difficult to find. How about an exquisite bridal nightgown? It is impossible not to fall in love with some of the beautiful designs on offer. Being true vintage, each one is virtually unique and never to be repeated and certainly not available in any high street shop.
Peignoir. A word you don't hear much these days at all but at one time, in the 1950's, 'peignoir' meant a lot in the lingerie world. Essentially luxury vintage nightgowns with a matching robe, otherwise known as negligee sets, they were highly sought after by glamorous women everywhere, especially brides.
3. Vintage knickers
Vintage knickers. Panties. Intimates. Unmentionables. Shhhh - we shouldn't really be talking about them but this is a retro lingerie blog after all, so we will - although I'll only talk about the vintage panties I packed for this trip.
There is a special place in my heart for those beautifully soft and silky ever popular high-waisted panties made by Vanity Fair so I stole a couple of pairs of deadstock vintage from my own stock and brought them with me. They come in so many lovely delicate colours and each of us no doubt has their favourites and mine is definitely 'candleglow' - an almost selenic deliciously warm creamy buttery colour that is hard not to love.
The Vanity Fair 'Perfectly Yours' 'Ravissant' brief is what they are really called (much nicer than saying 'granny panties', which they are not) and they generously cover your full rear and right up to your tummy for superb comfort and a smooth outline under anything you wear. As someone with a background in lingerie fabrics I can really admire and appreciate the slightly satin finish to Vanity Fair's nylon used on their 'Perfectly Yours' vintage knickers as they tend to glide around effortlessly under one's clothes when worn.
Incidentally, equally lovable are Vanity Fair's Perfectly Yours Lace Nouveau knickers that are very much like the Ravissant panties that I packed but with sweet little triangles of fine lace over the leg. No relevance at all to the gist of my article but I couldn't move on without mentioning them...
"Pull up your big girl panties and just do it!"
Another absolute essential for a romantic trip away has to be at least one pair (just ONE?!) of all-nylon 1960's bubble knickers like the little blue pair in the photograph on the right. Not quite with the all-enveloping comfort of the Vanity Fair 'Ravissant' vintage knickers above but nevertheless delightfully 'full bum' and with gently elasticated legs these silky soft all-nylon vintage knickers are perfect under jeans, skirts or dresses for that authentic 'bombshell' look and feel. If you really do want to embrace that glamorous look then don't forget to pack a suspender belt and a couple of pairs of sheer nylon stockings too - purely optional of course but worth that little bit more indulgence.
Since I first started selling vintage underwear over a decade ago I have met many women who are so far into the vintage scene that they actually virtually 'live the 40s or 50s life'. Chatting to them was always a real pleasure and when I used to set up my shop at the various vintage fairs around the country they would often seek me out. I was always fascinated to see the high level of authenticity in what they wore and they would always be on the lookout for my rarer stock. I can well imagine how fabulous it would be if they spent time in a setting that complimented their efforts to dress purely in vintage. Some of the retro underwear photos I took at our old converted church were 'timeless' in feel and definitely would have been a great venue for a vintage lingerie photoshoot.
Never underestimate the power of sexy vintage lingerie on a winter's day.
'Full bum' high-waisted vintage or vintage style big knickers have made a bit of a comeback recently after seemingly being banished to the undie wilderness for many years while we flirted with thongs, bikinis and the like. Now, thanks in no small part to Bridget Jones and her diary as well as the emergence on the market of some truly lovely retro-style reproduction traditional style full knickers from the likes of What Katie Did, Swankypins etc means that there is little or no excuse for us not to finally ditch those ghastly bits of sparkly string and revel in the timely comeback of good old-fashioned silky 'big knickers'. Far from being unsexy these fabulously full knickers are the perfect match for a satin high waist suspender belt for that authentic 1950's look.
All things considered, we definitely feel more feminine and sexy when we are wearing pretty underwear (even if no one else sees it) and beautiful vintage lingerie does not have to be expensive or hard to find. Something like a negligee set can transform your weekend away while making you feel really special. Fine vintage lingerie really is something that we should all wear daily so start searching online now!
4. The Camisole to the rescue.
It isn't often that I wear a camisole but this little late 1960's vintage cutie by Vassarette was a perfect match for my Vanity Fair candleglow nylon high-waist vintage knickers.
I have literally hundreds of really pretty vintage camisoles, mostly from the late 1960's to the 1980's (the heyday of the camisole) and this lovely deadstock Vassarette caught my eye at the very last minute so I made room for it in my case even though I didn't intend to take one along.
As it turned out this pretty little vintage camisole was the perfect thing to wear under tops and loose sweaters while out and about either walking in the fabulous Northumberland countryside or the occasional trip into town.
I must admit I seem to neglect camisoles but I don't know why. Let's face it they have everything we would want in a versatile yet pretty undergarment - all the prettiness and lace of a slip but can be worn under jeans and a sweater, the perfect partner when matched up with silky vintage or retro style panties.
For me, it feels empowering to walk around the house in my underwear!
An interesting alternative to my camisole-and-knicker combination would maybe have been a cute lacy teddy instead. I didn't pack a teddy for this particular trip but as I write this I am wondering if I possibly should have done.
Out of interest, what vintage lingerie would you have packed for your romantic staycation break? Get in touch and let me know!
Further reading...
- Northumberland - an Independent Spirit
- Can you wear a vintage nylon slip to bed? A helpful guide.
- Ideal for sleeping in - Nylon Nostalgia's 1970's fashion slips.
Article written by Emma Benitez. BA (Hons) in Fashion and Dress History, incurable vintage aficionado and owner of Nylon Nostalgia.
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