TAKE a look through my wardrobe and you’ll find a lot of clothes in sizes 12, 14 and 16 and even the odd 10 and 18.

And you know what . . . they all fit.

It’s the same for many of us. Certain styles look better tighter, or looser; perhaps you are one size on top and another on the bottom; but overwhelmingly it’s because manufacturers don’t adhere to a national standard.

A trip round Oxford shops will confirm what we women have learned from experience: size 12 in one shop isn’t necessarily the same as in the one next door.

The UK does have an existing standard for women’s clothing – BS 3666:1982 – however it defines sizes in terms of hip and bust measurements within a limited range resulting in variations between manufacturers.

That means two size 12 dresses from different companies – or even from the same company – may have different dimensions.

Some companies – usually the more budget high street names – may cut small to save on manufacturing costs. Others may be generous and pander to vanity sizing, designed to make us feel slimmer than we really are.

If we were being rational, we wouldn’t care what the size label said but just worry about the fit and appearance. But, who faced with two similar dress, one a size smaller than the other would pick the bigger one . . . even if it was a more expensive?

It has been documented that some retailers have also been gradually increasing the size of their sizes too.

So if you’ve been congratulating yourself that you can still fit into the size you did a couple of decades ago, you might want to put that cream bun down. The measurements for a size 10 then may be the equivalent of an eight now.

Retailers who have added inches to their sizes say they have tweaked sizes to reflect the average body.

But it still leaves us confused and having to take several sizes of the same garment into the changing room until we suss out a store’s sizing policy.

I know now that with my figure of generous bust, no waist to speak of and (relatively) small hips, that whatever fits me on top in Monsoon will be massive on the bottom (they seem to cater for the tradition British pear-shaped woman); that I can get in to size 12 trousers in Wallis and Next but take two sizes larger in Primark, and that I’m never going to find a suit with the same size top as the bottom in ANY store.

We all eventually find the stores and styles that flatter us but it takes a lot of trial and error.

If you want to find clothes that fit by just going on the label, it’s online outlets that seem to be leading the way in making sure you know what you are buying.

It makes sense for them to ensure you get the best information possible as it means less returns and fed-up customers.

Many provide detailed measurements, including length, and let you know the size and height of the model when showing the item being worn.

Isme.co, the online and catalogue retailer formerly known as Marshall Ward, is carrying out a national body census in a bid to capture the current shape of the nation.

It was launched in response to the study commissioned by isme.com and Manchester Metropolitan University revealing how women viewed their body size.

In the study, almost one in two women admitted to wearing the wrong dress size.

The campaign is headed by former Countdown favourite Carol Vorderman, 52, who came in for a bit of flack when the story ran in the Daily Mail with readers picking up on her love of skin-tight clothing.

Carol was quoted as saying: “To dress your body right, you have to know your shape and size, and what better way to do so than with a tape measure.”

It prompted a slew of readers’ comments including: “She can talk. Many’s the time she is obviously wearing a size smaller than her proper size”; “Oh, the irony!” and “If ever anyone wore the wrong clothes sizes it was, and still is, Carol Vorderman.”

But she’s talking sense (if not always following her own advice): pick the clothes that look good on you and flatter your best bits, no matter the size. You’re always going to look better in a well-fitting size 16 than squeezing into a 14 and having lumps and bumps showing.

So if you’ve still got that sneaking urge to squeeze in to a smaller size than you should, just so you can say you are a size 10 or 12 or whatever, fight it off.

Get the bigger size . . . and cut the label off when you get home!

If you would like to take part in the body census go to The Coffee Lounge section of isme.com