text: need to understand woman's size for dresses.  what size is a size 18 and also a size 2? what are the measurements for a size 18?  how can i understand when a woman says "i am a size 4? - or - i am a size 8?" women's sizes are extremely tricky because they vary alot by manufacturer/designer and cut.  also, more expensive clothes tend to run larger than cheaper clothes (e.g., a size 8 dress from a more expensive designer might be equivalent to a size 10 dress from a less expensive designer). the other tricky thing is that there are misses sizes and womens sizes.  in many cases, 0-16 is misses and 18+ is womens, but there are some manufacturers who make 18 in both misses and womens and the proportions are slightly different (misses are a little smaller). here are a couple of examples:  size 18 misses(from land's end) 43" bust 36" waist 46" hip  size 18 womens (from lands end) 44.5" bust 36.5" bust 47" hip  size 18 womens (from j jill, a little more expensive than land's end) 44" bust 36" waist 46" hip  size 18 misses (from j jill) 43" bust 35.5" waist 45.5" hip  size 18 misses (from chadwicks, less expensive than land's end, multiple brands) 41.5"-43" bust 33"-34.5" waist 43.5"-45" low hip  size 18 womens (chadwicks) 42"-43.5" bust 34"-35.5" waist 44"=45.5" low hip  most websites that sell women's clothing will have a size chart--typically it's part of the "customer service" page.  hope this helps!