Inconsistent sizing

When I was in college I wanted to buy my then-girlfriend a gift of some clothing. Not knowing much about women's sizes, I asked her what size she was. "How much are you spending?" she asked. I didn't want to tell her, so she explained: "If it's expensive, I'm probably a 6; if it's moderately priced I'm an 8; if it's cheap I'm a 10-12." I was both baffled and appalled; men's sizes are based on measurable things: collar or waist circumference, inseam or arm length, etc.

After class today, I mentioned to a friend that I'd discovered that there was a Capezio store on the next block over from the dance studio, but it was closed on Sundays. She wanted to walk by anyway, and we were surprised to see quite a few people inside and the find the door open. Apparently they've just started opening the first Sunday of each month!

Of real interest is that they have a fairly good stock of men's slippers. I realized this week that I've worn holes in the pleats under the big toe of both of my black Cobras, and here was an opportunity to try on a variety of slippers. They didn't have Romeos in my size, but they still have some Cobras. Thinking I'd get a direct replacement, I tried on a pair marked 9.5M just like my current pair, but they were clearly too small.  They had a pair of black Cobras in 10M which fit just fine, which I decided to buy.

Doing some searches I've discovered that Capezio is somewhat notorious for inconsistent sizing, even within the same model number. It did give me a feeling of kinship with the women hunting for just the right pointe shoe, who accounted for most of the others in the shop, but I really could have done without. However, it does give me more incentive to patronize the local dancewear shops rather than buying online.

Also... it being a Capezio store, I asked if they had any 5945 tights hidden away. A woman, who I took for the shop owner, laughed and said if she she knew how to get some she'd "buy a thousand of them." You have to wonder what Capezio was thinking when they stopped making them. Maybe they've decided to abandon the men's tights market entirely? I tried looking for MT11 on the Capezio site just now, and the only way I could find them was a keyword search, and even that page is now lacking the photo it used to have.