Old Navy sizing is best approached by combining the size chart with each style's rise, fit, and inseam notes. This guide breaks down Old Navy's women's chart, jeans, trousers, and dresses so you can choose a size more deliberately.
Old Navy Sizing: Does Old Navy Run Small, Big or True to Size?
Start with the chart, finish with the fit note
Old Navy sizing is easiest to use as a starting chart plus a style-specific fit note, not a single rule about running small or large. The brand's women's chart has regular, petite, and tall views and maps letter sizes through 4X against numeric sizing through 30; the bottoms chart asks shoppers to measure waist and hip or seat, while tops emphasize chest and waist. Old Navy's denim guide covers sizes 0 to 30 and petite and tall, and invites shoppers to compare rise, stretch, leg shape, hip and thigh fit, and length. For the question old navy size chart, that is the practical answer: measure the area the garment has to fit, then match its cut. A label does not tell you whether a pair is close at the hip or roomy through the thigh. I would choose inseam and rise before wash, then use the product notes to decide whether the usual number or letter feels plausible.
Four jeans, four different proportions
Think of the jean section as four different fit problems. High-Waisted OG Loose Jeans sit at the belly button and keep the hip and thigh relaxed; Mid-Rise Straight Leg Jeans sit lower and have a straight leg. High-Waisted Baggy Barrel Jeans add a curved leg and roomy shape, while High-Waisted OG Straight Ankle Jeans keep the leg straight and the hem shorter. Their inseam options also differ, so petite on one page is not a universal measurement. I would measure your best-fitting jeans from crotch to hem and compare the number on the product page, then decide whether you want space through the hip or a closer line. Do not buy a size up simply because you want a wider leg: the cut supplies that room, but the waist still needs to sit comfortably.
The waist and the leg change the equation
Pants can fit very differently even when they share a wide leg. Extra High-Waisted Taylor Wide-Leg Trouser Pants are a high rise; High-Waisted SleekTech Trouser Pants have four-way stretch; High-Waisted Wide-Leg Trouser Pants use an elastic drawstring waist; High-Waisted Pixie Super Wide-Leg Pants are a stretch pull-on. Dresses shift the question from waist and inseam to bust and bodice: Fit & Flare Linen Mini Dress is fitted at the top, Drop-Waist Swing Mini Dress is loose, Fit & Flare Lace Midi Dress has an asymmetrical skirt, and Flutter-Sleeve Crepe Maxi Dress has flutter sleeves and a ruffled waist. Before ordering, check the waist or bodice that cannot flex, then compare the length to shoes you actually wear. A long pant hem and a mini dress are not problems solved by sizing up.
Dress fit is its own problem
Old Navy offers more sizing options than one letter-to-number chart might suggest, especially through denim and trousers that come in regular, petite, or tall lengths. Still, a size range is not a fit promise: compare waist, hip, bust, and inseam to the cut. Its return policy allows most purchases to be returned or exchanged within 30 days of online delivery or in-store purchase, but final-sale pieces are excluded, so try a new silhouette before choosing a final-sale color. My verdict: use the chart for measurements, the product fit notes for shape, and your own closet for the final comparison. If a style is fitted at the part you most want ease, try another cut rather than hoping the size label will fix it.
