How To Measure Your Body For Online Shopping Best Practices

Here is your ultimate guide to proper sizing and measuring! Following our guide will help to get you the best possible fit! 

This size chart below is a standard American sizing chart. Most of us are familiar with the size chart yet so many still have so many questions! Read on to get all of the tips and best practices when choosing to clothe! 

DRESS LENGTH CHART (HOLLOW TO HEM)

This is a standard guide to understanding length and what length really means in terms of where it will most likely fall on our bodies. Do keep in mind, that your own personal height will also determine how long or short a dress may be on you. A dresses length is measured from the hollow (top of the dress) to the hem (the end of the dress)

 

Here is a standard hollow to hem size chart for your reference 

SIZE	0-4	6-12	14-20	22-30
Mini-Above Knee	33”-34”	34”-35”	35”-36”	36”-37”
Midi-Knee Length	38”	38”1/2	39”	39” 1/2
Midi-Tea Length	45”-46”	46”-47”	47”-48”	48”-49”
Maxi-Ankle Length	53”	53”1/2	54”	54” 1/2
Maxi-Floor Length	58”	59”	60”	61”

Where and how to measure? This is by far the most dreaded question! As someone who works in retail and is constantly measuring garments and people, I have come to learn that most people have never actually measured their own bodies before or simply don't know what it means to measure their bust or hips. 

As we move more in the direction of an online world, this information is crucial for shopping online and even in person. Get to know your body and the right places to measure for the best fittings.

let's talk about important measuring areas! Check out my diagram below for best practices. 

MEASUREMENT GUIDE

Tips For A Great Fit: 

• Visit a professional tailor 

When you are ready to make an online purchase but you are not sure which size will suit you best, have someone else, preferably a professional take your measurements for you. This will ensure that you get the most accurate and up-to-date measurements of yourself.

If you cant get to a professional in time, have a friend or family member take the measurements for you.

Stand naturally while someone else is taking the fit for you and you will come out with a more accurate measurement.

When you are bending in different ways trying to get a measurement of yourself, you may end up getting an inaccurate measurement. 

• Measure all the way around

When measuring your body, you need to measure all the way around. Measuring only half of your waist for example doesn’t help much and may lead to incorrect fittings. 

• To wear a bra or not or not to wear a bra while measuring 

When measuring your bust, make sure you are wearing the bra you intend to wear with the outfit of choice. If your bust naturally is a 30" but while wearing a bra your bust measurement may then be a 32" for example. So when purchasing a clothing item, you may want to select the outfit with the closest fit to yours such as a 32"-34" bust item.

 

• Become best friends with your tailor

In the world of fashion, styles, cuts, designers, and fabric can affect the way clothing fits. This has always been so true. When Purchasing clothing, online, or in-store you will need to bring your clothing into the nearest tailor to get your items fitted best to your body. This can make a $75 dress look like a million bucks! Get your clothes tailored for a perfect fit. 

 

• What about Inbetween sizes

This can have a few different meanings. Are you in between a small and a medium? or in between sizes L and 1XL? Here is the deal, go for stretchy clothes. Anything and everything with spandex, elastane, or malleable fibers like cotton, bamboo, rayon, and lycra are good choices. Even Polyester offers some good stretch. If you can find clothing with even a couple % of spandex and elasticity, your set. 

If your still not sure, size up. You can always visit your tailor to get your clothes fitted, or if anything, roll up your sleeves and rock your relaxed fit top. 

 

 

• How & Where To Measure 

Bust Size: Measure around your body, under your arms, and over the fullest area of your bust. 

Waist Size: Measure at your natural waistline, the narrowest part of your waist. This is located just above your belly button. Measure around your entire body. To ensure a comfortable fit, keep one finger between the measuring tape and your body.

Hips Size: Measure around the fullest part of your hips, placing the tape about midway between your bellybutton and crotch. 

 Inseam: Find a pair of pants that fit you well. Measure them from the crotch seam down the inside seam to the hem.

In a perfect world, there would simply be a one size fits all, and the rest is taken care of! I hope this has shed some light on the world of sizing in fashion and I hope you find your next best OOTD! Happy online shopping! 🛍