How to Measure Yourself for Clothes Bought Online
Five measurements, one soft tape and ten minutes: how to measure yourself properly and use a size guide with confidence.
Learning how to measure yourself for clothes takes a soft tape measure, a mirror and about ten minutes. Take your bust, underbust, waist, hips and height (plus inside leg if you wear trousers), keep the tape level and snug without pulling, and write the numbers down in centimetres. Then compare them with each brand's size guide instead of relying on the size you usually buy.
Measuring properly is the single most useful thing you can do before shopping online. Here is how to do it accurately.
Why your usual size is not enough
Size labels are less consistent than most people assume. A YouGov survey from 2018 found that most British women felt sizes varied between shops either a great deal or a fair amount, with jeans, trousers and dresses the worst offenders.
Bodies have changed too. The UK's national sizing survey, SizeUK, measured people with 3D body scanners at the start of the 2000s, and its organisers believe it was the first national survey to rely on scanners as its main method, according to a conference paper abstract. Data like this feeds into retailers' size charts, yet each brand still draws its own lines. Your own numbers are more reliable than any label.
How to measure yourself for clothes: getting ready
A few small things make a big difference to accuracy:
- Use a soft dressmaker's tape, not a metal one from the toolbox.
- Wear what you would wear under the garment. For dresses and tops, that means a well-fitting, unpadded bra. For trousers, your usual underwear.
- Stand naturally with your feet together and your arms relaxed. Breathe normally; do not hold your stomach in.
- Use a mirror to check the tape is level all the way round, or ask someone to help.
- Measure twice. If the two readings differ, take the average.
Record everything in centimetres. The European sizing standard EN 13402, summarised on Wikipedia, uses centimetres for all body measurements, and most size guides now give them.
The five key measurements
How to measure bust
Pass the tape under your arms and around the fullest part of your bust, keeping it level across your back. This follows the EN 13402 definition: a horizontal measurement taken while breathing normally. If you are between sizes, the bust usually decides the size for dresses and tops, since it is the hardest area to alter.
Underbust
Measure directly beneath your bust, where a bra band sits. This helps with corset tops, fitted bodices and anything with structure under the bust.
Waist
Find your natural waist, the narrowest point between your lower ribs and the top of your hip bones. Bending to one side will show you where it creases. Keep the tape snug but not tight, and do not pull in your stomach.
Hips
Stand with your feet together and measure around the fullest part of your hips and seat. Check in the mirror that the tape has not slipped down at the back.
Height and length
Measure your height without shoes, standing against a wall. For trousers, measure your inside leg from the top of your inner thigh to the floor. For dresses and skirts, measure from your waist to the point where you want the hem to fall, whether that is mid-thigh, knee or mid-calf.
How to read a size guide
Knowing how to measure yourself for clothes only helps if you can read the chart that goes with them. A good size guide gives body measurements, garment measurements, or both. They are different things.
Body measurements tell you which size a brand designed for your figure. Match your numbers to the chart and choose the size where most of them fall.
Garment measurements are the dimensions of the finished piece laid flat or measured round. The difference between your body and the garment is called ease. A fitted dress might have only a few centimetres of ease at the bust, while a relaxed blazer might have ten or more.
When your measurements span two sizes, think about the fabric and cut:
- Stretch fabrics such as jersey and knit forgive a smaller size.
- Woven fabrics such as crepe and lace with no stretch need the larger size where you are fuller.
- Fitted pieces should be chosen by the most important area: bust for dresses and tops, hips for skirts and trousers.
- It is easier to take in than let out. A tailor can usually reduce a seam, but there is often not enough fabric to add width.
Fit checks beyond the tape measure
Problems with buying clothes online fit a familiar pattern: the numbers matched, yet the length, cut or fabric did not. Read the product description for the model's height and the size they are wearing, and check whether the piece is described as fitted, regular or relaxed. Read customer reviews for comments about length or tightness in particular areas.
Once you know how to measure yourself for clothes, make it a habit. Keep a note on your phone with your measurements and the date you took them. Remeasure every six months or after any change in weight, training or pregnancy.
Measurement is also the first step towards clothes that actually suit you. Our guide to fit over size explains what good fit looks like on the body, and building an evening capsule wardrobe is much easier when every piece fits properly. If the size you need sells out, our piece on restocks and waitlists explains how Notte & Noir handles it. If you have a question about sizing for a particular piece, get in touch.
