Clothing Measurements: A Step-by-Step Guide

Knowing your measurements, and being able to take accurate clothing measurements, are essential for successful thrifting and reselling. Whether you’re buying secondhand clothing to fill out your own wardrobe or listing vintage pieces online, measuring accurately can help save you time, money, and a lot of frustration. This guide explores everything you need to know about sizes, measuring clothing, using tools for accurate sizing, and how to convert between different sizing systems.

Tools for measuring clothing

To accurately assess both your own measurements and clothing dimensions, you will need a few tools. These are the basics:

• A flexible fabric measuring tape
• A straight ruler for lay-flat measurements
• A notebook and pen (or pencil) for recording your results

You’ll also need a clean, flat surface to lay garments out, and good lighting to make sure you’re capturing information accurately.

If you’re wondering why you need both a flexible measuring tape and a rule, it’s because they serve different purposes. Measuring tape adapts to curves and contours, and it’s useful for circular measurements. Moreover, it’s portable and versatile. A ruler, on the other hand, ensure straight-line accuracy, stability and a firm edge (useful if you need to mark fabric with chalk), and it allows precise measurements for things like button placements and pocket size.

Key measurements explained

Before we tackle clothing measurements, it’s important to understand your own measurements and how to take them. Here are some key definitions that you’ll need for sizing:

• Bust/Chest: Measured from the most full part of the chest.
• Waist: Measured at the narrowest part of the torso, generally above the navel.
• Hips: Measured around the fullest part of the hips.
• Inseam: Length from the crotch to the bottom of pants (the seam on the inside of your leg).

Here’s a diagram to illustrate where key measurements are taken:

For best results when taking your own measurements, consider measuring with a fabric measuring tape in front of a full-length mirror. Measure twice, just to make sure there are no mistakes, and take measurements in form-fitting undergarments. If you find it hard to measure or access hard-to-reach areas, get someone to help.

Choosing garments that fit

Once you know your own measurements, how does that help you know whether or not something will fit? We’ll dive into sizing shortly, but generally speaking, knowing whether or not something will fit requires comparing your body measurements to a garment’s dimensions, while also accounting for considerations like fit style and how materials stretch.

If you’re looking for a slim fit, a garment’s measurements should be close to your body measurements. (Yes, this means if you lay a garment flat, double the flat measurement to match your body dimensions, so an 18-inch flat waist equals a 36-inch waist circumference.) For a regular fit, target 1-2 inches more than your body dimensions, And for an oversized fit, 3 or more inches provides a loose, relaxed look.

If a piece of clothing is stretchy, so perhaps it’s partially made from spandex, you may want measurements smaller than your own dimensions. A waist size of 26 inches on some pants made of 5% spandex may fit a 28-inch waist comfortably.

Different clothing types also affect which measurements you should focus on for the best fit. For tops and dresses, focus on bust, waist, and hip measurements. For pants or skirts, compare the waist, hip, inseam, and rise. And for outerwear, look at the bust, shoulder width and sleeve length. (Generally speaking, you should also add 1-2 inches to bust and shoulder dimensions for jackets and outerwear to account for thicker clothing.)

Size labels and dimensions

Size labels inside clothing will help you assess whether or not a garment will fit, but it’s not always clear what dimensions labels represent. Moreover, vague sizing like Small, Medium and Large can vary between countries and even brands. To help with general sizing, here’s a table that compares standard U.S. sizing for women’s clothes to body measurements:

And here’s an equivalent table for men:

What about clothing from other countries, or perhaps that you plan to sell to other countries? Generally speaking, Asian sizes tend to run about 1-2 sizes smaller than Western equivalents. As an example, a top in a U.S. women’s medium could typically correspond to a Large or XL size in Asia. As for Europe, here’s a table comparing U.S. sizing to European:

Advanced measurement Tips

Understanding your measurements and size labels is important, but it’s still only part of the bigger picture. There are other things to consider when assessing clothing fit that shouldn’t be overlooked as you buy and sell clothing, whether it’s for yourself or someone else.

As one example, secondhand clothing might have had alterations done to better fit previous owners. Looking for alterations, and checking measurements yourself (using your ruler and tape measure!) are very important before you commit to an item. Or perhaps an owner didn’t follow the care instructions and did something that caused an item to shrink. You can’t always trust the label.

Then there are the exceptional size categories, like Petite, Plus, Tall, and others. What do they mean, and how do they affect measurements? “Petite” is generally for people shorter than 5’4″ and doesn’t just mean items are shorter; proportions are adjusted to fit smaller frames too. If an item has a “P” after the size or other Petite label, here’s how sizing might be adjusted:

Plus sizes typically start after size 14 and accommodate people with larger body measurements. Here’s a general sizing guide:

Tall sizes are catered to people taller than 5’8″. Typically they have extended inseams, longer sleeves, and lower waistlines. When in doubt about any sizes, especially for brands you haven’t worn before, try pieces on if you can.

Conclusion

Measuring clothing and your own body both take time, but the reward is always worth it. With the right tools and techniques, you’ll save yourself a lot of frustration and build a wardrobe that works for you. And if you’re a seller, providing complete and accurate dimensions will help your buyers make informed decisions, reduce your return rate, and yield great reviews.

Happy thrifting!