Have you ever bought a dress without trying it on? You liked it, you bought it, but when you came home you realized that the dress is not your fit. You got it wrong! To make these events a history, you need to learn how to measure yourself, so you can even order clothes online without worries.
Professional measurements are usual for tailors. However, you can now use the numbers they use to create dresses and measure yourself at home.
No matter if you measure in inches or centimeters, you can check out our video where Jessica for JJ’s House explained it all. Now, should we start?
Gather Your Tools and Prepare
Believe it or not, for taking measures at home you will need only a tape measure. You can also call a friend to help or stand in front of a big full-length mirror.
Before measuring the parts of your body, there are some things you need to do first. Make sure you are wearing a tight fitted clothing and unpadded bra, so your measurements are accurate. Also, you shouldn’t be wearing any shoes.
Keep in mind that you can keep your index finger between you and the tape. You need to record your measurements from the very end of the metal tip. We suggest taking measurements twice, just to be sure they are the same.
What You Should Measure
These are parts of your body that you should measure. It will be ideal to hold your tape measure snug, not too tight. Let’s start with the bust.
Bust
Bust measurement is different from your bra size. Measure the bust at the fullest point. Make sure your tape measure is leveled all the way around. You should measure all around the body for full circumference. Keep the index finger between you and the tape measure.
Don’t forget to breathe naturally, to stay relaxed as much as possible so you get real measurements.
Waist
You should measure the narrowest part of your waist, at the natural waistline. Many women don’t actually know there this waistline is. You can discover by simply bending on one side. Where you see the crease when you bend, that is where the line is. It is often just below the ribcage.
The tape measure should be parallel to the floor. By keeping your index finger between you and the tape measure all the way around your torso.
Hips
Hips measurements require you to stand naturally with your feet together. Measure around the hips at the fullest part. For some people, this is where the hip bones protrude or slightly below, it depends. Otherwise, if you are still not sure where the line is, you can measure a few times and record the max result.
Shoulder
Make sure to stand up straight and relax your shoulders. You will be able to find a bone at the top of each shoulder. That is where your shoulder begins to curve down into your arm. Measure one point to the other, across your back natural curve.
Hollow to Floor
When buying a dress, the length of hollow to floor is also very important. It can decide if the length of the dress is fit for you. Take the measurement with your full-length mirror and do not look down to check it.
Armscye
To get fitted sleeves and straps, you need to measure your armscye. Wrap the tape over the top of your shoulder and keep it slightly loose. You will get a comfortable fit by it.
Neck
You can measure both heights of your neck and circumference. Make sure the tape is rightly positioned on your neck and too tight.
Front Length
Front length is measured vertically. You practically measure the distance between the base of the neck and the waistline – all the front of your torso.
Back Length
Measuring the back length is similar to the front. You measure the vertical distance between the base of the neck and the waistline, just back at the torso.
Crotch
Crotch measurements might seem complicated for only one person to do. Ask your friend to help you. You should lay the tape measure starting from the center of your waist at the front, then down through the crotch area all the way back to the center of the waist on your back.
Inseam
The inseam is measured from the bottom of the crotch area all the way down to your ankles. You should make sure you are holding a tape between your legs.
Thigh
Tight is measured easily. You simply need to wrap a tape measure around your thigh. Make sure to hold your index finger between you and your thigh.
Dress Measurement Mistakes to Avoid
Measurements need to be precise, so your dress fits perfectly. Otherwise, you will not look as you wish, and that can make you more and more nervous. These are some mistakes you need to avoid making.
- Don’t stand too relaxed – that can give you inaccurate results.
- Don’t wear wide and too relaxed clothes – this can make measurements turn out wrong.
- Don’t pull the tape too hard – results might show that your clothes should fit too tightly.
- Don’t measure without a mirror or a friend to help.
- Don’t stand with your legs at different angles.
- Don’t lean back or forward.
- Don’t try to hold your breath or suck in your tummy.
- Don’t allow your tape to twist or kink while taking measurements.
How to Read a Size Chart and Find the Right Size
Size charts are different in some countries. After taking your measurements you need to read the size charts and find the size that suits you.
As you can see, sizes are different throughout the countries. While in the UK and the US they are presented from 6 to 20, in Europe they are from 36 to 48. On the other hand, in Australia and New Zealand sizes are presented from 8 to 20, similar to the UK and US. You should check each size chart of the dresses you want to make sure you can find the perfect size.
These are sizes from S to 3XL based on measurements you got. They are shown in both inches and centimeters. As you can see, some measurements are from-to, so you have more space to choose from, due to your final results.
Summary
We hope you have learned how to measure yourself. It is not hard, with all the tools or help of a friend you will determine your size chart and get a perfect dress in no time.
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