Online shopping for plus-size clothes fails for a boring reason more often than any other: people order by the size they “are” instead of the measurements they have. Labels lie, brands disagree with each other, and a size 20 in one shop is a 24 in the next. The fix is unglamorous and completely reliable — measure yourself once, write the numbers down, and buy from the chart instead of the label. Here is how to do it properly.
What you need
One soft tape measure (the flexible fabric kind used for sewing, not a metal builder’s tape). If you don’t own one, a piece of string plus a ruler works: wrap, mark, then measure the string flat. Wear thin clothing or underwear, because measuring over a chunky jumper adds phantom centimetres. If you can, ask someone to help with the back measurements; it’s hard to keep the tape level on yourself.
The measurements that actually matter
Keep the tape snug but not tight — it should sit flat against you without digging in. Stand relaxed and breathe normally. Note every number in both centimetres and inches, since brands use different units.
Bust / chest
Wrap the tape around the fullest part of your bust, usually across the nipples, and straight across your back. Keep it parallel to the floor. Wear the bra you’d normally wear under that garment, because it changes the number.
Waist
Find your natural waist, the narrowest part of your torso, roughly level with your belly button or slightly above. If you can’t see a narrowest point, bend to one side; the crease that forms is your natural waist. Don’t suck in.
Hips
Measure around the fullest part of your hips and bottom, feet together. For fitted skirts and trousers, also take your “high hip” — around the upper hip bones, about 8 cm below the waist — because that is where a lot of plus-size trousers actually catch.
For trousers, add inseam and rise
Inseam: measure from the crotch seam down to where you want the hem, along the inside of the leg, using a pair of trousers that already fit well laid flat. Rise: on those same trousers, measure from the crotch seam up to the top of the waistband, front and back. Rise is the number that decides whether trousers sit where you want them or fight you all day.
How to read a size chart without getting burned
Now the part that saves you the return postage. Every reputable brand publishes a size chart with actual body measurements. Ignore the size name and match your numbers to the chart of the specific brand you are buying from — never assume your size carries over.
- Match your largest relevant measurement first. If your hips land in a 24 but your waist in a 22, order the 24 and, if needed, take in the waist. It is far easier to nip in than to let out.
- Check whether the chart lists body measurements or garment measurements. Body measurements are your size; garment measurements already include ease and run bigger. If it doesn’t say, assume body measurements.
- Look for the ease note. A woven, non-stretch fabric needs a few centimetres of wiggle room to move and sit in; a stretchy jersey can sit close to your exact numbers.
- When you are between sizes, size up in wovens, and by your priority area in knits. You can always tailor a slightly loose woven; a too-tight one is just uncomfortable.
A note on international sizes
UK, US, EU and German sizes do not line up, and conversion tables are only rough guides. A German 52 is not reliably a UK 24. This is exactly why the measurements matter more than the label: centimetres are the same everywhere, dress-size numbers are not. Keep your measurement card in your phone and re-check it against each brand’s own chart.
The point
None of this is about shrinking to fit a garment. It is the opposite: it is how you make garments answer to your body instead of the other way round. Clothes that fit are a right, not a reward — and the fastest route to them is a tape measure and five minutes, not a smaller size.
Fatosphere holds one red line: we do not promote diet or weight-loss products. This is a fit guide for the body you have.