Online shopping has grown so popular over the years that it has become common for us to purchase almost anything online from furniture to food to electronics to clothing. When shopping online we usually check for the quality of the product, and sometimes we even go to the extent of reading reviews of people that have previously bought the said item. But when it comes to purchasing clothes online, there is a hitch.
Unlike other products, clothes need to fit. Reviews can’t tell you if a dress will fit you or not. Determining if a dress will fit is something personal and unique. Determining your correct size by looking at an image on a computer screen can make online shopping a regrettable experience. Luckily for you, there are some ways to ensure that your clothes fit well even if you can’t try them on prior to purchase. These ways are concerned with taking your proper measurements so you can shop online like a pro, without hesitation and with confidence.
1.Measure Yourself
The first and most important thing you need to do before you start shopping for clothes online is to measure yourself. When taking your measurements, be sure to use a cloth measuring tape and not a mental measuring tape. This is to ensure that you are taking accurate measurements. Remember one company’s size 4 is another company’s size 6. Write down the numbers you get from the measurement, so you can refer to them when you start buying clothes online.
If you can’t get accurate measurements, you can get a professional to take them for you. In fact, this is the best way to get accurate measurements, professional take measurements all the time and know what they are doing.
2.What You Should Measure
Bust: You should be aware that this is not your bra size. You can wear an unpadded bra when measuring your bust, this is because most dresses come with in-built bras. To get you bust size, relax your arms at your sides, then pull the tape across the fullest part of your bust.
Waist: Most clothing brands use the measurement of the “natural waist’ for their size guides. To measure the natural waist, you can find the smallest part of the waist, usually 1 inch (ca, 2.5cm) above your belly button. Keep the tape slightly loose to allow for breathing space.
Hips: Measure the widest part of your hips. If you can’t figure out where your hips hit, it is usually 7 inches (ca, 18cm) below your natural waist. The tape should brush across both hipbones. This might be challenging, so it is recommended that you have a friend assist you with this or that you do it in front of a mirror.
Height: It is advisable that you have someone assist you when you want to measure your height. Stand straight with your feet together. Measure in bare feet. Begin at the top of your head and pull the tape straight down to the floor.
Hollow to Floor: measure from the hollow space within the collarbones and pull the tape straight down to the floor (to the dress hem). Measure in bare feet.
3.Consult the Size Chart
Most online clothing retailers provide a section of their website dedicated to sizing information. This will come in handy when you are spending money on clothes you can’t try on. The size chart gives you a conversion of sizing tiers into actual measurements. Each retailer has its own size chart, so before you start adding items to your shopping cart, make sure you check the size chart of the retailer. Don’t fall into believing that you wear an 8 in one brand automatically mean that you wear an 8 in every other brand. It is best to check the measurements on which that brand bases its sizing.
Okdress.co.uk dedicates a special page for our size chart. You can check it at
https://www.okdress.co.uk/pages/size-guide
Final Words
There’s a lot of preparation and research that goes into clothing shopping online, but it’s worth it in the end. Having your measurements ensures that you will know the perfect size to get for your clothes. It will save you a ton of cash when you are shopping online for dresses. It will also save you the frustration of getting the wrong size, and you can know when to make alterations to your clothes.