Stuff: How Do You Measure Up?

By J.J. Atwell

I suspect we have all measured ourselves at some point. No doubt the typical bust, waist, hips measurement. It’s kind of important to know those dimensions when you are shopping. 

I do a lot of shopping online and find the size charts for specific pieces of clothing to be very helpful in deciding if I’m a M, L or XL in their eyes. Even with the manufacturers’ size charts, be sure to read any reviews that you may find in on line stores. Sometimes you’ll find comments that the item runs small or large or to size, so you’ll adjust your target size accordingly.

When buying a top, the bust measurement is typically the deciding factor, although shoulder width might enter into it. For a skirt, you need to think about both the waist and hips. Jeans, leggings and pants use those measurements plus you need to know how long your legs are. If you’re buying a floor length dress or skirt, you’ll also need to know the distance from your waist to the floor or from your shoulders to the floor. So take the time to find those measurements and make a note of them. 

If you are short, you should probably shop in the petite department. Conversely, if you are heavy or just large, then the women’s or plus size section is where you need to be shopping. Rest assured that no matter what your size is you will be able to find clothes that fit. It’s just a matter of knowing your measurements. 

Measuring Tricks

No tape measure? Use string and a ruler or yardstick. It helps to have a friend measure you, but you can do it yourself. Make sure you keep the tape measure straight and level when measuring bust, waist and hips. For hips, find the widest point. Of course, you need to do this with your foundation garments on. I actually have several sets of hip padding which give me various hip sizes. So I measure each iteration. Same for bust size. I know many of us experiment with different bra cup sizes.

Other Useful Measurements

I already talked about knowing shoulder to floor and waist to floor measurements when you are buying long skirts or dresses. But do you know what size ring you wear? On each finger? You will if you take the time to measure your fingers on both hands. There are conversion charts on the Internet that will help you translate the circumference of your finger to the applicable ring size. I’d just caution you that if your knuckles are the largest part of your finger, you should measure around the knuckle to get a ring size. Once you have that, write it down so you can refer to it when you shop. 

Here are some more helpful dimensions to know. Measure your wrist so that you can find bracelets that will fit. Typically guys have larger wrists than women and that will be a problem when buying those pretty bracelets. 

Similarly, what size is your neck? You’ll need to know that if you are going to buy a necklace. Especially a choker style because you don’t want to actually choke! Once you know that you’ll also want to be conscious of just how long the necklace is and where it drapes on your body. It’s good to have options that compliment whatever top you are wearing. Perhaps you’ve got a nice pendant that needs to fall at a certain spot on a V-neck – how far is that? Does it need to be higher on your chest? Or almost down to your cleavage? Make a note of those measurements for when you are shopping for necklaces. 

One more little thing: how about your ankle? If you want to wear an ankle bracelet, you will want to know the circumference of your ankle. So add that measurement to your notes.

Yes, that’s a lot of Stuff today. I hope it helps you make correct shopping decisions. Thanks for reading. 

I’ll Be Back

I’ll be back with more Stuff in the next installment. Comments are welcome either here on the blog or by email to Jenn6nov at-sign gmail dot com. JJ is always looking for more stuff, so let me know what you would like to read about.

Wearing Elagia

Juliet, a Femulate.org reader