How to measure yourself for clothes and choose the right size

The quickest way to the right size is not the letter on the tag. It is two sets of numbers: yours, and the garment's. Most Masidas product pages list measurements for each size, taken from the garment itself and given in inches. Five minutes with a tape measure lets you compare the two and choose with far more certainty than a size chart alone.

What you need

• A soft tape measure. If you do not have one, use a piece of string and a ruler.
• A mirror, or a friend, for the measurements across your back.
• Thin, close clothing, or underwear only, so the tape sits on your true shape.

Keep the tape level all the way round, snug but not tight, and breathe out normally before you read the number.

How to take each measurement

Bust or chest

Pass the tape under your arms and around the fullest part of your bust or chest, across the shoulder blades at the back.

Waist

Find your natural waist, the narrowest part of your torso, usually an inch or so above the belly button. Measure around it without pulling in. For trousers that sit lower, also measure where you like the waistband to sit.

Hips

Stand with your feet together and measure around the fullest part of your hips and seat.

Shoulder

Measure across your back from the edge of one shoulder to the edge of the other, where a shirt's shoulder seam would sit. This is easier with help.

Sleeve

With your arm relaxed at your side, measure from the shoulder edge down to the wrist bone.

Inseam and length

Inseam runs along the inside of the leg, from the crotch to where you want the hem to fall. It is far easier to measure a pair of trousers that already fits you well than to measure your own leg.

Your measurements and the garment's are not the same number

The measurements on our product pages describe the garment, not the body that wears it. The difference between the two is called ease: the room a piece needs so you can move, sit and breathe. How much ease you want depends on the fabric and on how you like a piece to fit. As a general rule of thumb, at the bust or chest:

• No stretch: look for a garment at least 2 to 4 inches larger than your body for a close fit, and more for a relaxed one. Blazers, coats and woven shirts fall here.
• A little stretch: 1 to 3 inches of ease is usually comfortable.
• Good stretch or very stretchy: the garment can match your measurement, or sit slightly under it, if you like a close fit. Rib knits and bodycon dresses fall here.

Every product page tells you which of these four stretch levels the piece has, in the fit line under the fabric.

The easiest method: measure something you already love

Take a sweater, shirt or pair of trousers that fits you the way you like, lay it flat and smooth, and measure it:

• Bust or chest: straight across from armpit to armpit, then double it.
• Length: from the highest point of the shoulder, beside the collar, down to the hem.
• Waist: straight across the top of the waistband, then double it.
• Hip: straight across at the widest point below the waistband, then double it.

Compare these numbers with the measurements on the product page. If our number looks about half of what you expected, that measurement has been taken flat across the garment; double it before you compare.

Between two sizes

Choose by the measurement that matters most for the piece:

• Blazers and coats: the shoulder. It is the hardest part of a jacket to alter, and a coat should leave room for a knit underneath.
• Trousers and skirts: the hips first, then the waist. A waist can be taken in; hips cannot be let out.
• Fitted dresses: the bust and waist, read against the stretch level.
• Knitwear with good stretch: the smaller size if you like it close, the larger if you want it to drape.

Some of our men's trousers are sold by waist size in inches, for example 29 to 36, rather than by letter. Measure where the waistband will sit and choose the nearest size.

Where to find the numbers

Open any piece in women's clothing or men's clothing and scroll to the measurements listed for each size. Trousers usually show waist, hip and length; tops show length, shoulder, bust or chest and sleeve. To understand how a fabric will behave against those numbers, our fabric guide explains each fiber we use.

If a measurement is missing

Write to us at customerservice@masidasstores.com with the name of the piece and the measurement you need. We will ask the supplier and reply with what they tell us. If a piece still does not fit, you can request a return within 7 days of delivery, as long as it is unworn, with its tags, in its original packaging. To change a size, return the piece and place a new order. Our FAQ answers the common questions on sizing, delivery and returns in a line or two each.