Measure body measurements: chest, waist and hips for men and women

• Before measuring
• Measure body measurements - women
• Measure body measurements - men

When ordering new clothes or fitting a bodice, measuring body measurements is a must. Whether you're ordering from an online store or working on a project yourself, the measurements provide the numbers that are important to numerous garments such as blouses, pants or the bridesmaid dress. When taking measurements you have to be very precise in order to avoid mistakes.

Fashion is an important topic for men and women. Clothes can be used to express a statement, one's own preferences or belonging, and that makes fashion such a global force. An essential aspect of choosing new and matching garments is size. Numerous, different clothing sizes are available, which can even differ internationally. Not every S (small) is the same. For example, size S in Italy is often smaller than S in Germany and for this reason it is crucial to know your own body measurements. At first glance, this seems difficult, but it is easier than expected.

Before measuring

Before you can go to the fairs, you first have to make some preparations and have the necessary utensils at hand. You need this:

• tape measure
• Notebook or paper to write down
• alternatively the smartphone or tablet
• pen

Make sure that you do not use a tape measure, but use a soft measuring tape, as a tape measure is too stiff to touch the body directly, which falsifies the measurement immensely. If you still need to get a tape measure, you should opt for one with a minimum length of 150 centimeters, as this will be sufficient in most cases for measuring. After you have the above utensils handy, you should consider the following points for the preparation:

1. Time: the best time to measure your body size is immediately after getting up, ideally when you first go to the toilet the first time in the morning. At this time, your body center is in its natural state and not extended by food or drink, which could falsify the measurement result. So choose a time in the morning that's right for you. Alternatively, you could also measure just before bed, as long as the dinner or last snack of the day is a few hours ago.

2. Clothing: Measure yourself best in thin clothes or underwear, they do not want to add extra millimeters to your result. Shirts made of light cotton, tight-fitting undershirts, leggings or tights are best if you do not want to take measurements in underwear. This is important because the measuring tape must be applied to the body during the measurement.

3. Helping Hand: If you have problems or are unable to measure yourself, you should ask a family member or friend for help. This makes measuring easier in many cases.

Tip: The measurements are not only suitable for the selection of the right clothing size or for the tailor who makes your suit, but also for the sport. Together with the other five body regions (calves, thighs, upper arm, shoulders, neck) you can get an overview of your physical fitness and a possible loss or increase of muscle and fat.

Measure body measurements - women

Women and men are quite different in body shape and therefore it is important to look at both sexes individually. Measuring in detail:

1. Stand straight for the measurement. Breathe calmly and relaxed and make sure you do not drop your upper body, as a bad posture leads to incorrect measurement results. Especially women should pay attention, because the breast often has a different shape when leaning forward than standing.

2nd breast: locate the farthest part of your bust. Usually this is at the height of the nipples, rarely something below. Place the beginning of the measuring tape, ie where the count begins with 1, under your armpit at the height of the widest point and hold this end firmly on your skin. Now place the measuring tape around the body until the tape hits the beginning. Read the result and make a note of it. This measurement corresponds to the cup size.

3. Under bust: Choosing a bra or bikini top is key to getting the right size. Many women often choose the wrong size because this measurement is not always adequately explained, although it is simpler than expected. Measure in the same way as with the breast, just put the measuring tape directly under the breast, where it attaches. Make a note of the result here as well.

4. Waist: Measuring the waist is pretty easy compared to the chest. Locate the slimmest point on your stomach. This is usually located at a height of two to five centimeters above the navel, but not directly on this. Do not pull your stomach while doing so. As long as you are standing, the result will be correct. Write down the result.

5. Hip: the hip is measured as fast as the waist. To do this, locate the furthest part of your hips that sits at different heights, depending on your body shape. Find your farthest point on the hip by looking directly into a mirror from the front and looking for it. You must never look from the side, because here the furthest point is not in the right place. Put on the measuring tape again and make a note of the result. Take care not to let the measuring tape slip.

6. Make sure that the measuring tape is straight around the body for all measurements, especially on the back, when calculating the breast measurements. This is the only way to guarantee that the correct dimensions are recorded. If you have problems with this, you should ask a trusted person for help.

Tip: never allow the measuring tape to be taut. Although it must be close to the skin, but not so that it pushes or cuts, otherwise the result will be wrong.

Measure body measurements - men

For men, there is also a guide that explains exactly how the body measurements are determined. Although this differs only in a few points, men still have to measure slightly differently. The instruction:

1. Even men have to stand straight for the measurement, breathe relaxed and not stick out his stomach.

2nd breast: the chest of the man is actually at the same height as the woman. In rare cases, this is slightly above or even below the nipple. Position the measuring tape under the armpit with the beginning and wrap the entire band around your chest. Read the result and make a note of it.

3. Waist: at the waist, the narrowest part of your stomach is measured. In contrast to the ladies this point sits almost directly above the navel, more rarely one to two centimeters above. Put the ribbon around your waist, read the result and make a note of it. Make sure that the measuring tape does not slip.

4. Hip: the buttock circumference is measured at the widest part of the hip. For that, look at yourself from the front and locate the widest part of your hip. Men usually have a straight body shape in the hip area and for this reason, it is often difficult to recognize this spot immediately. Especially with too thick clothes this is the case. Once you have found the farthest point, put on the measuring tape and note the result.