Body Measurements and Size Charts
Landmarks and measuring method
The Body Measurements and Size Charts domain tests accurate landmarking and the difference between body measurements and finished garment measurements.
- Bust/chest: around the fullest part, tape level under the arms and across the shoulder blades.
- Waist: at the natural waist, the narrowest point; keep one finger under the tape.
- Hip: around the fullest hip, usually 20–23 cm below the waist.
- Shoulder: neck point to shoulder tip; armhole: around the arm at the shoulder joint.
- Sleeve length: shoulder tip to wrist with the arm slightly bent.
- Back length: nape to waist; front length: shoulder to waist over the bust.
- Crotch depth: taken sitting on a hard chair; inseam: crotch to ankle.
Record in centimetres, take each measurement twice, and measure over light clothing. Keep the tape parallel to the floor at bust, waist and hip.
Size charts and ease
Ready-made charts list body measurements, not finished garment measurements. Add ease: about 5–8 cm at the bust for a fitted bodice and 10–15 cm for a loose kameez. If the bust falls between sizes, choose the larger size and adjust the waist.
Worked example
Bust 92 cm, waist 78 cm, hip 98 cm. A chart with size 36 (bust 91 cm) and size 38 (bust 96 cm) points to size 38. For a kameez with 10 cm ease, finished bust = 92 + 10 = 102 cm; the half-block width is 51 cm. Take in the waist rather than forcing the bust.
Traps
Measuring over a thick sweater; letting the tape slant at the bust or hip; treating a body measurement as a finished garment measurement; forgetting to record ease; not checking the chart's units.