Shopping for clothes online can be convenient and fun. With just a few clicks you can access a world of different styles and brands delivered to your door. In addition you can often find clearance sales and special deals on clothing that catches your eye. The downside is that it can be confusing and difficult to know how to get the sizes right and be confident your new purchases will fit properly. Here is a guide to help out.
Get Your Measurements Right
The first and most important thing of all for kids, teens and adult men and women shopping online is to know your exact measurements. This also applies to shoes, where size – and style of fit – is everything. Precise measurements tell you your actual size rather than just numerical sizes, which can vary from brand to brand and among different styles. For a man measure waist, chest, inseam and arms, for a woman also measure hips and bust. You can also go to a tailor and have them measure you professionally. Write down your measurements or put them in your phone and next time you’re shopping consult them to help you find the right fit. Generally online sizing will have a translation of what the size means in exact inches and/or centimeters.¹
Use An App
These days it seems like there is an app for everything, and the same is true of finding the right size clothes online. Apps like Fitbay, Threadbase and Sizecharter can help you discover how different brands size their products and what will be the best fit for you. This helps immeasurably when you’re browsing and trying to figure out whether a pair or pants or a dress is likely to fit a little more loosely or tightly, for example.²
Read Sizing Details On The Website
Most clothing websites will have a section on sizing or at least tips regarding buying the right size. It is worth your time to read through this section and also checking up on return and exchange policy in the – worst-case – that the clothing you order simply doesn’t fit despite your best efforts. Manufacturers will often list whether they wear large or small and other information about how their measurements translate into typical sizes – for small, medium, large, in terms of men’s sizing, for example.¹
Areas To Pay Extra Attention To When Measuring
Women should pay extra attention to hips, bust and waist, while men should be sure to get their waist, inseam, hips and also chest size and neck. Especially if you’re buying a jacket or various shirts you will want to know your chest and neck size. For your convenience there are a number of videos and articles online for pointers on how to measure these areas. For women it depends what you’re buying but companies like True & Co. have various excellent sizing options such as quizzes you take to make sure you get exactly the right-fitting items that you need.³
Buy Multiple Sizes
In the end one of the simplest options to make sure you get the right size if you are still unsure and feeling wary but don’t want to risk the time to get an item and then have to return it is to buy multiple sizes in the same order. Then, once it arrives, try on both and simply return the size that is too small or too big. Make sure you check the return policy of a company before doing this, however, since you don’t want to get stuck with a wrong-sized item sitting on your shelf.¹
[1] https://www.moneycrashers.com/right-size-clothes-online-shopping/
[2] https://www.buzzfeed.com/alisoncaporimo/online-shopping-hacks
[3] https://lifehacker.com/how-to-shop-for-clothes-online-and-get-a-perfect-fit-1501813895