A Fitting Measure

Plus-size Women Personal Measurements

Nothing is quite as intimate as the language spoken by the tape measure.  Protest as we might, it never fails that the tape has spoken correctly.  Wisely, we accept the statement, make note of it, and use it in decision making until such time that statement changes.

Plus Size Women should arm themselves with a notepad, a pen, and a tape measure.  A second person can sometimes be a handy helper in the measuring process.  Of course, this second person should be a trusted friend who will not be repeating the information disclosed by the tape measure.

Where and what to measure is pictured in the line drawings here.  These are fundamentally necessary measurements to have before approaching an order form. It's important to keep a copy of your measurement results so that you can use the information with each ordering experience.

 

Be aware of two distinct types of measurement units shown on the tape measure. There are inches and there are centimeters.  The clothing industry is now importing clothing items from countries who use the metric system.

If you have your measurements in inches, but the item of clothing is sized by centimeters, there is a problem unless you can convert centimeters into inches. As a measure of length, there are 100 centimeters in a meter. 2.54 cm = 1 inch.

To convert: Inches to centimeters: Multiply number of inches by 2.54.

As time goes by, the measurements may change.  These changes need to be notated in your notepad because this can basically affect future clothing orders.

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Plus-Size Women And On-Line Size Charts

 'Fit' Depends On Chart

Plus-size women on-line shoppers will be called upon to compare their personal measurements to those found on size charts.  Note that each on-line clothing store may have their own unique sizing chart.  The 'standard' size chart seems to be the one being used at the time.

Although the first chart seems simple enough and easily used as a reference, closer examination indicates that lots of needed information is missing.

The second chart begins to tell us of additional information that may be important.  This chart is published by a particular Brand and refers only to the items sold by that Brand. 

There is a comparison of 'General Sizes', US Clothing Size', and 'Junior Approximate Size. This chart can easily become more confusing than helpful.

Reading the notes at the bottom of the chart doesn't actually help the confusion.  Statements such as 'measurements are approximate'; 'measure from armpit to arm pit and multiply'; and, finally, 'may be labeled 1X, XL or 1XL'.  That same labeling in another Brand could easily mean something altogether different.

The third chart may be more usable because it indicates a size statement in both centimeters and inches.

The 4th chart goes a step further in indicating various measurements in centimeters and inches as pertaining to particular sizes.

There are many more examples of size charts with some being more usable than others.  We believe the 5th chart, the last one presented today, is the best so far.  It neatly shows Asian, US, UK, EU, and AU sizing in both centimeters and inches.

Even with all this information, the on-line plus-size woman should check the chart for the specific item she is interested in.  After comparing her personal measurements to the chart, a very good estimation of the correct ordering size can be reached.

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