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For a short trip, a size mistake is worse than a style mistake. A dress that is not quite your usual shade still gets worn; a coat with sleeves two centimetres short gets left at home, and by then the return window may have closed while you were away. Measuring before you buy is the cheapest part of the entire plan.
Measure yourself once, in one unit
Take five measurements with a soft tape, over light clothing, standing normally rather than holding your breath. Write them in one unit — centimetres is the most common on UK and European charts — and note the date. Bodies change slowly, but a measurement taken three years ago is a guess.
| Measurement | How to take it | Example (cm) | Why it matters here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bust or chest | Around the fullest point, tape level | 88 (example) | Knits and coats with no stretch |
| Waist | Around the narrowest point, not the waistband line | 71 (example) | Trousers and skirts sold by waist |
| Hip | Around the fullest point, feet together | 96 (example) | Straight-leg and tapered cuts |
| Inside leg | From the crotch seam to the ankle bone | 76 (example) | Leg length is often listed separately |
| Foot length | Heel to longest toe, standing, both feet | 23.5 (example) | Shoe charts and half sizes |
Use the larger of your two feet for shoes. Most people have a difference of a few millimetres, and the smaller foot can fit into a shoe that the larger one cannot.
Read the chart for that garment
A size chart is not a statement about your body; it is a statement about one pattern. A cropped jumper and an oversized coat can both be labelled UK 10 and be cut nothing alike. Read the chart attached to the specific item, then check which measurement point it is using: some charts list body measurements, meaning the body the garment is designed for, while others list garment measurements, meaning the actual width of the finished piece.
Units, increments and tolerance
UK clothing sizes are not a measurement system, they are a convention, and conventions vary. Trousers often pair a UK dress size with an inside leg in inches, so a single row can hold two units. Write both, and label them: "UK 10, 30 inch leg" is unambiguous, "size 10/30" is not.
Allow a tolerance of about one to two centimetres on a stated measurement, because fabric is cut and sewn by hand and the chart is usually rounded. Do not treat a 1 cm difference as a reason to size up on its own, but do treat it as a reason to read the fit description and look at the photographs. If a chart gives a range rather than a single figure, record the range; it is more honest than picking the middle.
Shoes: size, width and half sizes
Take one item from the capsule as a worked example. Suppose you are replacing a worn pair of leather walking shoes, your foot measures 23.5 cm and you normally wear a UK 5. The chart for the candidate pair says UK 5 fits 23.3–23.8 cm, with no width given. That is a reasonable match on length, and the open question is width — which cannot be resolved from a number.
- Foot length measured standing, later in the day, both feet noted
- Chart units confirmed as centimetres, not inches
- Half sizes available, or the next full size up as fallback
- Width mentioned in the listing, or a question sent to the seller
- Sock thickness you will actually wear written in the note
- Return conditions read before ordering, not after delivery
Nothing in that list promises the shoes will fit. It promises that the risk is known and that the fallback exists, which is the most a chart can give you.
What to write in the row
In the planner on the home page, the size column takes free text on purpose. Use a fixed pattern so the rows stay comparable: size, any second dimension, then the uncertainty. For example: "UK 10 / 30in leg / waist not given" or "UK 5 / wide fit / length confirmed". The notes column is the place for the measurement you compared against, such as "my inside leg 76 cm, chart says 77 cm".
When there is no chart at all
Some listings show a size label and nothing else. In that case the honest entry is "no chart — ask", and the row should not move to ready-to-buy until you have an answer. If you cannot get one, compare the item with something you already own that fits, using the same measurement points, and record that comparison instead of a guess.
Once the numbers are written down, the next check is visual. The guide on reading inspection photos explains what a photograph can confirm about shape and stitching, and the guide on comparing product details side by side shows how to hold two candidates to the same measurements.