Clothes sizes: 5 tips to avoid online purchases that don’t fit

Buying clothes online is a straightforward affair. That’s until you try on your purchase and realise that your usual size doesn’t fit you. But as unpredictable as dress sizes may be, any bad buys or letdowns have been far fewer since I’ve been following these five tips.

1. Know your measurements

This first point is vital for picking the right items from the digital clothes rack. Use a flexible measuring tape to determine the circumference of your chest, waist and hips – three points that will usually be enough. This is easiest in your underwear standing in front of a mirror. The measuring tape should be held parallel to the floor and fit snugly, but not cut into your skin. Here’s how to get your measurements right:

Chest: at the widest part of the chest, usually at nipple level. If you usually wear a bra, you should also wear one when you’re measuring yourself.

Waist: measure at the narrowest part of the torso, usually below the ribcage, just above the navel.

Hips: at the widest part of the hips. People often mistakenly measure at thigh height below the crotch because this area may be wider than your hips. However, it’s important to stay at bum height.

And what do you do with the numbers, I hear you ask? Google «women’s size chart» or «men’s size chart» and see which dress size is closest to your measurements. Of course, each body is different and won’t necessarily fit into one category. However, this step can give you a rough idea.

Sewing accessories

Prym Roller Measuring Tape

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Sewing accessories

Prym Roller Measuring Tape

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2. Search the size guide of the brand

In the clothes industry, there’s no general sizing standard brands have to adhere to. Instead, they focus their products on a specific target market. Brands with a younger target group, for example, tend to have a slightly narrower cut than those with an older target group. A lack of universal guidelines makes online shopping quite challenging.

To avoid disappointment and reduce the number of returns, I recommend investing a little extra time in your research – it really is worth it. Almost every brand has an online chart size you can consult. Just go straight to the brand’s website or type the name of the brand plus keywords such as «size guide», «size chart» or «fit finder» into your search engine.

Sometimes, there are size variations within a single brand. In my experience, however, the size guides will probably give you a good idea of whether your regular size will fit or whether you should go for a size smaller or larger. Online shops rarely state the measurements of each garment on their product pages, even though this would be the most reliable.

3. Check the material

Your measurements won’t always correspond to a specific size. Let’s assume your waist’s an S, but your hips are an M. What to do? Check the material composition to see how much wiggle room you have. If you’re shopping for trousers with stretch fabric, size S will probably fit your hips fine. However, if they’re made of an unyielding material such as 100 per cent cotton denim, it might be a bit of a squeeze.

4. Take a good look at images and descriptions

Time and again I read reviews stating that a garment’s too short or too big – even though the photos and description clearly show it’s a crop top or an oversize cut. So before popping anything into your shopping cart, make sure you take a close look at the photos and the product description. Both can be very informative in terms of fit and size.

For example, you’ll often find information on the waist height and the cut of the product – i.e. whether it’s more on the figure-hugging or oversized size – as well as information on the model’s body size. If the model’s 178 centimetres tall and her skirt reaches all the way to the floor, you can assume you’ll be wiping the floor with the garment if you’re 10 centimetres shorter.

5. Ask for help

Seek help – be it from a machine or other shoppers. On some websites, like ours, customers can leave reviews. These are usually solid indicators regarding the fit of a garment. However, some of the information can be contradictory and confusing. Personally, I find computer-generated size recommendations much more reliable. It’s a service offered by many online stores specialising in fashion. You can enter your height, weight and in some cases, your measurements – and the digital assistant will spit out a recommendation for you. This will be based on the purchases and returns of other people with similar measurements.

Unfortunately, we don’t currently offer this function on Galaxus. In those cases, I generally go straight to the website of the brand in question. German sustainable company Armedangels, for example, has a Fit Finder. So after getting a recommendation from the tool, you can order the item from the shop of your choice.