How to Measure Bust, Waist and Hips at Home for Shapewear

To measure for shapewear, use a soft tailor's tape over bare skin or a thin, unpadded bra. Measure your bust at its fullest point, your waist at its narrowest point (usually just above the navel) and your hips around the widest part of your seat. Keep the tape level and snug but not tight, and breathe normally.

It takes five minutes and saves a lot of trouble. Shapewear fits closer than regular clothes, so the numbers on a tape tell you far more than the "M" on your favourite kurti. Here's exactly how to do it, where people usually go wrong, and which number matters for which piece.

What do you need before you start?

• A soft cloth or plastic tape, the kind your tailor uses. A metal measuring tape from the toolbox won't follow your curves.
• A mirror, so you can see whether the tape is level at the back. A sister, friend or partner makes it easier still.
• Your phone or a notepad, to write each number down straight away.
• An ordinary moment in your day. First thing in the morning, or a couple of hours after a meal, is better than straight after a big lunch.

Measure in inches. It's the unit Indian tailors use and the one the Shapify bodysuit and stockings charts are written in, so there's no conversion to get wrong.

How to measure bust, waist and hips, step by step

Stand straight with your feet together and your arms relaxed by your sides. Wear nothing thicker than a thin bra and underwear.

1. Bust. Wrap the tape around the fullest part of your bust, usually across the nipples, under your arms and around your back. Check in the mirror that it's level across your shoulder blades and not riding up. The tape should rest on the skin without flattening anything.
2. Waist. Find your natural waist, the narrowest part of your torso. If you can't spot it, bend to one side: the crease that forms is your waist. For most women it sits about an inch above the belly button, which is higher than where jeans or a petticoat usually sit. Breathe out normally, don't hold your stomach in, and read the tape.
3. Hips. Keep your feet together. Slide the tape up and down over your seat until you find the widest point, often around 7 to 9 inches below your natural waist. Turn sideways to the mirror to make sure the tape isn't dipping at the back.
4. Upper thigh (optional). For shaper shorts, measure around the fullest part of one thigh. It isn't on most charts, but it tells you whether leg bands might dig in.
5. Repeat. Take each measurement twice. If the two readings differ by more than half an inch, take a third and use the middle figure.

Which measuring mistakes give you the wrong size?

Most sizing trouble comes from one of these:

• Measuring over clothes. Even a thin cotton kurti adds width, and leggings or jeans add more at the hips.
• Pulling the tape tight. It feels precise, but it gives you a number smaller than your body, and you end up in shapewear that's too small.
• Sucking in your stomach. Shapewear has to fit the body you'll wear it on, including after lunch.
• Letting the tape slope. A tape that dips at the back can add an inch or more to your hip measurement.
• Using old numbers. The measurements in your tailor's notebook may be a year old and include extra room for a blouse. Measure fresh.
• Measuring the wrong waist. Your jeans sit on your hips. Shapewear charts mean your natural waist unless they say otherwise.
• Rounding down. If the tape reads 31 and a half, write 31 and a half. If you must round, round up.

Which measurement matters for which piece?

If you'd rather see it all in one place, the combined size guide covers stockings, tummy tuckers and bodysuits together. For the high-waist tummy tucker, which runs from XS to 6XL, match your waist and hips to its chart, and if they point to different sizes, follow the larger one.

How do you read the bodysuit chart when your numbers fall in different sizes?

The snatched bodysuit is sold in three combined sizes: S-M, L-XL and 2XL-3XL. Its chart, in inches, lists each individual size so you can see exactly where you fall:

A worked example: say you measure bust 37, waist 31 and hips 40. Your bust and hips fall in M, which belongs to S-M. Your waist falls in L, which belongs to L-XL. The bodysuit puts extra compression at the core and waist, so the waist is the number to respect, and L-XL is the better choice. Whenever your measurements land in different sizes, go with the larger one.

What if you're between sizes?

For shapewear, size up. A piece that's slightly big gives a little less hold. A piece that's too small rolls at the waist, digs at the legs and can leave you with tingling or deep red marks by evening. Neither is ideal, but only one of them sends you to the washroom halfway through a wedding to peel it off.

It also helps to know that shapewear and other intimate wear can't be returned for size or preference, for hygiene reasons. If you've measured carefully and still aren't sure, write to customer care at help.shapify@gmail.com with your three numbers and the piece you're looking at before you order.

Re-measure whenever your body has changed: after a pregnancy, after a few months of a new fitness routine, or simply if your last numbers are more than six months old. If you're in 2XL or above, our plus-size shapewear fit guide covers a few extra checks.

Save your numbers in your phone's notes. Five honest minutes with a tape, repeated every few months, makes more difference to how shapewear feels than any feature on a product page, and the same waist and hip numbers work for stockings too. When your piece arrives, our guide on how tight shapewear should be helps you check the fit.

Frequently asked questions

Should I measure in inches or centimetres?

Use inches if you're shopping in India. Tailors and most Indian size charts, including Shapify's bodysuit and stockings charts, use inches, so you avoid conversion errors.

Can I use my dress size instead of measuring?

It isn't reliable. Clothing sizes vary between brands and include room for movement, while shapewear is made to fit close to the body, so a tape measure gives a far better match.

Should I measure with or without a bra?

Measure your bust in a thin, unpadded bra you'd normally wear, and your waist and hips over bare skin or thin underwear. Padded or push-up bras add inches you don't need on the chart.

Why do my measurements change during the month?

Many women notice small changes in waist and bust across the menstrual cycle and through the day with meals. Measure on an ordinary day, and if you're close to a size boundary, lean towards the larger size.