We know that online shopping can be a pain... by Alarna Hope

This post is from Alarna Hope, fashion stylist and writer working out of Sydney. We really love how Alarna and her team; Elena from Bella Models; Liv Slee, HMUA and Jan Erick-Luzuriaga, Photographer have put together this handy guide to guide for measuring yourself.

Some of the feedback we have had from our customers has been that they prefer to try things on before buying and that’s totally understandable. At some point however, you're going to miss out on what’s available in the big wide world of online shopping. So allow Alarna to guide you through measuring yourself for online shopping:

I’ve received some pretty heinous (cue, Law & Order sound effects) online shopping purchases. Some that I thought; how could this possibly look bad on me? What’s the worst that could happen? Well, let’s see: swimmers that don’t cover reproductive areas properly, dresses with busts so large I could fit a barbeque chicken from Woolworths down the front and still have room, dresses with not quite as much of a full skirt as there was in the picture – I’ve had the lot.

Then I started working as an E-commerce Stylist for a few companies and I learned all the tricks of the trade that make us think we’re buying one thing, when in fact, we’re buying something else.

To stop post-online shoppers remorse, I put together a handy little post to ensure you get the perfect fit every time so that online shopping is a breeze and not an exercise in patience.

Because sizing isn’t standard anymore and shopping online excites you too much, knowing your measurements is just as important as knowing how to tie your shoe laces. Step aside, That Effortless Bitch is showing you how to take your measurements this week!

What You’ll Need:

– A measuring tape

– A friend

– Fitted clothing to wear

– Pen & Paper

BUST:

Unless you’re buying an item with a bra built in or you’re measuring for a bra or corset, you should wear a great everyday bra when you’re measuring your bust. Wrap the tape around your upper and ensure the tape wraps across the fullest part of your bust which is usually the nipple line. This will give you your bust measurement.

WAIST:

Stand in front of the mirror, front on and bend to the side. Where your waist creases naturally is where you need to wrap the measuring tao. Ensure that the tape is sitting at the smallest part of your waist and that it’s flat and straight against your body.

HIPS:

Wrap the tape around the fullest part of your hips, this should be just above or on the hip bone. Where the tape overlaps, record the number as your hip measurement.

THIGHS:

Stand with your feet together and wrap the tape around the tops of your thighs. Make sure the tape is sitting straight and flush against your body.

INSEAM / PANT LENGTH:

There are two ways to do this, if you don’t have a friend to help you, the first way will be easiest. Pick out a pair of pants from your wardrobe that are the right length for you and fold them in half. Lay them down flat on a smooth surface and use your tape to measure from the crotch seam to the end of the pant to get your inseam amount.

If you do have a friend to help you, put the pants on and hold the top end of the tape against the seam of the crotch while your friend measures to your ankle bone (a cropped pant or skinny jean) or just past your ankle (a wide leg pant or straight cut jean). Make sure you’re wearing the right shoes to be measured in, heels if you plan on always wearing your pants with heels or flats if you want to wear them with those.

 SHOULDERS/ BACK:

To measure your shoulders, have a friend stand behind you while you stand front on with a straight back. Have your friend measure from the edge of each shoulder to get the correct size.

SLEEVE LENGTH:

For your sleeve length, halve the last measurement you took and write it down. Then measure from the top of your shoulder and down to your wrist bone. Slightly bend your elbow (best measurement taken when you put your hand on your hip) when doing this to allow for arm movements. Add the two numbers together to get your sleeve length.

ARM WIDTH:

When measuring your arm width, it’s important that the shirt you’re wearing isn’t too thick or your may end up purchasing a garment with sleeves that are too wide. Wrap the tape around the fullest part of your bicep, this will give you your arm width measurement.

Enjoy, Gorgeous! x

MODEL: ELENA AT BELLA MODELS | HAIR & MAKE UP: LIV SLEE | PHOTOGRAPHER: JAN ERICK-LUZURIAGA | STYLIST: ALARNA HOPE |