The rules that matter more than the numbers
- Measure over close-fitting clothes, not over a jumper and not naked — wear the underwear you intend to wear with the dress, because a different bra changes the bust measurement by inches.
- Keep the tape level to the floor all the way around. This is the single biggest source of error, and you cannot see the back of the tape yourself.
- Snug, not tight. The tape should sit against you without compressing. Ease is added by the dressmaker; if you build it in yourself the garment will be too big.
- Get help for the back measurements. Nape-to-waist and shoulder-to-shoulder are close to impossible to take accurately on yourself.
The nine
- Bust — fullest part, tape level under the arms.
- Underbust — snug, directly beneath the bust. This plus the bust tells the maker your cup depth, which matters more than the bust figure alone.
- Natural waist — bend sideways; the crease that forms is your waist. It is usually higher than where you wear trousers.
- Hip — the fullest point, generally about 8 inches below the waist. Include anything that will be under the dress.
- Shoulder to shoulder — across the back, bone to bone.
- Nape to waist — from the bump at the base of your neck, down the spine, to your waist. This is what makes a waist seam land in the right place.
- Waist to hem — where you want the finished edge to land. Measure in the shoe height you will wear.
- Bicep — fullest part of the upper arm. Skipped constantly, and the reason sleeves end up too tight.
- Height — without shoes.
If you can only take a few accurately, take bust, waist, hip and nape-to-waist. A dressmaker can take the rest at a fitting, and would rather do that than work from bad numbers.
Why your measurements will not match a size chart
They are not supposed to. Size charts describe a proportional relationship between bust, waist and hip that very few real bodies actually have. Made-to-measure exists precisely because those ratios vary — the point is that no ratio is wrong.