Shopping online has definitely lots of advantages – no need to wait in line to get to the fitting room or a cashier desk, no need to take off your comfortable pajamas and no need to waste time for the road. Nevertheless, there would be no retail stores if online shopping didn’t have its drawbacks too. And one of them is that beautiful dress you ordered that came three sizes smaller. So how to shop for clothes online and not be disappointed with your order?
Know your measurements
It is a common thing that the clothes sizes vary depending on brand and even the batch they were made in. It is not a problem when you are in an ordinary store and you can try the clothing on. But when it comes to online shopping, you don’t have that luxury, so you got to use a measuring tape to take note of your bust, waist, hips and inseam.
To measure your body parts correctly, use this quick guide:
Chest: Measure the circumference of your chest. Place one end of the tape measure at the fullest part of your bust, wrap it around (under your armpits, around your shoulder blades, and back to the front) to get the measurement.
Waist: Measure the circumference of your waist. Use the tape to circle your waist (sort of like a belt would) at your natural waistline, which is located above your belly button and below your rib cage. (If you bend to the side, the crease that forms is your natural waistline.) Don’t suck in your stomach, or you’ll get a false measurement. If you generally wear your clothes below your waist, take that measurement as well.
Hips: Measure the circumference of your hips. Start at one hip and wrap the tape measure around your rear, around the other hip, and back to where you started. Make sure the tape is over the largest part of your buttocks. Because making sure the tape is level back there can be hard, try to do it in front of a mirror.
Inseam: This is the distance from the uppermost inner part of your thigh to the bottom of your ankle. You can measure your inseam in two ways.
- With help: While you’re wearing a pair of pants, have a friend stretch the tape from your crotch to the bottom of your ankle.
- Without help: If you have a pair of pants that fit you perfectly (and they shouldn’t be too loose around the waist), measure the inseam of the pants, again from the crotch to the hem.
After you are done with measuring, check the size charts offered on the web-sites of the brands you are planning to buy.
Read the reviews and return policies
Before buying any piece of clothing, read the previous customers’ review. Only the people who have already experienced the quality of the material on their own skin can provide you with reliable information about the brand. It is also important to read the return policies of the online store before you actually make an order. Check how much time you will be given to send the product back in case there is such need and if there is a possibility to make exchanges.
If you are successfully done with all these bits of advice, go on Jiji to start clothes shopping!
