How to find your clothing sizes

Your go-to method for how to mitigate sizing confusion when buying online has arrived! How many times have you met the clothing item of your dreams only to be paralysed by the process of figuring out its size? Sizing problems plague all of fashion e-commerce and are a consequence of a lack of standardisation within the industry. Unfortunately, designer resale has an additional layer of risk: sellers seldom offer returns. But don’t let that stop your resale dreams; we have detailed a step-by-step guide to overcome this. It’s not foolproof, but it will dampen the sizing risk involved in all future resale ventures.

NOTE: This guide assumes someone is buying for themselves.

The Problem

To quell the sizing-circus beast, we must first understand it. The root of the problem lies in the lack of standardisation between sizes because there can even be inconsistencies among the same type of items within the same brand and season. For example, a size 42 boot from Ann Demeulemeester AW18 may fit differently compared to another boot model size 42 Ann Demeulemeester boot from AW18 simply because they’re different models. The sizing is still inconsistent for a boot labelled 42 from Ann Demeulemeester across seasons, even more imprecise for a boot labelled 42 independent of brand and season, and almost completely random when comparing boots using different sizing standards, i.e. EU42 to UK8.

In summary, there are 4 escalating sources of sizing discrepancy:

• The article type

• The sizing standard1

• The article brand

• The article season

The only surefire way of knowing the size between clothing is if you have the exact same model item (based on the care-tag serial), in which case you have some kind of comparable standard. But most people don't. So how does someone take full advantage of everything designer resale has to offer without being hindered by the sizing chaos?

The Solution

There are a couple of easy-to-employ tactics to handle sizing-related woes. The most straightforward being that if someone you know or a local store has the specific item, you can go in and try it on to get a better impression of how it fits. Short of that, the next best thing is to establish your personal sizing reference, and all you need is a tape measure.

• Identify the item you want to buy (compile a cut-through list).

• Extract the item measurements (in a common unit).

• Find a similar clothing article from your wardrobe (i.e. if you’re looking at a jacket, then find a jacket; if it’s a shoe, then find a shoe).

• Measure your own article of clothing(2)(refer to the image below for how to measure).

• Store those measurements for future reference.

Now that you have an understanding of your measurements, you can approximate whether the online item fits. You can either a) communicate with the seller or b) research through helpful online communities. When communicating with sellers, it’s critical that measurements are available and accurate:

It’s fair to expect the availability of measurements, so if they are not listed, ask. And if the reseller isn't obliging, take it as a red flag and look elsewhere. We advise not to let yourself be persuaded by the price. If it doesn't fit, it's worth nothing.

Regarding accuracy, this is a bit of a wormhole, because it ultimately depends on the seller knowing how to measure clothing correctly and their aptitude for measuring precisely. Some sellers may be willing to provide photos of the measuring tape alongside the garment, but this level of service is not everyone is open to. It’s also possible that your own measurements are inaccurate, in which case this is a fool’s errand.

Online communities can be incredibly useful for sizing information, yet are often noisy. Therefore, it’s essential to be methodological in your inquiries so that the signal can be separated from the noise. Make sure you’re talking to someone who has either a) encountered this same problem and solved it or better yet b) has the item on hand and can remotely offer you advice and measurements to consider. However, always maintain a level of vigilance when communicating online.

• Do not give away personal identifiable details (measurements are not this).

• It’s worth being protective of a listing in case someone might buy it before you.

• On the other hand, if you find something that you feel is a good bargain but not for you, why not share it for someone else?

• Once you have a good idea of how your personal size compares to the online listing, all that’s left to do is to:

• Decide if any sizing discrepancies are tolerable.

• Given that, does it work for you? Then begin the buying process (see previous guide).

In summary, once you have secured your personal sizing reference accurately, it becomes more of a research endeavour. You can also store your measurement and seamlessly apply it to all future sizing challenges to short-cut the process.

Conclusion

Evidently, knowing whether something fits you poses a number of challenges, and there is no simple process due to limitations in how clothing is systematically manufactured. The above proposes a straightforward and sensible method, but there will always be an element of uncertainty. After over 10 years of only buying designer resale online, I would say 20% of everything I buy does not fit how I anticipated. I am entirely content with that, given the bargains I have been able to find and the fact that some of my clothing can only be procured from second-hand marketplaces. I hope this can offer some relief to your sizing woes and best of luck out there scouting for your dream clothing!

Tips & tricks:

• Asking proxies to communicate on your behalf

• Double checking your own measurements.

• Developing a mental fortitude to understand the best financial decision is always to not buy at all, and especially not buy something that doesn’t fit.