How To Take Measurements For Buying Shapewear

The shapewear we buy should feel comfortable but not tight. It's supposed to give you a better-looking figure without cutting off blood flow or oxygen. It should feel comfortable and unrestricted. To find the best size for your shapewear, don't just assume you need the same size as your dress or pants. Whether you're considering purchasing a waist trainer or a full-body shapewear, to get the right fit, you should use a measuring tool to accurately measure your entire body's circumference so you can choose a better-fitting shapewear. Here are the four measurements of girth:

WAIST MEASUREMENTS:

Stand in front of a full-length mirror and bend to one side—this is your natural waist. It may look high, but your natural waist is actually about 2 inches above your belly button. Wrap the tape measure comfortably around your belly - don't pull it too tight. You should be able to get a finger between your skin and the tape.

BUST MEASUREMENTS:

Start by putting on a lightweight, non-padded bra. Making sure the tape measure is parallel to the floor, wrap the tape along your ribcage directly under your breasts. This will give you your underbust or chest measurement. Then, with your shoulders back and chin up, measure the fullest part of your breast. These two numbers determine your bra and cup size. The underbust measurement is your band size, the larger number or bust number is your cup size. Every inch beyond the band size is a letter in the cup size. A difference of one inch is a cup A, a difference of two inches is a cup B, and so on. For example, if your underbust size is 32 and your upper bust size is 35, your bra size is 32C.

TORSO MEASUREMENTS:

Especially with full-body shapewear, it's important to know the length of your torso. If you are tall or have a long torso, you may consider purchasing a larger size or finding shapewear designed specifically for you. If you don't wear your shapewear long enough, it can cause a lot of discomfort.

This measurement requires help from a friend. Place the tape measure at your shoulders, as high as your neck, then down from the front, over the fullest part of your chest, between your legs, and up your back, stopping where it begins at your neck. This number is your torso size.

HIPS MEASUREMENTS:

The fullest part of the buttocks is approximately eight to ten inches below your natural waistline. Make sure the floor and tape measure are parallel, wrapping the tape snugly around the fullest area. You won't cheat by pulling it too tight.

In order to have comfortable and effective shapewear, fit is crucial. A lot of women go wrong by buying shapewear one size smaller than their regular size hoping to achieve an extra support. That’s a mislead. A smaller garment doesn’t mean proper fit. Instead, go for shapewear with a higher control level, meaning, your shapewear is of medium control, consider buying a firm control shapewear.