Cloth Stick Tape

How to Measure Clothes

Finding clothes to buy that fit you can be a real pain, clothing sizes can change depending on which shop you are in, and some can even vary within the same shop given style and manufacturer! Some shops equate a UK size 12 with a European 40 others with a 38. The bad news is that clothes sizings have changed consistently from decade to decade and getting the sizes right on vintage clothes is even more challenging than those on the high street today.

The standard UK clothes sizings that we know today - sizes 10, 12, 14 etc, were brought in during the 1960s. Prior to this a normal size for womens clothing would be considered to be a size 34, and this would mean a 34" bust and a 36" hip. Waist sizes differed but would generally be smaller than the average waistline today. Outsize clothes were considered to be over 42" for a waist measurement.

Here are the sizes and relative measurements as described by the British Standard 3666(1981), the size designation of womens wear:

Size Hips From To Bust From To

8 83cm/32.7" 87cm/34.3" 78cm/30.7" 82cm/32.3"

10 87cm/34.3" 91cm/35.8" 82cm/32.3" 86cm/33.9"

12 91cm/35.8" 95cm/37.4" 86cm/33.9" 90cm/35.4"

14 95cm/37.4" 99cm/39.0" 90cm/35.4" 94cm/37.0"

16 100cm/39.4" 104cm/40.9" 95cm/37.4" 99cm/39.0"

18 105cm/41.3" 109cm/42.9" 100cm/39.4" 104cm/40.9"

20 110cm/43.3" 114cm/44.9" 105cm/41.3" 109cm/42.9"

22 115cm/45.3" 119cm/46.9" 110cm/43.3" 114cm/44.9"

24 120cm/47.2" 124cm/48.8" 115cm/45.3" 119cm/46.9"

26 125cm/49.2" 129cm/50.8" 120cm/47.2" 124cm/48.8"

28 130cm/51.2" 134cm/52.8" 125cm/49.2" 129cm/50.8"

30 135cm/53.1" 139cm/54.7" 130cm/51.2" 134cm/52.8"

32 140cm/55.1" 144cm/56.7" 135cm/53.1" 139cm/54.7"

A new standard BS EN 13402 is intended to replace this system with one in which actual measurements are used, however this is not yet in common use and few manufacturers stick to the one above, but I guess you probably already know that!

In general people used to be much slimmer than they are today, and no one really went to the gym to build muscles till the late 1970s. This meant that clothes sizes for the fashion market were considered to be fairly limited and clothes that were considered to be a size 12 thirty years ago would probably be sizes as an 8-10 today (or a size 4-6 in the US!)

The fashionable shops in the 1960s for younger women, such as Dorothy Perkins, Miss Selfridge and Lewis Separates (now River Island), produced very few styles in a size above a UK 14 due mainly to a lack of demand. Other labels often found on vintage clothing of the 60s, 70s and 80s include C&A, Etams, Richards, Wallis, St Michael/Marks & Spencer and BHS.

Shops such as Wallis and Next were known to be generous on their sizings where you could find a dress to fit you a size smaller than usual. This is a process known as vanity sizing and is attributed with the fact that a size 12 today is much larger than it used to be. On the flip side however young fashionable high street designers of now vintage clothing, such as Miss Selfridge, designed the cut of their clothes to fit a figure based on the fashion icon model "Twiggy" and these clothes wouldn't fit a lot of people regardless of the size on the label.

A lot of the vintage clothing around is actually home made. These items will have been made to fit a specific individual, often by using patterns which would have followed the sizings used at the time.For note the clothing and shop name that has always been associated with 'outsize' clothes (greater than a UK 14) is Evans, but before the 1990s these outsize clothes generally resembled tents.
So in conclusion to find any clothing that will fit you, vintage or modern you need to be sure of your bust, waist and hip measurements. Take note also if you have strong legs or arms as some vintage clothing may not allow for this.

To measure clothing (vintage or otherwise) to see if it will fit you need to try it on, for ebay and situations where this is not possible you will need to attempt to measure or request measurements. To do this lie the garment flat if possible and measure the following lines in the garment:

Bustline - To fit around the bust or chest.

Waistline - The best way to find the waist is to lay out the garment and look for where it gets smallest. On mens shirts this is usually just below the fifth button. On womens clothing it could be anywhere. When you find the waistline, measure it using the same method as the chest.It can be useful to note how far down the waist is in relation to the top of the item and hip line.

Hipline - this is set to be 23cm/8inches below the waist but to see if a garment will really fit you compare the widest/fullest hip measurement - if this is not obvious it will be roughly 10" below the waist.

Cuff/sleeves circumference - you've got to get your hands through there if no fastenings and it would seem people had smaller hands in the past too.

Neck opening - to check sizes and how revealing or not an item may be. Conservative necklines designed for narrower frames may not work too well on larger frames.

Collar - Measure on the inside of the collar band. Open the shirt and flatten the collar as much as possible. Start with the tape where the button is stitched. Measure all the way to the far end of the buttonhole.

Chest - With the garment open, measure straight across the back, from the armpit to armpit. Double this number to estimate the chest measurement. For absolute accuracy, first measure across the back. Then, starting from the same place in the armpit, measure the front panel across to the button, and the other front panel across to the buttonhole.This is only necessary for jackets that are fuller at the front - usually womens and outsize mens jackets.

Yoke - Often overlooked, this measurement reveals a lot about the size. The yoke is the area across the top and back of the shoulders. It can be seen easily on shirts and jackets as there is usually an actual separate yoke piece. It's best if you can measure the yoke while the garment is being worn. If you don't have someone to measure it on you, lay the garment out carefully and smooth the shoulder area. Run your tape from shoulder seam to shoulder seam, across the top of the shoulders and the back of the neck. There is a slight curve to this area, so don't try to pull the tape straight like you do when measuring other areas. Don't be tempted to just measure the yoke seam straight across the back. The true yoke is usually larger than this seam.

Length - Measure in the middle of the back, straight down. Start at the shoulder seam. Don't include the collar as part of the length.

Arm length - Measure from the shoulder seam straight down the outside of the sleeve. This number, plus half of the yoke, is the true sleeve length. (On most adult clothes, total sleeve length is somewhere between 28 and 38 inches.)

Inseam - This is the measurement from the crotch straight down to the end of the leg.

Outseam - This is the measurement from the waist down the outside of the leg. If the trousers have an unusually large waistband, don't include it in your measurements.

Rise - The outseam minus the inseam gives you the seat area. The rise lets you know whether you're dealing with a high waist or hiphuggers.

About the Author

Ann Barrago Clothing Sizes and How to Measure!

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Adhesive Tapes- An Array of Different Products

Adhesive tape is considered one of the most essential household items that help to stick almost everything in your home. But the use of adhesive tape is far more wide and varied than we know. In fact there is a wide variety of tapes that are used for various purposes in addition to sticking pages or wrapping gifts.

The Different Varieties of Adhesive Tapes

The first tape was invented in the year 1845 by Dr.Horace and ever since then there has been a sequence of inventions of different varieties of tapes used for bonding purposes.

These tapes are used mainly for fixing broken things like toys, plastics, and so forth. It is also used by children for craft purposes. Available in different vibrant colors, these tapes are often used by children to highlight pages in their books. But the uses of these tapes are myriad. These tapes can also be used on clothes and glasses.

The different varieties of tapes include the double sided adhesive tape, the duct tape, the masking tape, foam tape, pressure sensitive tape, ptfe glass adhesive tape and so forth.

Mirror tapes with different colors and designs are used for decoration purposes, wrapping gifts and for other multiple purposes. The box sealing tapes are used for packaging purposes. With the double sided tapes you can easily join two things back to back unlike the single sided tapes.

Some Useful Varieties among these Tapes

Another variety of this useful tape is the electrical tape which is used to bind electric wires. Since it is made of vinyl, it does not conduct electricity and is considered a safety measure.

The surgical tape is yet another variety of adhesive tape that is used to stick the dressings on the wound. The duct tapes are used mainly for industrial purposes like sealing ducts and pipe leaks. It is also used for construction purposes like sealing windows and so forth.

The heat activated adhesive tape is used to bond materials such as felt. It is mainly useful for sticking rough surfaces.

The gaffer tape, which is also known as PCL tape, is another variety of tape which is used in the entertainment industry for sticking the cables. It is also used for repairing carpets and to create a waterproof seal. It is a useful accessory found in every tool box and is used for multiple purposes. The gaffer adhesive tape is also quite effective in sticking polythene tents used during construction purposes.

The reflective tapes are used on roads to increase the visibility during bad weather conditions and at night.

In addition to all the above varieties there are printed tapes too which can be used to display important messages like handle with care, do not bend and so forth. These tapes are used on packages and cartons.

The use of adhesive tape is not limited to just wrapping gifts or sticking pictures. It has multifaceted purposes with the huge range of varieties available. Most of these tapes can be bought from online stores listed in the b2b directories.

About the Author

Vaiv Jais has wide knowledge of B2B Marketplace and Business industries. Get latest updates on Adhesive tape which are of great demand in B2B space.You can find more free information about Trade Leads at our Trade.indiaMart.com