So you're buying a costume for Halloween or cosplay or a movie premiere. You should be able to shop for one just like a shirt or pants, right? While we do our best to size our products uniformly, the sad truth is that every manufacturer is different and sometimes those sizes can vary. We always recommend measuring yourself and then consulting the size chart on every one of our product pages. And you're in luck, because we're going to show you how to measure yourself or your child. We'll look at measuring for shirts and tops, dresses, and even jumpsuits. We'll also include some tips for measuring your child. Let's get out the measuring tape and start measuring!
Click to jump to the appropriate section:
- How to measure yourself in shirt and pants
- How to measure yourself in a dress
- How to measure yourself in a jumpsuit
- How to measure yourself in a hoodie
- How to measure your child
- Tips for measuring yourself
How to Measure Yourself in Shirt & Pants
Follow these steps to measure yourself for a costume including a shirt and/or pants:
- Chest: measure under your arms around the fullest part of your chest.
- Shirt/Top Length: measure from where your shoulder meets your neck to the bottom of the shirt.
- Waist: measure around your natural waist, which is generally the same level as your belly button.
- Pants Length: measure the outside of the leg from your waist to the bottom of the pants.
- Dress/Tunic Length: measure from where your shoulder meets your neck to the bottom of the dress.
- Compare your measurements to the size chart.
How to Measure Yourself in a Dress
Follow these steps to measure yourself for a costume including a dress:
- Chest: measure under your arms around the fullest part of your chest.
- Shirt/Top Length: measure from where your shoulder meets your neck to the bottom of the shirt.
- Waist: measure around your natural waist, which is generally the same level as your belly button.
- Dress Length: measure from where your shoulder meets your neck to the bottom of the dress.
- Compare your measurements to the size chart.
How to Measure Yourself in a Jumpsuit
Follow these steps to measure yourself for a costume including a jumpsuit:
- Chest: measure under your arms around the fullest part of your chest.
- Torso: measure from where your shoulder meets your neck to the seam between your legs.
- Waist: measure around your natural waist, which is generally the same level as your belly button.
- Jumpsuit Length: measure from where your shoulder meets your neck to your ankle.
- Compare your measurements to the size chart.
How to Measure Yourself in a Hoodie or Other Warm Clothing
Follow these steps to measure yourself when you'll be wearing a hoodie or other warm clothing underneath your costume. It's important to measure over the excess clothing so that the costume fits appropriately.
- Chest: measure under your arms around the fullest part of your chest.
- Shirt/Top Length: measure from where your shoulder meets your neck to the bottom of the shirt.
- Waist: measure around your natural waist, which is generally the same level as your belly button.
- Pants Length: measure the outside of the leg from your waist to the bottom of the pants.
- Jumpsuit Length: measure from where your shoulder meets your neck to your ankle.
- Compare your measurements to the size chart.
How to Measure Your Child
Follow these steps to measure your child for a costume:
- Chest: measure under your child's arms around the fullest part of their chest.
- Torso: measure from where your child's shoulder meets their neck to the seam between their legs.
- Waist: measure around your child's natural waist, which is generally the same level as their belly button.
- Jumpsuit Length: measure from where your child's shoulder meets their neck to their ankle.
- Dress/Tunic Length: measure from where your child's shoulder meets their neck to the bottom of the dress.
- Compare their measurements to the size chart.
Tips for Measuring Yourself
Here are some tips for measuring yourself:
- Measure yourself while wearing clothes.
- Use a sewing tape measure, not a construction tape measure or ruler/yardstick.
- In all your measurements, lay the tape measure against your clothes and give yourself room for movement unless you want a skin-tight costume.
- If you'll be wearing warm layers under the costume, then measure yourself while wearing those extra layers.
- Never guess, always measure. Every manufacturer is different so "true to size" doesn't really exist.
- When looking at the size chart, make sure that every part of the costume will fit you. If anything is too small, it's best to go with a size larger.
We hope you found these videos on measuring yourself helpful! We carry the largest number of Halloween costumes for adults and kids and the largest variety of sizes so that you can find the right costume and the right size! If you'd like to see any more tutorials, let us know in the comments below.
