The London Corset Company - Measure Your Waist Correctly!
Six Quick Steps to Measure Your Waist!
Measuring your waist can be tricky. Please find below a step by step guide to get an accurate waist measurement. Ideal for corsets, shapewear and waist trainer sizing.
Get a tape measure or you can use a piece of string and ruler. If you don't have a tape measure you can download our
PDF Measuring Tape here
Remove your shirt or raise your clothing. To get an accurate measurement, you need to ensure that the tape measure is resting against your bare stomach.
Stand up straight either in front of a full length mirror or get a friend to help measure you. Exhale slowly.
Find your natural waist. Bend from side to side to find it. Your waist is the soft, squidgy part of your body between your hips and the base of your rib cage. For most women, it is the narrowest part of your torso. (see image above).
Wrap the measuring tape around your waist. Back straight, breathing comfortably, no tucking in that tummy girls! You can now wrap the measuring tape around the smallest part of your waist. It should fit comfortably against your skin. The tape should not be slipping down (it's too loose) or causing your skin to pull (it's too tight).
Read the tape measure. Your natural waist measurement will be where the zero end meets the slack end of the tape measure. This is the measurement you will need when selecting a corset. Some people take a little while to get it right. I would measure it three times for accuracy. If it is different from the first time, take the average of three measurements. If you find tape a little tricky, try asking a friend or use a piece of string instead. Then measure the string against the tape or metal ruler.
Now you have your waist measurement, please click the sizing drop down on the corset or waist trainer page. For instance, if you are 31” natural waist, you would select 'Large – 30.5 – 32.5 inch waist' or whatever sizing band your waist measurement falls in.
Dress sizes are there as a guide only as different shops use different measurements for the sizing. For an accurate fit, it is better to measure your own waist.
