Why you shouldn't choose your clothing size based on its length – #CDL73

Cover credit: SEH Kelly S/S 2016 lookbook

Here is something I read regularly in the exchanges I have with you on a daily basis:

• "I'm usually a size S but since I'm tall I'm going to take M so that it's not too short"
• Or in the other direction: "I'm an M but I'm going to go with an S because I'm rather short and I'm afraid it will be too long"

You should not choose your clothing size based on its length. Here's why.

Of course, a suitable length is important. But not to the point of dressing in the wrong size. Hast shirt

Understand the concept of gradation

Grading is the difference between two clothing sizes.

This difference is expressed in width and length:

• A garment one size larger is longer and wider
• Clothing one size smaller is shorter and narrower

There is an important subtlety to this definition:

Between two sizes, the gradation of a garment is greater in width than in length .

To speak in numbers, on a top, you can have between two sizes:

• 2cm difference in half chest measurement , so 4cm in full chest measurement
• Around 1cm difference in length

So, unless you intentionally want to wear loose or well-fitted clothing, you should not choose clothing that is the wrong size, because there is a good chance that it will be too loose or too tight.

And the little centimeter you have more or less won't change much.

This Beams+ shirt , very pretty by the way, is short in the bust and sleeves. It is also rather loose. By taking a size larger, the shirt becomes very (too) loose but remains short.

Buying clothing at the right length, the method

Now you may be wondering:

“That’s all very well but in the meantime, I’m having trouble finding clothes with the right length. What should I do?”

Here's a method to use to buy clothes more accurately, with a more suitable length if you often have length problems.

1. Determine the length you need

Take a meter, clothes that fit you and determine the minimum lengths (if you are tall) or maximum (if you are short) that suit you.

For example, here are the appropriate measurements for me who am rather tall . Below these values, it becomes really short for my size:

• Sleeve length on a top: 63cm
• Bust length on a sweater: 67cm
• Trouser crotch length: 76cm

To you !

2. Find the length you need

From this data, compare them to the size guides offered by the brands.

And look carefully at the length for your height , of course.

Depending on the models and brands, you may find very variable lengths.

The shirt on the left, Bellerose, is 7cm shorter than the shirt on the right, NN07 . This cannot be guessed: you have to look closely at the measurements to notice it.

If you need something very short or very long, know that brands offer long or short length clothing. I talked about it in the following topics:

• Where to find clothes when you are (very) tall?
• Where to find clothes when you're short (and thin)?

What to do with clothes that are a little too long or too short?

And so, you may be saying to yourself:

"I have some pieces that don't fit me too badly but the length isn't quite right, what should I do?"

1. If a garment is (a little) too long

You probably suspect the answer: retouch !

I can totally understand if this idea doesn't particularly appeal to you: it takes time and costs money.

It is nevertheless a simple solution (shortening the sleeve of a jacket, shirt or trouser bottom is an operation that every retoucher knows how to do) and not excessively expensive (10€, 15 maximum).

For sweaters specifically, where alterations are more difficult , here's what you can do.

• Regarding the sleeves, roll them up:

The aesthetic result of a sleeve rolled up over a knit is often nice. BonneGueule cardigan

• Concerning the bottom of the sweater, roll it up too or tuck it in your pants:

2. If a piece of clothing is (a little) too short

It's more difficult in this sense because most of the time, you can't stretch a garment.

You can nevertheless find little tips to compensate:

• With a top that is a little short in sleeves, roll them up. This obviously doesn't work when it's cold.

• With a top that is a little short in the bust, wear pants with a higher waist.

Pants with a higher waist like on the right ( Berg&Berg ) make it easier to wear slightly short shirts, whether in or out of the pants. (left: Father&Sons )

• With slightly short pants, wear high-top shoes.

These Officine Générale pants are a bit short for the model. The boots make up for it well. The close colors between these two pieces allow continuity of the leg line.

Accept that some clothes won't suit you

It's an idea that isn't necessarily easy to accept, but such is life.

Sometimes a garment will be too short or too long.

In this case, you have to let go: part with the item in question , or resist the urge to go to the checkout.

I love the ABCL pants but they are too short for me, the visual effect is not good.