Girl skills failure

[liv]

So if I'm trying to buy clothes for a male friend, what measurements do I need him to tell me? Friend doesn't know, and I don't know either, because I have no clue about anything to do with clothes. I'm Not A Proper Girl.

Any dressmaking types or other sartiorial experts able to help me out here? Ideally, please tell me, so I can tell my friend, exactly how to obtain the relevant measurements, rather than just their names.

Oh, and GIP, while I'm at it. I've scanned the image from a random greetings card darcydodo picked out because it looks a lot like me. And there's a teapot!

Comments

[neonchameleon.livejournal.com]

Collar, chest, waist, inside leg and shoe size seem to cover pretty much everything for me. (Oh, and what sort of fit you want for trousers is sometimes relevant).

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

You might want to add sleeve length to that although in the UK sleeves seem to come in one length only which is very odd. Don't try and buy a jacket based on measurement alone.

[liv]

Don't try and buy a jacket based on measurement alone.
Thanks, that's useful advice. There isn't a great chance of being in the same place at the same time with the intended recipient, so it would be better for me to pick something that can reasonably be bought without the wearer needing to be present. I'll think about it.

[liv]

OK, so what's the definition of a 'chest' measurement? Where do you measure? (I know on girls, but that's not helpful right now.)

And is there any way of distinguishing length (as opposed to circumference) of torso, or does length only count for trousers?

[sobrique.livejournal.com]

Depends what 'type' of clothing :)
Obviously leg size doesn't matter if you're buying a shirt.
Typically though:
For top half: (although for loose fitting clothes such as T-Shirts or sweatshirts, S/M/L/XL is usually enough)
Collar size.
Chest size.

For lower half:
Waist size.
leg length (inner typically)

[liv]

Depends what 'type' of clothing :)
Indeed it does; I didn't want to include too much detail in my request for fear of giving too much away about the present. But thanks for those.

And I don't think we've met, though we're probably almost connected. Welcome!

[sobrique.livejournal.com]

Every now and then I go trolling friendsfriends lists.
It's a recursive process by which I find new/interesting LJs. People like karen2205 seem to act as 'nodal points' within the LJ community.

[liv]

Yay, friendsfriends is fun. And karen2205 is indeed exceptionally well-connected. (I was at the same college as her at Oxford, incidentally.)

[darcydodo]

Yay for the icon! :)

I'd forgotten it was in color.

[elemy.livejournal.com]

It is indeed a lovely icon, and livredor is instantly recognisable, mainly from the appreciative way she's looking at her teacup :-)

[liv]

livredor is instantly recognisable
Isn't that so cool? I love that this completely random greetings card picture looks exactly like me!

mainly from the appreciative way she's looking at her teacup :-)
Well, I can think of worse features to be identified by.

Speaking as an occasional wardrobe mistress...

[sea-bright.livejournal.com]

... if I remember rightly, the correct procedure for measuring inside leg is as follows:
Get hold of tape measure.
Give end of tape measure to male friend/person being measured for costume. Say 'You hold the top end.'
Gaze in bewilderment as measuree fails to understand that you want him to hold the tape measure where he wants the crotch of his trousers to come to, and not (as he seems to think) just hold it so that it doesn't get lost or something. Attempt to explain this delicately. If you're me, blush a bit during the process.
Crouch down to his ankle height to take the measurement, and realize you've forgotten whether you should measure to the floor or to where you want the cuff of the trousers to come to. (I've just checked this one with my housemate, and he assures me it's the latter, or people end up tripping over their trousers.)
Make note of measurement. Move on to next cast member.

Hope that helps.

PS. I do also remember being told on one occasion by one of the shop assistants at a formal-wear hire place that the correct way to take a collar measurement was to do so with two fingers (as well as a neck, obviously) inside the measuring tape. This helps to avoid strangulation.

Re: Speaking as an occasional wardrobe mistress...

[liv]

Thank you so much for this anecdote! Although it's not entirely pertinent, it's very, very funny. *broad grin*

Oh, I'm so pleased you're on LJ!