How to measure your body

Please note!

First of all, we're working with your unique body measurements, so do not measure a garment or give confection sizes.

All measurements are taken the same way regardless male or female, but it is very helpfull to let us know if you have a male body or female body when purchasing a garment with a zipper through crotch, as the measurements can differ in lengths for male and female. It also helps us to assess if the measurements are plausible or not or if we need to double check.

Please use a flexible sewing tape measure, not a building tape measure or ruler, unless it is for the body height.

Please use inch or cm when filling out your measurements. So no mm, foot or yards, etc. Also, don't put inch or cm behind the measured numbers, we will know in which measurement system it was done.

How to measure:

BL Body length:

From the top of your head to the floor, without shoes, your feet flat on the floor, standing straight, with your chest out.

LL Leg length:

From your waist down to the floor, without shoes and feet flat on the floor, standing straight, with your chest out.

The waistline it is located between the last rib and hipbone. You can easily find your waistline by standing up straight and bending your upper body to the left or right, your waist will create a fold. Tie a string or shoelace in the waistline to help you with other measurements as well.

IL Inside leg length:

From next to your crotch in the groin (next to your private parts against your pelvic bone) down to the floor, without shoes and feet flat on the floor, standing straight, with your chest out.

RL Rise length:

From the waist down to your crotch. The best way to measure: Sit on a hard surface, sit straight up and measure from your waist down to the hard surface. Make sure you are sitting up straight with your chest out.

For us to get a better idea of your shape (for example longer back than front), is to measure the rise from the front, side and back of the body while sitting down straight on the hard surface.

The rise length generally has a minimum of 27cm/10.6inch and up. So please double check your rise!

Mnemonic: The inside leg length + the rise length = leg length. These are important to measure correctly and add up, or the length of the legs will be too short and the waistband will sit too low.

WC Waist circumference:

The waistline it is located between the last rib and hipbone. Generally +/- two or three centimeters above your bellybutton (it can be more depending on your shape). You can easily find your waistline by standing up straight and bending your upper body to the left or right, your waist will create a fold. Tie a string or shoelace in the waistline to help you with other measurements as well, such as the rise-, leg-, and crotch length.

Please note!

We want the waistline measured high, not low or medium. Even if you are male or want to order low waist garments. We create our made-to-measure garments by going off your specific waistline and deducting the height for low waist garments.

LWC Low waist circumference:

Is located on your hip. It will go from just above your butt crack to just above the line where your stomach ends or just above your pubic bone.

HC Hip circumference:

The widest part of your booty.

ThC Thigh circumference:

The widest part of your thigh. Generally located between 5 and 7 cm from your crotch.

KnC Knee circumference:

The widest part of your knee, measured with a straight leg (not a bent knee) and your foot flat on the floor.

CC Calf circumference:

The widest part of your calf.

FtC foot-through circumference:

Place the ball of your foot on the floor and raise the heel. Measure the widest part around your heel and the arch of your foot.

AC ankle circumference:

Measure just above your ankle.

CLS Crotch length Smooth:

This measurement is taken from the front of the waist to the back of the waist, going between the legs, smooth over the genitalia and in between the butt crack. This is not doable with the tape measure. Our advice is: you've kept the string tied in the waistline, you take another string and tie it to the front of the string that's in your waistline. Now take that string and pull it between your legs to the string in the back of the waistline.

You need to be careful to make it run smoothly over the genitalia without pulling it in between, but at the same time in the back you need it to go in between the butt cheeks until the string is tied to or touches the waistline string in the back.

Make sure the string is going flat on your back and that the waistline string is levelled and not pulling down (adjust if needed).

Then hold onto the one in the back on the spot where it touched the waistline and pull it forward again (or cut it if you tied it). Then if you tied it to the front cut it where the string meets the waistline string. The length of the string is your crotch length smooth and we use this for the crotch zipper.

We have found that it generally starts round 64/65cm/25.2inch and up in our database.

CLCT Crotch Length Camel Toe:

This measurement is taken from the front waistline to the back waistline, going through the genitalia lips and in between the butt cheeks.

If you have the string still tied in the waistline (which is advisable) then you take another string, tie it to the front waistline string and go to the waistline string on the back, between the legs and in between the genitalia and in between the butt cheeks. Keep it as taunt as you find comfortable for the camel toe effect until the string touches the waistline string in the back (make sure the string is lying flat against your back).

While doing this make sure the waistline string in the back and the front stay levelled and is not pulling down.

Now you can take the string from the back, holding it at the point where it touched the waistline string and pull it forward again. Then cut the string from the waistline string in the front.

This string length is the crotch length for the camel toe.

UBC Upper Bust Circumference:

Measure the circumference on top of the bust, going under the armpits around the body and meeting back at the starting point. Make sure you don't breath in too much air and hold it or exhale fully. Just stand relaxed, breathing normally without expanding the chest too much. Keep the arms slightly away from the body to the sides, not above your head.

BC Bust Circumference:

Measure the bust circumference while wearing a thin bra (no padding) from the nipple going around the body and over the other nipple, to the starting point.

Sometimes it helps when your nipples hang a bit low to slightly bend forward and then measure over the nipples. Just make sure you don't lean forward too much. If your breasts hang quite low and you're not able to do this, then measure with a non padded bra and measure over the middle of the bust where the nipples generally would be.

UNBC under bust circumference:

Measure the circumference under the bust (where the bra band usually is) by going around the body and meeting back at starting point.

Make sure you don't breath in too much air and hold it or exhale fully. Just stand relaxed, breathing normally without expanding the chest too much. Keep your arms slightly away from the body, not above your head.

BRL Breast Length:

The breast length is measured from the nipple, following the breast, going under the breast fold, to the waistline.

UTBD Under The Bust Dept:

The under bust dept is measured from the nipple, following the breast, to under the breast fold.

BH Bust Height:

Measure the bust height at the top of the shoulder at the base of the neck, straight down to the nipple.

BW Breast Width:

The breast width is measured from nipple to nipple. If your breasts hang low, then wear a thin unpadded bra and measure from nipple to nipple.

UBW Upper Breast Width:

The upper breast width is measured from the side of the body, just before the armpit, going over the top part of the bust to the other side of the body just before the armpit. Make sure you stand up straight and not slouched over, but at the same time do not pull your shoulders back and the chest out too much. Try to breath in and out relaxed and regularly.

FL Foot length:

To measure the foot length take a pencil or pen and 2 pieces of paper big enough to fit the whole foot, no shoes (preferably also no socks). Stand in the middle of the paper, making sure you still have room around the foot. Now take the pen or pencil and draw around each foot. Measure the foot length from the longest tip of the toe till the end of the heel of each foot. Take the measurement of the foot that is the longest, this will be your foot length.

FW Foot Width:

The foot width is measured from the side of the foot where joint of the big toe is, to the side of the foot where the joint of the little toe is. This is best measured when placing your bare foot on a piece of paper and drawing a line at each side of the foot at the widest points.

KnH Knee Height:

From the middle of the knee to the floor. Measure without shoes, foot flat on the floor and keep your leg straight.

AL Arm Length:

The arm length is measured with a bent arm in a 90 degree angle, from the top of the shoulder, over the elbow until the wrist.

To find the starting point on the top of the shoulder you can raise the arm and look where the rotation cup is at the fold. There, on the top of the shoulder, is your starting point.

UAC Upper Arm Circumference:

The upper arm circumference is measured at the widest part of the bicep. Keep your arm straight down to the side of your body while measuring. If you have lager muscles you can keep your arm bent at a 90 degree angle, so your bicep is a bit flexed.

EL Elbow Circumference:

The elbow circumference is measured while keeping your arm bent at a 90 degree angle. Measure the circumference of the arm around elbow, over the top of the bone.

AH Arm Hole Circumference:

The arm hole is measured over the shoulder and under the armpit. Make sure when you measure that the starting point is on the top of the shoulder, at the joint of the rotation cup. You can find this point when you raise your arm above your head, the point where the shoulder folds is your starting point. Measure while keeping your arm relaxed and just slightly away from your body.

NL Neck Length:

The neck length is measured from the highest point of your neck, straight down to the base of the neck in the middle of the collarbones.

NC Neck Circumference:

The neck circumference is measured at the widest part, in the middle of the neck at the larynx. Try not to measure too tight, just loosely enough so it is comfortable.

WC Wrist Circumference:

The wrist circumference is measured over the wrist bone.

UBL Upper Back Length:

The upper back length is measured by taking a long piece of paper and put this straight across the back going under both armpits, make sure it is horizontal. Measure the upper back length from the base point where the spine and neck join and where the bone is usually most protruding (or google the medical term of this point: vertebrae C7) and measure going straight down until the top of the paper.

BL Back Length:

The back length is measured with a string or lace tied around the waistline to help guide you with the measurement.

First to help you find your waist, it is located between the last rib and hipbone. You can see it clearly by standing up straight and bending your upper body to the left or right. Your waist will create a fold.

Once the string is tied in your waistline, you measure the back length from the base where the spine and neck join. This is at the top of the back at the point where the bone is usually most protruding (or google the medical term of this point: vertebrae C7) and measure going straight down to the waistline.

BLT Back Length Total:

The back length total you can measure with or without a string or shoelace tied on the widest part of the hip. Measure the total back length from the base where the spine and neck join. This is at the top of the back at the point where the bone is usually most protruding (or google the medical term of this point: vertebrae C7) and measure going straight down to the widest part of the hip. Make sure the measuring tape is flat against the body while measuring.

UBW Upper Back Width:

The upper back width is measured from the side of the back approximately at the armpit height, to the other side at armpit height.

Make sure you measure it straight and levelled, and not too far over to the side of the body. Also make sure you stand up straight and that your shoulders are not curling forwards or backwards. Keep your body straight, but relaxed.

FL Front Length:

This is measured at the top of the shoulder at the base of the neck, straight down to the waistline.

MFL Middle Front Length:

The middle front length is measured from the middle of the collarbones, going down to the waistline while keeping the tape measure flat against the body.

Lastly but importantly

We check all measurement data you provide before starting the production process. To do this we use size tables that range from size 32 to size 60 as a general guideline. Additionally we have size tables in 8 different waist to hip ratios (aka body types), so in total we can check on 120 different sizes.

If we find noticeable irregularities in the measurement data you provided, we will contact you and kindly ask you to measure that part again. This is just to be sure. We know that taking measurements is not easy, and a mistake is easily made.

So therefore, please use an active email address when ordering or when you create an account, so we can reach you when necessary. Also check your spam folder from time to time after ordering for any messages from us. We have had too many clients who use an inactive email account and miss emails from us about the measurements or shipping.

If you have any questions about your measurements or you are unsure about it, please contact us at: info@ishtarandbrute.com

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How to measure your body