Dresses can be worn on a casual day at home or a glamorous night out. But we often get baffled when buying the right sized dress, as different brands follow different size guidelines. An oversized dress does not do justice to your body features. However, if the dress is too tight for your liking, you will not feel comfy in it. So you definitely don’t want to buy the wrong size of your favorite dress.
This is why knowing different dress sizes and the size that suits you is important. When you order online, choosing the right size is even more crucial. So here I have gathered some information about women’s party dress sizes to help you in understanding the different dress sizes.
Types of Dresses
From formal to casual, there are dresses of different types, styles, shapes, and sizes. Based on length you can have mini, midi, tea-length and maxi. Party dresses can be of different length as well. Broadly, you can categorize the party dresses in two classes - Ball gown and cocktail. Ball gowns are full length dresses that are suitable for black-tie events. The cocktail dresses are shorter and as the name suggests these are perfect for a typical cocktail party.
You can find tons of different styles for party dresses as well. A few examples are strapless styles, one-shoulder styles, mini dress halter neck, cowl neck maxi dresses, puff sleeve styles, backless or lacing back styles, and so on.
Party Dress Size Chart
After meddling with many dress sizes, I ended up with some common-size party dresses. For apparel items, e.g. clothing, the measurement method is different. There are sizes like XS, S, M, L, and so on, which are commonly used for clothing based on body measurement. Now these can be broadly categorized into standard, petite and curvy sized dresses.
Photos by Pixabay, Godisable Jacob, and RDNE Stock project on Pexels
All these have been put together in a handy dress size chart below. I cannot guarantee your dress maker will perfectly adhere to this sizing, but they will overall be around these common measurements.
Women's Standard Dress Sizes Chart
Size | Bust (in) | Waist (in) | Hip (in) | Bust (cm) | Waist (cm) | Hip (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
XS - 0 | 32 | 24.5 | 34.5 | 81.5 | 62.5 | 88 |
XS - 2 | 33 | 25.5 | 35.5 | 84 | 65 | 90.5 |
S - 4 | 34 | 26.5 | 36.5 | 86.5 | 67.5 | 93 |
S - 6 | 35 | 27.5 | 37.5 | 89 | 70 | 95.5 |
M - 8 | 36 | 28.5 | 38.5 | 91.5 | 72.5 | 98 |
M - 10 | 37 | 30 | 39.5 | 94 | 76.5 | 100.5 |
L - 12 | 38.5 | 31.5 | 41 | 98 | 80 | 104.5 |
L - 14 | 40 | 33 | 42.5 | 102 | 84 | 108 |
XL - 16 | 41.5 | 34.5 | 44 | 105.5 | 88 | 112 |
XL - 18 | 43 | 36 | 45.5 | 109.5 | 91.5 | 116 |
*in = inch, cm = centimeter **All centimeter numbers are upper rounded to closest 0.5. So if a converted value is 61.66 centimeter it is written as 62.0 in the above chart
Brands or stores may have a petite size in addition. The petite sized dresses are made especially for women of 5'4" or less height.
Women's Curvy Size Dresses Chart
Size group | Size | Bust (in) | Waist (in) | Hip (in) | Bust (cm) | Waist (cm) | Hip (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1X | 12W | 42 | 36 | 45 | 107 | 91.5 | 114.5 |
1X | 14W | 44 | 38 | 47 | 112 | 97 | 119.5 |
1X | 16W | 46 | 40 | 49 | 117 | 102 | 124.5 |
2X | 18W | 48 | 42 | 51 | 122 | 107 | 130 |
2X | 20W | 50 | 44 | 53 | 127 | 112 | 135 |
3X | 22W | 52 | 46 | 55 | 132.5 | 117 | 140 |
3X | 24W | 54 | 48 | 57 | 137.5 | 122 | 145 |
4X | 26W | 56 | 50 | 59 | 142.5 | 127 | 150 |
4X | 28W | 58 | 52 | 61 | 147.5 | 132.5 | 155 |
*in = inch, cm = centimeter **All centimeter numbers are upper rounded to closest 0.5. So if a converted value is 61.08 centimeter it is written as 61.5 in the above chart
How to read a dress size
To read a dress size, you’ll need to compare your bust, waist, and hip measurements to the size chart. Then choose the right size that matches your body measurement. If you fall in between measurements, it's wise to go with the larger size.
How to take measurement for party dress
As you can see, while choosing a dress size, you’ll need your body measurement. To do that, you need to measure your bust, waist, and hips. Take a flexible measuring tape and follow the steps mentioned below.
How to measure yourself
- First, wrap the measuring tape around the fullest part of your chest and take the measurement where the tape overlaps. Make sure to measure under the arms. This is your bust measurement.
- Second, measure around the narrowest part of your waist and measure your natural waistline. It is usually at or above your belly button. You may want to keep the tape a bit loose.
- Third, measure around the fullest part of your buttocks with the measuring tape. It’s usually 7-8 inches down from the natural waistline.
- Don't forget to check the dress length while making your purchase. Particularly, in case of long dresses, you need to measure the inseam as well. It’s for the height. It’s simply measuring the inside length of your leg from the crotch to the bottom of your ankle for a dress just touching the floor. You can adjust this length as per your choice of dress length.
How to measure from an existing dress
You can take measurement of chest, waist and hips of a well fitted dress that you have in your closet. Follow the above mentioned steps to find out where to put the tape on the dress.
International conversion chart for ladies' party dress
Well, at this age of online shopping, it is not rare to order dress from different brands located in a different country or even a different continent. So knowing which US size corresponds to a specific international size may come handy. US and Canada more or less follow the same size charts.
This chart is based on approximation. You should check the size information of the particular attire before finally checking out.
Size | US | UK | France | Italy | Japan | Australia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
XS | 0 | 4 | 32 | 36 | 3 | 4 |
XS | 2 | 6 | 34 | 38 | 5 | 6 |
S | 4 | 8 | 36 | 40 | 7 | 8 |
S | 6 | 10 | 38 | 42 | 9 | 10 |
M | 8 | 12 | 40 | 44 | 11 | 12 |
M | 10 | 14 | 42 | 46 | 13 | 14 |
L | 12 | 16 | 44 | 48 | 15 | 16 |
L | 14 | 18 | 46 | 50 | 17 | 18 |
XL | 16 | 20 | 48 | 52 | 19 | 20 |
XL | 18 | 22 | 50 | 54 | 21 | 22 |
1X | 14W | 20 | 48 | 52 | 19 | 20 |
1X | 16W | 22 | 50 | 54 | 21 | 22 |
2X | 18W | 24 | 52 | 56 | 23 | 24 |
2X | 20W | 26 | 54 | 58 | 25 | 26 |
3X | 22W | 28 | 56 | 60 | 27 | 28 |
3X | 24W | 30 | 58 | 62 | 29 | 30 |
4X | 26W | 32 | 60 | 64 | 31 | 32 |
4X | 28W | 34 | 62 | 66 | 33 | 34 |
How to read this conversion table?
According to this table given above, if you usually wear a US size 18, then you should try a UK size 22 if you are buying from UK. Similarly you should check out size 21 while buying from a brand using Japanese dress sizes.
How to customize party dress size
Photo by Cojanu Alexandru on Pexels
Even knowing the size and body measurements, we sometimes fail to get the right size of a dress. You might get a small or large size but not the right one!
But you have nothing to worry, there are solutions as well. You can alter your dress! There are a few simple ways to customize a dress size, making it a few sizes bigger or smaller.
Making a dress smaller
- Flip and put your dress on and hold it as tight as you want it to fit. Mark the points you want to tighten. Alternatively, you can use your best fitted dress to compare the size and then mark.
- Make lines going from the armhole down to the bottom hem on each side of the dress. It might be a little difficult for you to do it all on your own. So take help from your friend or family if needed.
- Now sew down both side seams of the dress following the lines you made.
- Once you’re done, flip your dress back and try it on.
- If you find the side seams too bulky, cut off the extra fabric inside the dress.
Sometimes you can use little hacks to tighten your dress without sewing. For example, you can take in your dress with safety pins. Or, add a belt around your waist to shape a shapeless dress.
Making a dress larger
To make your dress larger, you can let out seams. There is always some extra seams allowance in dresses. If there’s none, you can add panels, extra fabric, or gussets to increase the width.
Conclusion
Now that you have the dress sizes chart and know how to take body measurements, buying party dresses will be much more relaxing. Pair it up with a fancy pair of stilettos or casual shoes if you are not comfortable in heels.
