Why plus size labels can't be trusted
There is no legal standard for clothing sizes. A 3X from one brand can fit a 46" bust; a 3X from another can fit a 56". International sizing makes it worse — a Chinese 5XL is often closer to a US 1X or 2X. That's why the same person can wear four different "sizes" across four brands in the same wardrobe.
The result is a shopping experience where larger customers absorb all of the risk: order two sizes, hope, pay for returns. Meanwhile the genuinely interesting clothes — the metallic pleats, the giant florals, the wild prints — mostly stop at XL anyway.
How we do it instead
Every Dear Sherbet product lists the actual garment measurements for every size we carry:
- Bust — measured flat across the garment and doubled
- Waist — at the narrowest point, or at the elastic
- Hip — at the fullest point of the garment
- Length — shoulder to hem
- Stretch — none, slight, stretchy, or very stretchy
- Fit notes — the honest stuff: runs small in the shoulders, forgiving through the middle, and so on
We also tell you where the numbers came from: supplier-claimed orsample-verified (meaning we measured the actual garment ourselves).
How to measure yourself
You need a soft tape measure and about two minutes. Measure over your underwear, not over bulky clothes, and keep the tape snug but not tight.
- Bust: around the fullest part of your chest, with the tape level across your back.
- Waist: around your natural waist — bend to one side, and the crease that forms is roughly it.
- Hip: around the fullest part of your hips and seat, usually about 8" below your waist.
- Write them down. These three numbers are yours; they work on any store that publishes real measurements.
Reading garment measurements once you have your numbers
Compare your body measurement to the garment measurement and look at the gap, which is called ease:
- Non-stretch fabrics need roughly 2–4" of ease over your body measurement to be comfortable, and more if you want it loose.
- Stretchy fabrics can measure at or slightly under your body measurement and still fit — the fabric makes up the difference.
- Elastic waists and A-line shapes are the most forgiving constructions, and the most likely to work across a wide range of bodies.
Shop by the measurement, not the letter
When we launch, you'll be able to filter the whole store by what actually fits you — fits bust up to 44", 50", 56", or 60"+ — instead of guessing which letter this particular brand means today.
Last updated 2026-08-12