Help shoppers pick the right size in DMs

Tap a card to copy the message. Swap anything in braces, like {name}, for your own words before you send it.

• Asking for measurements

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  Happy to help you choose! Could you send your bust, waist and hip measurements, in cm or inches? I'll compare them with this piece's own measurements and tell you which size fits best.

  Ask for measurements, not their usual size. One brand's M is another's L, so a size from elsewhere only tells you so much.

• The size, with a reason

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  Thanks! With a 92 cm bust and a 76 cm waist, you're a size M in this dress. It leaves about 4 cm of room at the waist, so it'll skim rather than cling. The full chart is here: {link}

  Say why it fits. “About 4 cm of room” lets them picture it, and they'll trust your next recommendation too.

• Between two sizes

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  You're right between an S and an M. The fabric has a little stretch, so the S will fit close to the body and the M will feel relaxed. Which look do you prefer?

  Let them choose the fit, but give them the facts that decide it: stretch, cut and how they like to wear it.

• “Does it run small?”

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  It's true to size across the body but slim in the sleeves. If you have fuller arms or like a loose sleeve, go one size up.

  Say where it runs small or large. “True to size” alone doesn't help someone whose shoulders or hips sit outside the average.

• What the model is wearing

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  Our model is 173 cm tall and wears a size S, her usual size in most shops. On her, the dress falls just below the knee.

  Height and usual size are what people compare themselves with, and where the hem lands tells shorter and taller shoppers what to expect.

• The garment's own measurements

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  Here are the measurements of the piece itself, taken flat: 54 cm across the chest (108 cm all round) and 68 cm from shoulder to hem. Lay a top you love flat and measure it the same way to compare.

  Flat measurements are half the circumference. Say which you mean, or someone with a 96 cm bust will see “54 cm” and panic.

• Jeans: waist and inside leg

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  For jeans we go by waist and inside leg. Measure your waist where your jeans usually sit, and your inside leg from the crotch seam to your ankle bone. Send me both and I'll pick the size and the length.

  The waist decides the size and the inside leg decides the length, so you need both numbers before you answer.

• Shoes: measure the foot

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  Shoe sizes vary a lot between brands, so foot length is the safest guide. Stand on a sheet of paper with your heel against a wall, mark the tip of your longest toe, and measure from the wall to the mark in cm. Our chart: {link}

  Suggest measuring in the evening and using the longer foot. Feet swell a little during the day, and one foot is often slightly longer than the other.

• Rings: inside diameter

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  Easiest way: take a ring that fits the same finger and measure straight across the inside, edge to edge, in millimetres. Send me the number and I'll match it to our sizes.

  Ring sizes follow different systems: numbers in the US, letters in the UK, and the inside circumference in mm in much of Europe. A measurement works with all of them.

• Kidswear: height first

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  Our kids' sizes are labelled by age, but height is the better guide. How tall is your little one? I'll pick the size that fits now with some room to grow.

  Age labels are averages, and children of the same age can be a whole size apart. Height, plus chest for older kids, settles it.

• Unisex sizing

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  Our tees are unisex, cut on men's sizing. As a rough guide, if you usually wear a women's M, a unisex S will fit like a relaxed tee and an M will be roomy.

  Give the rough conversion, then point to the chest measurement for anyone who wants to be sure.

• UK, US and EU labels

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  We use UK sizes. A UK 10 is roughly a US 6 and an EU 38, but brands differ, so the measurements on our chart are the best guide: {link}

  Shoppers abroad often guess the conversion. One line saves them the guess, and you a return.

• Made to measure

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  We can make this to your measurements. I'll need your bust, waist, hips and height, plus the length you'd like in cm. Made-to-measure pieces can't be returned, so let's get the numbers right first.

  Read the numbers back in one message before anything is cut. It's the cheapest moment to catch a typo.

• If it doesn't fit

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  If it doesn't fit, you can swap it for another size within 14 days, as long as it's unworn with the tags on. Start the exchange here: {link} Or reply and I'll help.

  Saying how exchanges work takes the risk out of choosing a size. Keep the full rules on your returns page and link to it.

1. 1Each SIZE comment allows one private reply from you, within 7 days of the comment, in plain text. The chart's link has to wait until they write back.
2. 2Once they reply, automated messages, the chart included, can go out for 24 hours from their latest message, and each new message restarts that clock.
3. 3If you run try-on sessions on Instagram Live, a comment made during the broadcast can only get its private reply while you're still live.
4. 4Meta's human agent tag gives a person up to 7 days after the shopper's last message to answer a fit question by hand. “Your size is back in stock” is a promotion and isn't covered.
5. 5Automated replies must make clear they're automated, so an automatic size answer should never pose as a stylist.

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