Every person is different and unique in size and shape. That's why size really matters when buying a bathrobe.
Many companies offer few size and color options when you are shopping for a bathrobe. That's because lesser variations can be manufactured in bulk quantities and they are also cost efficient from the manufacturer's standpoint.
However, people are different from one another and offering one size or two sizes to every bathrobe buyer in the market simply does not work. As the demand grows, some companies are starting to offer 3 sizes (like S, M, L) which is actually better then one size (OSFM) but they are still missing big/tall and petite size buyers.
In reality, the optimal would be to have 5 sizes: Petite, Small, Medium, Large, X-Large and XXL (or 2XL). But how will you know which size to buy? This guide will answer this question.
HOW TO MEASURE A BATHROBE
Measuring a bathrobe or measuring your body before purchasing a bathrobe is easy. All you need is a measuring tape, a pen, a paper and your body (or the bathrobe to be measured). Just make sure you find the stitching on the bathrobe when measuring because the actual size charts are measured based on the stitching.
There are four important parts on the bathrobe size chart:
1. Length
2. Sleeve Length
3. Shoulder Width
4. Bottom Circumference
1. The length is measured form the neck stitching in the middle of the neck. First, place the bathrobe on a flat surface. Make sure the bathrobe is laying flat without any wrinkles. Then place the measuring tape on the size tag located on the neck of the bathrobe. If there is no tag on the neck, find the middle of the neck where the collar and the main body are sewed together. (Don't include the collar or the hood when measuring). The length of the bathrobe means the length from the neck (from size tag) to hem. Put the measuring tape to the middle of the neck, then take it all the way through hem. The measurement on the hem will give you the length of the bathrobe.
If you know the bathrobe's length, but not sure how it will fit you, just take a big towel or long cloth and mark the length on the cloth. For example, if the length of the bathrobe that you want to buy is 50", measure 50" on a towel or cloth and mark it. Now you can put it on to see if the length fits you.
2. Sleeve length is measured measured from the stitching where the bathrobe arm is attached to the body of the bathrobe. To measure, simply put the measuring tape to the top of the bathrobe's arm where the arm stitching is, and take it all the way to the end of the cuffs. Sleeve length can usually be adjusted by folding the cuffs to your desired length.
Sleeve length is NOT your arm length. It is a common mistake to measure your arm length and think of it as a sleeve length.
3. Shoulder width is measured between the collar and the point where the sleeve is sewed in the body of the bathrobe.
4. Bottom Circumference is the hardest to measure and also the most tricky measurement. Two bathrobes may look exactly the same but the bottom circumference measurement can make it fit two very different body types. To measure the bottom circumference, again place the bathrobe on a flat surface and open the sides. Find the edge to the left and right sides of the hem, and measure the hem length.
To find out if the bottom circumference fits you, mark the circumference on the measuring tape and think of it as a diameter of a circle. If it is a circle large enough to cover you around comfortably, the size is right for you.
Some size charts show a person's height and weight and the matching robe size for that. This makes it much easier to choose from.
Hope this guide helps all the confused buyers out there in finding their right bathrobe size!