Hip size is the distance around the widest part of your lower body. The name is misleading, because that point is almost never at the hip bones. On most women it is seven to nine inches below the waist, across the fullest part of the seat, and that is where the tape goes.
What does hip size mean on a size chart?
It means the full hip: one level loop around the widest point between your waist and your thighs. Tailors sometimes call it the seat. A chart for skirts, trousers, kurtas, lehengas, underwear or shapewear that lists "hip" is asking for this number.
A second measurement, the high hip, is taken three or four inches below the waist across the hip bones. Tailors use it for fitted skirts and saree petticoats. If a chart says only "hip", it does not mean this one.
How do you measure hip size?
- Stand with your feet together. Feet apart gives a bigger number.
- Measure over underwear or thin leggings, never over jeans.
- Pass the tape around the fullest part of your seat. If you are not sure where that is, slide the tape up and down a little and keep the largest reading.
- Check the back in a mirror. The usual mistake is a tape that rides up behind you and reads small.
- Keep it flat and resting on the body without pulling. Read the number where the tape meets.
On most people the hip is the largest of the three body measurements.
Hip size chart in inches and cm
This is the general chart Indian underwear and shapewear tends to follow, the same one used in our underwear size chart. Makers vary, so a product's own chart overrides it.
| Size | Hip (inches) | Hip (cm) |
|---|---|---|
| S | 34 to 36 | 86 to 91 |
| M | 36 to 38 | 91 to 97 |
| L | 38 to 40 | 97 to 102 |
| XL | 40 to 42 | 102 to 107 |
| XXL | 42 to 44 | 107 to 112 |
To convert any other number, multiply inches by 2.54. A 36 inch hip is 91 cm, a 40 is 102 and a 44 is 112.
Is hip size the same as waist size?
No, and they are measured several inches apart. Waist size is taken at the narrowest part of your middle. Hip size is taken at the widest part below it. Charts for anything worn on the lower body list both, because one garment has to fit both places at once.
Which decides my size, waist or hip?
The hip, whenever the two point at different rows. A waistband has elastic or a drawstring and can take up slack. A hip panel cut two inches too small has nothing to give, so the garment rides, folds or will not pull up at all.
Take a 33 inch waist and a 41 inch hip. The waist reads L and the hip reads XL, and XL is the size to buy. The shapewear size guide works through that example, and the shapewear size finder applies the same rule to your two numbers.
What is a normal hip size?
There is no such number. A chart describes garments, and whichever row your tape lands in is a statement about which piece of cloth fits. Adult hip measurements cover a wide range, and a chart that stops at XXL has only told you where one brand stopped cutting.
Are hip dips part of hip size?
No. A hip dip is the inward curve on the side of the body between the hip bone and the top of the thigh. It comes from the shape of the pelvis and where the thigh bone joins it, so it is a matter of skeleton. The hip measurement is taken lower, around the fullest part, and the tape passes below the dip without registering it.
Shapewear cannot fill a hip dip. A seamless short can smooth the line under a fitted dress so the fabric falls evenly over it, which is a smaller claim and a true one.
What does hip size tell you about body shape?
Something only when you set it beside your bust. Hips more than two inches wider than the bust read as a pear, hips more than two inches narrower as an inverted triangle, and anything closer counts as balanced. The body shape calculator does the comparison from three measurements and shows the working.
What should I wear over the hip?
For a smooth line under a fitted skirt, a bodycon dress or a saree, the piece that reaches the hip and the thigh together is a short. Our high-waisted thigh shaper shorts run from the waist to the upper thigh in one seamless piece and come in two size runs, XS to L and XL to 3XL, so you choose by the size you normally wear. The shorts guide covers fit and why a high waist stays put.
The short version
Hip size is the measurement around the widest part of your lower body, usually the fullest part of the seat, taken with feet together and the tape level. On a general chart 34 to 36 inches is an S, 36 to 38 an M, 38 to 40 an L, 40 to 42 an XL and 42 to 44 an XXL. When waist and hip disagree, the hip picks the size. Take both numbers to the shapewear size finder if you want the reading done for you.
