Size Guide and Garment Information

Being modest is all about being informed. Look at our size guide and discover all the information Myriad Modest Fashion provides to ensure you are able to make an informed shopping decision and meet your modesty expectations.

Size Chart

All measurements provided in centimetres

Myriad Modest Fashion Sizes	Bust	Waist	Hip
3XS	< 76	< 59	< 86
2XS	76.5 – 78.9	59.5 – 60.9	86.5 – 88.9
XS	79 – 83.9	61 – 65.9	89 – 93.9
S	84 – 88.9	66 – 70.9	94 – 98.9
M	89 – 97.9	71 – 80.9	99 – 105.9
L	98 – 103.9	81 – 92.9	106 – 110.9
XL	104 – 111.9	93 – 97.9	111 – 116.9
2XL	112 – 120.9	98 – 102.9	117 – 130.9
3XL	121 – 125.9	103 – 107.9	131 – 135.9
4XL	126 – 130.9	108 – 112.9	136 – 140.9
5XL	131 – 135.9	113 – 117.9	141 – 145.9
6XL	136 >	118 >	146 >

 

How to Measure:

Bust: Wrap the tape from your front, around your back then return the tape to meet the other end at the front. Do this on the largest part of your breast.

Hint - If you wear a bra on a daily basis, take this measurement with your bra on, as bras often increase the size of the bust due to the lift they supply.

Waist: Wrap the tape from your front, around your back then return the tape to meet the other end at the front. Do this on the smallest part of your waist. Do not pull the tape too tightly as this may give you a false reading as our waist can be constricted quite significantly.

Hint - If you wear “shapewear” (this is underwear that constricts the waist, stomach and sometimes thighs) on a daily basis, take this measurement with your shapewear on as this may significantly decrease the size of your waist.

Hint – If you are a person who experiences a bloated stomach, take this measurement quite loosely and/or deliberately with your belly pushed out, so you know you have enough room at the waist to allow for some stomach expansion.

Hip: Wrap the tape from your front, around your back then return the tape to meet the other end at the front. Do this at the widest part of your hip.

Hint – Be careful that the tape does not follow the contour of your buttocks and pull up towards the small of your back. You need to keep the tape level all the way around your body.

 Size Guide

As Myriad Modest Fashion imports clothes from all over the world, we needed to develop a uniform size guide for customers, as (for example) a “small” from Asia is often 3-4 times smaller than a “small” from Australia.

As such, we developed our size guide to incorporate sizes from 3XS to 6XL. Each of our sizes represent a range of measurements. You will also find garments described as being “relaxed” e.g. XL (relaxed). So how do you know what size is best for you?

• We use the sizing information provided to us by the designers and makers of our garments. These are standard sizes and an individual garment may have up to a 2cm difference based on the size of the hem and the elasticity of the material etc.
• We size based on the smallest measurement, so if a dress measures 3XL on the hips, but M on the bust, we will list it as an M dress on the website. Being modest, many of our garments have a long, loose hang to them, so they do tend to be much larger in the hips and waist than the bust. In these cases, we are usually only provided with the bust measurement for dresses and blouses, and a waist measurement for pants.
• If a garment measures close to the start of a size range, we will judge it to be the former size. E.g. If a blouse has a bust measurement of 84.2cm, we will advertise it as XS (79-83.9cm) rather than S (84-88.9cm) because this garment may not fit the majority of S size customers.
• If a garment measures in the middle of a size range, we will list it as being of that size as it will fit most people either loosely or firmly. E.g. A dress with a bust measurement of 100cm will be marked as L (98-103.9cm) as it would fit a person with a 98cm bust loosely and a person with a 103cm bust firmly.
• If a garment falls into a size range and the garment of the next size falls into the same size range, the larger garment will be marked as “relaxed.” E.g. A garment with a 107cm bust would be deemed an XL (104 – 111.9cm). If the garment of the next size had a bust measurement of 110cm, it would be deemed to be an XL (relaxed). A larger form of the XL range.
• If a garment is made of exceptionally stretchy material (such as plisse or lycra), it will be marked as fitting the size who can wear it stretched out without over-stretching the material making it see-through or making it lose its pleats (in the case of plisse). E.g. a lycra top with a bust of 94cm (M) would be marked as being (L) as it is designed to stretch and this is the size appropriate to it when it is stretched out, without the material becoming over-stretched and see-through.

Does Myriad Modest Fashion Stock Petite Sizes or Plus Sizes?

The short answer to this question is “Yes, but …”

Here at Myriad Modest Fashion, we believe all women are perfect exactly as they are right now. Guided by our Islamic theology, we believe Allah (swt) developed human diversity, including diverse sizes, shapes, colours etc. This means all sizes, shapes, colours etc. are perfect and beautiful. Our job, as the owners of these bodies, designed by our maker, is to care for our bodies in this world. We should aim to remain as healthy and fit as possible. But we should NEVER aim to be a certain size or a certain shape! Looking after our bodies is an act of worship – a recognition of our created beauty. By trying to alter our bodies to meet some standard invented by capitalists to trick you into buying products to “fix” your imperfect body … this is an act of abuse.

Psychology tells us that people who become obsessed with trying to meet these unattainable standards to control and alter their physical form, are at risk of developing very real and dangerous illnesses such as anorexia nervosa or various forms of binge eating. This only ever harms our bodies. However, we also know that people who feel good in their own skin, who recognise their body as being a gift worth protecting, are the people most likely to make small, daily changes and decisions that lead to good eating and exercise habits and the long-term protection of their health and psychological happiness.

So what does this have to do with Myriad Modest Fashion’s sizes? Well, Myriad Modest Fashion is for EVERY woman. It is for women of every size, shape and colour. So yes, we stock clothes that have been traditionally marketed as being “petite” or “plus size.” However, we refuse to divide our sisters into groupings that suggest some bodies are “normal” and other bodies are “too big” or “too small.” As such, we don’t divide our clothes into “Petite” or “Plus Size” categories. We simply stock clothes in as many sizes as we are able to source.

So take your measurements and find your Myriad Modest Fashion size. Then enjoy expressing your own personality, beliefs and feelings through your dress. Celebrate feeling great being in your own skin. And simply scroll through our stock to find a garment that is in your size. Our aim is to make sure there is always something available for everyone (or something available soon).

What if I can’t find my size in stock?

Please get in touch with us and we will try to stock your size as soon as possible. You may find we are waiting for stock in your size to arrive (things can sometimes take time to arrive if they are imported from far-away places). But we seek to provide clothes for every body – and that includes yours. So please speak to us and we will try to meet your needs.

 Garment Details

There is no one form of modest dressing. Different people have different standards. Some want sleeves that cover the full arm down to the wrist bone, others are happy with a ¾ length sleeve. Some want skirts and pants that cover the whole leg down to the ankle bone, others are happy with a ¾ length. Some people want material that is completely opaque and does not even show light through it, other are happy to wear a transparent fabric with a camisole/singlet over the bodice. Some people want the silhouette of the garment to show no curvature of the body at all, others are happy with any shape as long as it is not skin-tight.

No matter the nature of your modest dress, Myriad Modest Fashion will do all we can to inform you about the factors of the garment that matter to you, so you are able to make an informed choice and maintain your definition of modesty. As such, Myriad Modest Fashion provides our customers with the following information:

Opacity:

With so many varieties of man-made fabrics now available, and so many densities of fabric available, quoting a fabric type does not provide enough information for modest shoppers. To address this, Myriad Modest Fashion provides information on garment opacity on a scale from 1-4. This will allow you to understand how “see through” your garment is likely to be.

Opacity 1 – very sheer fabric that allows the colour of the skin to be seen without difficulty. This opacity rating often includes fabrics such as georgette, lightweight chiffon, tulle and organza.

Opacity 2 – open weave fabrics that allow the shape of the body or outline of undergarments to be seen. This opacity rating often includes fabrics such as heavyweight chiffon, linen, lightweight cotton (particularly light colours), open weave knits and fabrics such as lace, hessian and some rustic weaves, cotton voile and fine silk.

Opacity 3 – fabric that is largely opaque but a silhouette of the body may be identifiable when light shines directly on this fabric. This opacity rating often includes fabrics such as heavy linen, heavy cotton (particularly light colours), jersey, some knitted or weaved fabrics and light silk.

Opacity 4 – fabric that is absolutely opaque and does not allow the body to be seen beneath it, even when light shines directly on it. This opacity rating often includes fabrics such as denim, slub cotton, heavy lawn cotton, most crepes, dark coloured heavy cottons including drill cotton, leather, high-grade silk, satin, sateen (man-made fibres made to imitate satin), velvet, faux fur etc.

Look for the opacity rating on a garment expressed in the description.

Sleeves:

At Myriad Modest Fashion, we try to stock only long sleeved garments, as we find these are the most difficult type of garment for a modest dresser to source. Sometimes, due to cultural trends (yes, we’re looking at you Indian Salwar Kameez!), and supply options, we have to stock garments with ¾ length sleeves. When this happens, we attempt to stock the longest ¾ length sleeved garments available.

In light of our buying strategy, we categorise the sleeves of our garments into 3 categories, to allow our customers to make an informed choice about their purchase.

• Fixed Sleeve – this is a long sleeved garment that has an elastic cuff, a buttoned cuff, or a narrow, rigid sleeve end, that fixes the sleeve in place so the wrist bone is mostly covered and the sleeve cannot accidentally roll up.
• Open Sleeve – this is a long sleeved garment that has an open ended sleeve. This sleeve can be folded or pulled up showing the forearm. Likewise, these garments may show the forearm as they flick back when reaching up (such as in the case of bell sleeves).
• Cropped Sleeve – This is a sleeve that may be fixed or open, but on most people, the sleeve will stop before the wrist bone. This may also be a long sleeved garment (with open or closed sleeves) but the bottom section of the sleeve (such as the cuff or the bell) is made of fabric that is sheer and thus the wrist bones can be partially or completely seen.

Pants and Skirts:

We provide the length of pant legs, skirts and dresses whenever this information is available (supplied by the retailer, or measured by us). This information is provided so customers are aware if they may need to wear tights or stockings under a garment to maintain their personal modestly standards. Likewise, it helps our sisters with long legs know if the garment is going to be right for them. To support informed buying, Myriad Modest Fashion will also list the style description of the garment length in the garment description. For example, we will let you know if the designer describes the garment as being a “midi” dress, so designed to be worn half way down the shin. This may make it the perfect length modest dress for shorter sisters, but may need to be worn with tights for taller sisters.

We will also inform our customers if pants are designed in a style that is “cut-off” (as there are many names for various styles where a pant is designed to show part of the ankle, for ease we will simply refer to these pant styles as being “cut off.”)

Elasticity:

We know all bodies are beautiful and perfect exactly as they are right now. And with all the physical diversity possible in this world, it is not surprising that many people do not fit within the “average” standards set by “average” size charts. After all, you are not average . . . you are part of the myriad of physical beauty!

So to help our customers decide if a garment is right for them, we will provide information about the elasticity in the product description. Specifically, we will inform our customers if there is elastic in sleeves or cuffs. We will mention if there is an elastic waistband or partial elastic waistband. We will inform you if there is elasticised ruching at the waist or across the bust and we will provide you with a description of the stretch possible in these areas. Finally, we will describe if the fabric itself is elasticised and the amount of stretch you can expect when wearing the garment.