How to choose your t-shirt size online in Bangladesh

A medium at one brand is a large at another and a small at a third. There is no standard, and imported stock adds another layer, because an Asian M, a European M and a US M are three different garments. The only numbers that mean anything are the garment's own measurements: chest width and length. A brand that publishes a measured chart per product is giving you what you need; a brand with one generic chart for everything is guessing along with you.

1. 01

   Lay it flat

   Front up, on a table, smoothed but not stretched.

2. 02

   Chest

   Measure straight across from armpit seam to armpit seam. That is the half-chest; some charts double it.

3. 03

   Length

   From the highest point of the shoulder (next to the collar) straight down to the bottom hem.

4. 04

   Shoulder

   Seam to seam across the back. On an oversized tee this is much wider, by design.

5. 05

   Sleeve

   From the shoulder seam to the sleeve opening.

Find the row whose chest is closest to the number you measured, then check the length. If you are between two sizes, the fabric and the fit decide: a heavyweight oversized tee can take the smaller of the two (it is already roomy), a light regular fit should take the larger (it has no stretch to give). Check whether the chart shows garment measurements (what we measure above) or body measurements (your own chest around the fullest part). Menlab's charts are garment measurements, per product, in inches.

A regular fit sits close to the body with the seam on the shoulder, and runs true to size. An oversized fit is a different pattern, wider through the chest with the shoulder seam dropped down the arm, and it is meant to sit loose. Take your usual size for oversized; do not size down to make it fit closer, because that pulls the dropped seam into the wrong place. The oversized guide explains the cut in detail.

If you have nothing to measure, height and weight get you close. The Menlab assistant on the site does exactly this: tell it the product plus your height and weight and it suggests the nearest size from that product's chart. As a rough starting point for a regular-fit cotton tee, the table below is what we see across orders, but the product's chart always wins.

• Ordering the letter you wear at another brand. Read the numbers.
• Sizing down an oversized tee. It is meant to be loose.
• Ignoring length. Oversized tees run long; check it if you are under about 5'6".
• Forgetting shrinkage. Cotton can shrink slightly on a hot wash. Wash cold and line dry, and it stays as bought.
• Guessing for a gift. Ask for their chest measurement, or choose a brand with a size exchange.

Choose brands that let you fix it. Menlab gives 7 days from delivery for a return or a size exchange on unworn items with tags on, with courier pickup, started from the returns page. Custom-printed pieces are the exception, because a shirt printed with your design in your size cannot be resold, so for those the size check comes first. Our own mistake, a wrong size sent or a faulty piece, is always on us.