How to Buy Clothes as a Gift When You Don't Know Their Size

Clothes are one of the most-wished-for holiday gifts and one of the easiest to get wrong. You want it to be a surprise, so you can't just ask, and a size that's off means a trip back to the store in January. Here's how to work out someone's size quietly, which pieces forgive a wrong guess, and how to make a swap easy if you miss.

The best clue to someone's size is hanging in their closet. Look for pieces they wear often and seem happy with, since those are the ones that fit.

Check the size tag on a favourite sweater, pair of jeans or jacket. Take a quick photo of the tag so you have the brand and the size.Note the brand. A medium at one store can be a small at another, so a tag is most useful when you buy from that same brand.If you're buying from a different brand, lay a favourite piece flat and measure it. For a top, measure straight across from armpit to armpit, and from the shoulder seam to the hem. For jeans, measure across the top of the waistband. Double the across numbers and compare them with the garment measurements in the new brand's size chart, if the brand lists them.Laundry day and closet tidying are good cover. A partner, roommate or parent may also know their size.

If the gift is for someone you live with, such as your partner or your kids, there's an easier way: their measurements. Sign up free and get a size from two photos with Shaku, then match those numbers to each product's own size chart.

When you're unsure, pick pieces that fit a wide range of bodies:

Scarves, hats, gloves and mittensRobes, loungewear and pyjamas with drawstring or elastic waistsRelaxed knits, such as chunky cardigans and roomy sweatersSlippers and socks sold in S/M/L, where each size covers a range

If you're between two sizes on any of these, go with the larger one. A slightly roomy sweater still gets worn. A tight one usually goes back.

Some pieces need several measurements to line up at once, so a guess rarely works:

Jeans and trousers: waist, hips, rise and inseam all have to fit, and brands cut them differently.Tailored coats and blazers: the shoulders have to sit right, and that's hard for a tailor to change.Shoes and boots: sizes and widths vary by brand, and tall boots also have to fit the calf.Fitted dresses and lingerie.

For these, only buy if you know their size in that same brand. Otherwise, a gift card with a note about the piece you had in mind is a kinder surprise than a size that doesn't fit.

The size on a tag is each brand's own shorthand. Body measurements are what actually decide the fit. If the person you're shopping for is in on it, or the surprise is the item rather than the size, two phone photos can give you their measurements in Shaku:

Open Find My Size and take a front photo, then a side photo, following the outline on the screen.Shaku turns the photos into body measurements.Open a product and Shaku matches those measurements to that item's own size chart, with a best size and an alternative.

The result is an estimate, so still read the item's fit notes (slim, regular or relaxed) and check the fabric. Stretchy fabrics forgive more than rigid ones like denim without stretch or wool suiting.

Kids grow fast, and a gift bought in November may be worn well into spring. The age on a label is only a rough guide; height and chest tell you more. Size for when the child will actually wear the piece. A winter coat should fit now with room for a sweater underneath, while summer clothes bought as a holiday gift may need a size up.

Shaku's Fit Forecast estimates how long a piece is likely to keep fitting a growing child, one measurement at a time, and shows which measurement they'll outgrow first. That makes it easier to pick a size that lasts the season.

Ask for a gift receipt at checkout, or keep the order email for online orders.Check the return window. Many stores extend it over the holidays, but the dates differ, so read the policy on the store's own site before you buy.Leave the tags on and keep the packaging until the gift has been tried on.Check whether online orders can be exchanged in a store.

Brand and size from a tag on something they already wearOr flat measurements of a favourite piece, compared with the new brand's chartForgiving pieces when you're unsure, and the larger size if you're between twoFit notes and fabric stretch checkedGift receipt and return window noted

Shopping for someone you can measure? Sign up free and get their size from two photos, then check each gift against its own size chart before you buy.