Ordering Clothing Through Catalogs: A Practical Sizing and Returns Guide

Clothing is one of the most popular catalog categories — and also the one most likely to require a return. A methodical approach to sizing and fabric reading before you order will cut your return rate dramatically.

Mail-order clothing has been a staple of American catalog shopping since the Sears and Montgomery Ward era. Today dozens of specialty apparel companies — ranging from workwear suppliers to outdoor gear brands to plus-size specialists — still rely heavily on the catalog format. The appeal is genuine: access to a wider range of sizes, styles, and fabrics than any local store carries. The challenge is equally genuine: you cannot try anything on before paying.

Most experienced catalog clothing shoppers treat returns not as a failure but as a built-in step of the process. Understanding how to minimize unnecessary returns — and how to execute necessary ones efficiently — is a core skill for this category.

Taking accurate body measurements

Catalog sizing is not standardized across companies. A size 14 from one apparel catalog may fit very differently from a size 14 from another. The only reliable anchor point is your actual body measurements compared against the company’s own size chart.

The measurements that matter most depend on the garment type:

• Tops and jackets: chest circumference (measured at the fullest point), shoulder width (seam to seam across the back), and sleeve length (from the back of the neck along the arm to the wrist).
• Pants and skirts: waist circumference (at the natural waist, not the hip), hip circumference (at the fullest point), and inseam length (from the crotch to the ankle bone).
• Dresses: bust, waist, hip, and total length from shoulder to hem if the catalog provides a garment length measurement.

Measure over the undergarments you would typically wear with the garment, not over street clothes. Use a flexible measuring tape and have someone else take the measurement if possible — self-measurement introduces inconsistencies, especially across the back.

How to read a catalog size chart

Most catalog size charts present a range of body measurements mapped to each size label. If your measurements fall between sizes, the right choice depends on the garment’s intended fit. A structured blazer should be sized up so there is room for movement; a stretchy knit top can often be sized down. When the catalog notes the garment has “an easy fit” or “relaxed cut,” those are signals that the garment runs generously, and sizing down is generally safe. “Fitted” or “slim” descriptions indicate the garment is cut closer to the size chart’s stated measurements.

Pay attention to whether the size chart lists body measurements or garment measurements. Garment measurements (what the actual finished item measures) are more directly useful because they tell you exactly how much fabric there will be — but many catalogs list only body measurements and rely on the buyer to account for ease.

Reading fabric and construction descriptions

Catalog product descriptions carry more information than they appear to. A few terms to understand:

• Fabric weight (lightweight, midweight, heavyweight): Heavier fabrics are more structured and less prone to wrinkling but also less forgiving in fit. Lightweight fabrics drape more softly and are more comfortable in warm weather.
• Stretch content: The presence of spandex, elastane, or lycra in the fabric composition (even 2–5%) significantly improves fit across a range of sizes. Pure cotton or linen with no stretch is more size-sensitive.
• Garment washing notes: If the catalog lists “dry clean only” or “hand wash,” factor that into the real cost of ownership before ordering. Repeated dry cleaning changes the economics of a clothing purchase quickly.
• Country of manufacture: This is not a quality indicator by itself, but it can signal the fit standard used. Some overseas manufacturers use different default measurements for what they call a size medium or large.

Understanding the returns process before you order

Before placing a clothing order with any catalog company, locate the returns policy in the catalog or on the company’s website and read it in full. Specifically check:

• The returns window — how many days after receipt you have to initiate a return
• Whether the company provides a prepaid return label or expects you to pay return postage
• Whether the return must be initiated online or by calling customer service
• Whether the refund comes as a credit to your original payment method or as a merchandise credit toward a future purchase
• Whether sale or clearance items are returnable at all — many catalog companies exclude marked-down merchandise from their standard return policy

Knowing these terms before you buy sets accurate expectations and prevents the unpleasant surprise of discovering a return costs you $8 in postage on a $22 blouse.

Strategies for reducing return rates

Even with careful measurement and description reading, catalog clothing orders have higher return rates than in-store purchases. The strategies that experienced catalog buyers use to reduce unnecessary returns:

Order from companies you know. Once you have established that Brand X’s size medium fits you consistently, future orders from that company are much lower risk. Building a relationship with two or three catalog apparel companies whose sizing you understand is more efficient than constantly experimenting with new companies.

Call customer service before ordering an unfamiliar item. Many catalog apparel companies have customer service staff who can answer specific fit questions — does this jacket run large? What is the fabric like in person? Is the color in the photo accurate? A five-minute call can prevent a return.

Order in your measured size, not your habitual size. Many shoppers order the size number they have always bought, regardless of what the size chart says. If you have gained or lost weight since establishing your “usual size,” relying on habit rather than measurement creates avoidable returns.

Avoid ordering multiple sizes with the intention of returning the ones that do not fit. This practice — sometimes called “bracketing” — is increasingly flagged by catalog companies and can result in limits on your ability to return in the future. It also generates significant shipping waste and processing cost for the company.

Ordering specialty sizes by catalog

One of the genuine advantages of catalog clothing shopping is access to size ranges that local retailers do not carry. Mail-order companies have historically led in plus sizes, petites, tall sizes, and large shoe widths, because catalog distribution economics support carrying a wide size range without needing physical floor space for each SKU.

If you wear sizes that are difficult to find locally, catalog shopping is worth prioritizing for exactly this reason. Established catalog companies in specialty sizing tend to have well-calibrated size charts because their customer base demands it — buyers who cannot find their size elsewhere are not tolerant of poor sizing information.