T-shirt / top sizes - have I been wrong all these years (feeling a bit silly)

[SWnewstart]

If this is the case, I must have been in some kind of parallel universe - I honestly thought that when a clothing description said something like "36 inch chest" size, that meant across the front, not all the way round your body!

Ordered a T-shirt which stated Medium size = 38-40 inch chest.
It doesn''t fit, measures 20 inches across the front.

DP just fell about laughing at me. How could not know this (inn fairness, all the Medium sized stuff I've bought has fitted, I just haven't measured them!). Still feel a bit confused

36 inches is three foot. You’re certainly not medium if you’re three foot wide.

I always thought it related to bra size - so I'd you were a 36C then 36inch clothing should fit?
So...all the way round

Have you never bought or measured up for a bra??

Chest measurement is all the way around. You have a tape measure and wrap it round so it meets. Same as a waist measurement. You do not just measure the front part of your chest/waist
Not sure if I am explaining this very well!

It's an overbust measurement, not underbust so not your bra back size.

Yes, it makes sense now! But honestly I've never thought about it in terms of "all the way round" and I do realise this makes me really stupid. Oh well, it made DP 's day!

As long as it gave your Dp a laugh Op
Unless someone actually tells you though why would We know these things!
I am sure there is still millions of straightforward things I have yet to realise

It should be over bust not under (as bra size is) so if you are a 36c bra you need a 39/40 inch jumper for e.g. I am not sure this works exactly for some of the much bigger sizes but I am a 44DD and I def need a 50 on things like a jumper (and yes I am perfectly well aware I am too big I have eyes in my head)

It means the full measurement around the full body and the fullest part of your bust so if you were 36C as the other poster said you'd need a top of at least 39 inches (C cup is 3 inches more than the 36 under bust measurement)

Sometimes a seller on ebay will give measurements for tops, saying 18 inches etc, from pit to pit, so that makes it easy to judge.

So you think a 36inch tee-shirt is 36 inches across the front from armpit to armpit and that someone with a 6 foot girth is still medium?....... oooookaaaaay 🥴🥴🥴

I'm laughing at myself here, but really have never given it that much thought in logical terms (obviously). And CatSmith, your comment has made me laugh out loud !