I've always known just from how clothes (in particular swimsuits) fit that I am long waisted but now I have the numbers to back it up. It is amazing to me that some people have less than one hand width when I have 3+.

Perfectly proportioned.

Also an hourglass.

Before anyone thinks I'm boasting, rest assured, this is by far the only thing halfway right in my life these days.

Long-waisted, 2 hands and 3 fingers.
I have wide hands so that makes my measurement longer than it seems.
One piece bathing suits are hard to fit in the torso. I go for tankinis.

After I have hoiked-up my girls I am regular-waisted

So I thought for absolute sure I was long waisted. But like Angie I am exactly the same shoulder to hip as hip to bottom of kneebone.But I do have more than 2 handwidths between bust and waist. My waist does go up and down depending on weight gain, so it is a bit higher than it was when I first read about this test (I think I had 2 1/2 handwidths then)

I have the fitting problems that others have identified as those of the long waisted - waistlines often hitting my rib cage not my waist. And especially when I was thinner, like E, I had a big difference between my ribcage and my waist so I found than irksome. Even now, I love the look of waist seams (eg on fitted pepulum tops) but can't bear to wear them if they hook under my (somewhat flared) ribs. Just an inch lower and it would all be good.

I think I'm regular waisted, but close to short. However, I have a long rise, so I'm fairly certain my legs can look disproportionately short. People always tell me I look long waisted, but I'm really not. I guess, I'm in the category of having a long rise, regular waist. It makes my torso look long, but it isn't because I'm long waisted.

When I do the hands test, I can get two hands, or just shy of two hands by maybe less than a pinky finger! (Perhaps 1/8 inch).

When I measure, I am going to my natural hip, where my hip socket is, not my iliac crest, which would probably be what everyone is referring to as the high hip. By that measurement, I am regular waisted, if I use the high hip measurement, I am short. Probably because of my long rise. That iliac crest sits much higher than my actual hip joint because of my long rise, which can confuse matters. (I know that I have extra lumbar vertebra creating the long rise) Ok, as always, too much analysis here! Sorry!

Two hands widths from my bust to my waist. I am on the road so I can't measure the rest. I do have a long neck. Not sure how that fits in.

Short waisted. I bend at 1.5 hands with hands snugged up under breasts. Belly button in the middle of lowest hand, and hip well above it. Shoulder to hip measures 19 inches, hip to mid knee (kneeled on the floor to get measurement) is 22 inches (20 in knee to floor). I think I have what is a 'high hip' or long rise. Not as obvious from the front as from the back - I have a l-o-n-g bum.

Petites would be a solution for tops, if it wasn't for my very long arms, and I need a tall in bottoms for PPL!

Next we will have to do the 'ape index' - ratio of arm span to height. Think Leonardo's Ventruvian Man with arm span the same as his height!

Short waisted!

Just slightly under two hands.

Short waisted, long legs, long in the rise too.

So based on the hand measurement I am short waisted with 1 1/2 hands between bust and natural waist. I followed the link for how to dress a short waist and that explains why I have always gravitated to points 2,4,&8.
There really can be an individualized formula for each person.

Short-waisted.

Short waisted, long arms, long neck - the rest of me is pretty average though.

I'm regular - 2 hands and equal shoulder-hip, hip-knee measurement. Sales associates usually tell me I'm long waisted, so maybe I have a higher rise (how does one know if rise is high?). I think I'm short from shoulder to bust and calf to heel, so that may throw off visual proportions.

This is a great conversation, Angie. You mention that these parameters make things easier for the fashion industry: Is there one of these profiles that clothing companies typically design for? Short waisted because that's more typical? Long because it would be hard to add length? Or regular because that falls between the two?

I read and appreciated your wonderful tips because I have been convinced forever that I am short waisted. Just now I did the measurements to confirm my conviction. I can fit exactly two hands and my measurements are excaclty the same. I was so not expecting that!! Regular it is!

Regular here by both measurements.

Regular. Can just about fit 2 hands and my measurements are almost the same. But I do look short waisted because my big bust visually takes up too much space and looks too close to my natural waist. I use almost all of the tips Angie wrote about yesterday to create the right proportions, except tops/dresses with dropped waist.

Oh, one piece swimsuits are terrible to find! Even the ones listed for long torso are often too short for me, and that isn't for lack of sizing up. I can size up until suits bag in the bust and the bum and they are STILL too tight from shoulder to crotch. And given that I have always preferred one piece swimwear, that is a real problem.

And should we be measuring to the high crest of the hip bone or the socket or side bend in the hip? Either way, I measure much longer from my shoulder (the bone that sticks out to the side on top) to even high hip than I do from high hip to below the knee. I have terribly short legs. My DH is 6' 8" while I am about 5'3" (on a good day), and we are comfortable conversing while seated, whereas I have to shout up to him in a crowded place while we are standing.

Short-waisted!

My measurements are wonky. I did them and then had DH do them as well. From shoulder to hipbone is 18" and then from hipbone to bottom of kneecap is 22". But I can get 3 hand widths between bust and natural waist. I usually have long waisted problems like one piece swimsuits are always too short. Maybe I'm short from shoulder to bust though because I frequently need to shorten straps up on tanks and dresses.

Pretty precisely two-habd regular waist, but the shortest rise imaginable: that's my fit conundrum.

Regular to slightly long waisted (two hands plus a pinkie) with a long rise and short thighs.

There is a 4" difference between my shoulder to hip and hip to kneecap measurements, with the latter being longer.

Short waisted, at 1.5 hand widths. I actually thought that my measurement would be less, so I am pleasantly surprised!

short-waisted.

Greg should make a poll tool that adds up the stats for you, extracting the info from comments is time consuming, no ?

Long waisted by #1, will do other measuring when can. And I'd like to read these responses, this is very interesting Angie!

Short, by both ways of measuring.

Lyn D I can't stop laughing! That is exactly what I wanted to say (because it's what I had to do too) but didn't know how lol

1 hand, short waisted.

SO MANY SHORT WAISTED PEOPLE. Wow.