Questions, answered plainly

Yes. A single outfit is a normal order for us, and it gets the same attention as a bigger one: cut to your own measurements, with every detail agreed with you first. If you’d like a few pieces, put them on one request and we’ll quote them together. We don’t offer free samples, so your first order is the real thing.

Yes. Upload the photo, screenshot or sketch with your quote request and tell us what you love about it, whether that’s the neckline, the sleeves, the length or the embroidery. If a detail won’t work well in your fabric, we’ll say so and suggest an alternative. Everything is agreed with you in writing before anything is cut. Your garment is made to the agreed fabric, construction, measurements and design details, so it follows the style of your photo rather than copying it exactly.

Yes. Every design in our collection is a starting point. You can ask for a different neckline, sleeve or length, or a lining, and tell us anything else you would like changed. Press Customize This Product on any design and the form opens with that design’s details filled in, ready for you to change. Every change is written into your quote before you pay.

Enter them on the quote form in centimetres or inches. Our size guide shows where each one is taken, and it takes about ten minutes with a soft tape. If you’d rather not measure alone, choose help on the form and we’ll walk you through it on WhatsApp. You can also measure a garment you already own that fits you well and send those numbers instead, as long as you tell us they are garment measurements. We check every number with you before cutting.

Start with the weather and the occasion. Lawn and cotton are light and breathable for warm days and everyday wear, khaddar and linen suit cooler months, and chiffon or organza dress an outfit up. With Fabric + Stitching we send photos and descriptions of the fabric we suggest, and nothing is cut until you agree it. If you’re sending your own fabric, send a photo first so we can confirm it suits the design.

Yes. We ask for full payment in advance, before any garment is made. You see everything before you pay: your written quote sets out the design, fabric, measurements, any changes you asked for, the total price, delivery and the processing time. You can pay by card on our secure online payment page. Once you approve your quote and your payment reaches us, we start.

5 to 7 working days. That’s the time we spend cutting, stitching, finishing and checking your outfit. It starts once your quote is approved and paid in full. With Stitching Only, it starts when your fabric arrives with us.

No. The 5 to 7 working days cover making your outfit. Shipping time comes after that and depends on your country and the courier service, so plan for both if you need it by a date. The cost of delivery, with any import duties and taxes, is already included in your quote.

Yes, we deliver worldwide. Everything is made in Pakistan and shipped to you, and we have delivery guides for the UK, the USA, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and much of Europe. If your country isn’t on the form, choose Another country and we’ll confirm the delivery details in your quote before you pay anything.

In a written quote, before you pay anything. It brings together the garment, the fabric, any customisation, delivery to your address and the import duties and taxes for your country, in one total. We don’t publish prices because every piece is different. If a courier ever asks you for payment on delivery, contact us before paying anything.

If your outfit does not match the measurements or design agreed in your quote, that is our mistake to put right: we correct it or remake it without charging for the work. Tell us within 7 days of your parcel arriving, with photos. You pay the postage to send it back to us and for the corrected piece to come back to you. An outfit that matches the measurements you gave us, or a small difference in colour shade, is not a fault, so check your quote carefully before you approve it.

The Gilded Seam makes women’s clothing to each customer’s own measurements, from your design or one of ours: your inspiration, your measurements, made for you. We make abayas, three-piece and two-piece shalwar kameez and embroidered suits, kurtas and kameez, frocks, shirts, shalwar and trousers, co-ords, Eid outfits, casual party wear, plain and embroidered T-shirts and Western pieces such as dresses, skirts, tops and trousers, with custom embroidery on any of them. We also manufacture collections for brands and boutiques. Everything is made in Pakistan and delivered worldwide.

With Fabric + Stitching we supply the agreed fabric and make the outfit; with Stitching Only you supply suitable fabric and we cut, stitch and finish it. Fabric + Stitching reaches you in one parcel from Pakistan. Stitching Only has two shipping stages: you send your fabric to us in Pakistan, then we ship the finished outfit to you.

Yes, subject to fabric suitability and sufficient quantity. Contact us to confirm the fabric and shipping arrangements before sending it. This is our Stitching Only service: you send the fabric or unstitched suit to us in Pakistan, and we ship the finished outfit to you.

No. We do not offer free samples. With Fabric + Stitching, we share photos and descriptions of the fabric with your quote, and the fabric is agreed with you before anything is cut.

Our garments are made in Pakistan and shipped internationally. We have no shop, studio or fitting service outside Pakistan, so every order is arranged online and delivered to you.

Your written quote includes delivery and any import duties, taxes and customs fees, so there is nothing extra to pay when your parcel arrives. The official rules differ from country to country, and our country pages summarise them. If a courier ever asks you for payment on delivery, contact us before paying anything.

You pay the full amount in advance, once you have approved your written quote and before anything is made. You can pay by card on our secure online payment page. UK customers pay in pounds sterling (GBP). Customers in the USA, Europe and the Gulf choose US dollars (USD), euros (EUR) or pounds sterling (GBP), and the quote is written in that currency.

Yes, before cutting. Anything can change before you approve your quote, and small changes before cutting are usually straightforward. If you cancel after paying, tell us straight away. Before your fabric is cut, we refund what you paid, minus the cost of any fabric we have already bought for your order. With Stitching Only the fabric is yours, so nothing is taken off for it. Once cutting has started, the piece is being made for you alone, so cancelling at that stage is not refunded. Because every piece is made to order, a change of mind is not eligible for a return or refund.

If your outfit doesn’t match the measurements or design agreed in your quote, that’s our mistake to put right: we correct it or remake it without charging for the work. Tell us within 7 days of your parcel arriving, with photos. You pay the postage to send it back to us and for the corrected piece to come back to you. Because every piece is made to the measurements and design agreed in writing, please check those carefully before you approve your quote.

Very closely, but not always exactly. Lighting, the camera and your own screen all change how a shade appears, so the finished piece may be slightly lighter, darker or warmer than in the photos. A small difference in shade like this is not a fault. If the exact shade matters to you, ask us before you pay.

We make women’s clothing only. The one bridal piece we make is the bridal abaya; we do not make bridal suits or lehengas. Our range covers everyday wear, workwear, abayas, Eid outfits, casual party wear and outfits for wedding guests.

Yes. Embroidery can be planned and quoted with any outfit we stitch, at the neckline, sleeves, front, hem, trousers or dupatta, along with lace or a border. We work in hand embroidery, machine embroidery, zari, beadwork and sequins, and confirm what suits your fabric and design in the quote. We can also embroider your own fabric or garment once we have confirmed it is suitable, but we do not make patches.

Yes. Send a reference photo, your own artwork or a motif idea, with the colours, the placement and roughly how big you want it. We confirm what works on your fabric and garment, and the design is agreed in writing before work starts.

We tell you before you pay. If a detail in your reference would not hold up in the fabric you chose, such as dense embroidery on a very light chiffon, we suggest a different fabric or an adjusted design, and nothing is made until you have approved the final version.

It depends on the garment. A kameez, shirt or frock needs bust, waist, hips, shoulder, armhole, sleeve and length; an abaya needs your length with shoes, shoulder, bust, hips and sleeve; trousers and shalwar need waist, hips, length and the ankle opening. The size guide lists them garment by garment, and you can send body measurements or measurements from a garment you own.

Yes. A kameez or shirt with matching shalwar or trousers is a two-piece order, and each piece can also be ordered on its own, with or without embroidery.

Only with a three-piece suit. A three-piece is a kameez, shalwar or trousers and a dupatta; a two-piece is the kameez and trousers without a dupatta. Your quote lists exactly which pieces are included.

Yes. One abaya is enough. It is cut to your measurements, plain or embroidered, and made in 5 to 7 working days once your quote is approved and paid in full.

Yes. We deliver to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, with delivery and any import charges included in your quote.

Yes. UK customers are quoted and pay in pounds sterling, and the quote includes delivery and any import VAT or duty, so there is nothing to pay on arrival. Everything is made in Pakistan; we have no UK shop or studio.

A flat £30 per item, to any country; a suit or set counts as one item. It is included in your written quote together with any import duties, taxes and customs or courier fees, so you see the full total before you pay. Ordering several pieces or in bulk? Message us for a better rate. Courier time is added to the 5 to 7 working days of production.

Yes. We develop and manufacture collections for boutiques and brands, from design development and samples to cut and sew production with embroidery, fabric sourcing, labels and packaging. Quantities, costs and timelines are quoted for each project.

No. We do not have a shop, studio or fitting service you can visit: everything is arranged online, and your outfit is made in Pakistan and delivered to you.

Some are. Product photos on design pages, such as the tiered maxi dress, show our own designs and colours. The abaya collection images are design previews, labelled as such, made to show the cut, colour and embroidery before the piece is sewn. Photos marked “Inspiration” are licensed stock images that show the style we work in, and our design drawings are labelled as sketches.