Brand size charts vs made-to-measure: which gives the better fit?

How to read a size chart properly

• Find out whether it is body or garment measurements. The chart heading or a note usually says; if not, ask the seller.
• Check the units. Many charts are in inches; convert carefully if you measure in centimetres. Our guide to inches or centimetres helps.
• Measure yourself first: bust, waist, hips and shoulders, following our guide to measuring yourself without help.
• Compare with a kameez that fits you: measure it flat and set it against the garment measurements.
• Choose by the largest measurement that matters for the style, usually bust or hips, because taking in is easier than letting out.
• Check length and sleeves as well as width, especially if you are petite or tall.
• Read the fit notes: some listings say whether a style is relaxed, fitted or runs large, which adds useful context to the numbers.
• Keep a record of what fits: once you know your size in one brand, note it with the measurements, because it will not necessarily carry over to the next.

Where charts fall short

A chart assumes one set of proportions for each size. If you are a different size on top and bottom, have broad or narrow shoulders, long arms, or are petite or tall, no single size fits everywhere. The result is a suit that is almost right, which then needs altering, and ready-to-wear seam allowances are often narrow, so there may be little room to let out. Our guide to altering a ready-made suit explains what can and cannot change.

Unstitched suits sidestep the problem entirely, because there is no size to choose: the fabric is cut to you. That is one reason they are popular with anyone who struggles with ready-made sizing.

Buying online adds the problem of returns. Sending a ready-made suit back to a brand abroad can be slow and costly, so a wrong size is harder to put right than in a local shop. That is worth weighing when a design is sold both as pret and as an unstitched pack.

What made-to-measure changes

Made-to-measure starts from your numbers rather than a chart. The kameez is cut to your bust, waist, hips and shoulders, with the amount of ease you prefer, and the length and sleeves end where you want them. Our guide to ease explains how loose to go.

You can give your measurements using the size guide, start from a standard UK size and have the key numbers confirmed with you before cutting, or send a kameez that fits well; see using a kameez as a template. Then send photos of your fabric or unstitched suit through the stitching quote form, or choose Fabric + Stitching and we supply the agreed fabric. The custom stitching page explains the rest.