Occasions and ordering · 30 September 2026 · 4 min read
Your first order: a simple checklist
A simple checklist for your first made-to-measure stitching order: fabric, photos, measurements, design choices, your date, your location, the quote and posting.
InspirationBefore you start
Ordering made-to-measure clothes online for the first time can feel like a lot to organise. It is simpler than it looks: most of the work is gathering a few things before you fill in the form, then reading your quote carefully. Work through this checklist and nothing gets forgotten.
You do not need every answer. Anything you are unsure of can be marked “advise me”, and questions are sorted out before you approve the quote. The minimum order is one suit, and there are no free samples, so some people like to start with a single everyday outfit to see how the fit works for them, then order more once they are happy; others order a whole season at once. Either is fine.
The how it works page shows the whole process from quote to delivery, and the custom stitching, Fabric + Stitching and unstitched suit stitching pages explain each service.
1. The fabric
Start with what you already have, or decide that you would rather not supply anything at all.
- Decide the route: Stitching Only, where you supply your own fabric or unstitched suit, or Fabric + Stitching, where we supply the agreed fabric. Both are on the stitching quote form.
- Check the pack: open it and identify the kameez, trousers and dupatta pieces, and any neckline or border panels. See how to read an unstitched suit label.
- Photograph each piece in daylight, plus the label. See how to photograph fabric for a quote.
- Fabric off the roll: if you bought fabric by the metre, note both the length and the width. See fabric widths explained.
- Note the fabric type, and whether you have already washed it.
2. Measurements and design
This is the part that makes the outfit yours, and it is worth ten quiet minutes with a tape measure.
- Choose how to share measurements: enter them yourself, pick a standard UK size, send a well-fitting garment once we have confirmed how, or ask for help measuring.
- Pick one unit, inches or centimetres, and keep to it. See measuring in inches or centimetres.
- Add your height if you can; it helps with lengths.
- Say how you like things to fit: fitted, regular or relaxed, and anything you always change on ready-made clothes.
- Keep them for next time: the form has an option to keep your measurements on file for future orders.
- Make the key design choices: neckline, sleeves, kameez length, trouser style, lining and embellishment.
- Gather reference images: screenshots of styles you like. See how to brief a tailor with screenshots.
3. Your date, location and the quote
The practical details decide whether the plan is realistic, so give them as fully as you can.
- Your needed-by date, and whether it is fixed or flexible. For Eid, give the earliest likely date. Our guide to planning ahead explains why earlier is easier.
- Your country and city, so the quote can include delivery and any import duties and taxes for your country. The full delivery address is collected when the order goes ahead.
- Your currency, if you are in the USA or Europe: US dollars, euros or pounds sterling, and your quote is written in the one you choose. UK quotes are in pounds. See paying from abroad.
- A budget, if you have one; the form has an optional field for it.
- How you would like to be contacted.
- Anything else we should know, such as a detail you always want, like pockets, or one you never want.
- Read the quote when it arrives: the itemised price and its currency, delivery and the import charges it includes, timing, what you are sending and your measurements. See what to look for in your written quote.
4. Posting and receiving
Once you have approved the quote, the last steps are simple. With Stitching Only there are two separate shipping stages: your fabric goes to us in Pakistan, which is yours to arrange unless your quote says otherwise, then the finished outfit is shipped to you, with delivery and import charges included in your quote. With Fabric + Stitching, only the finished outfit travels.
- Wait for confirmation before posting anything: we confirm that your fabric is suitable, the quantity needed and where and how to send it.
- Pack well and post tracked, with your name and quote reference inside. See how to post your fabric for stitching.
- Complete the customs declaration accurately: your parcel crosses a border on its way to Pakistan, wherever you post it from.
- Keep your tracking number until the parcel has arrived safely.
- Nothing to pay on delivery: the finished outfit is shipped from Pakistan, and your quote includes delivery and any import duties, taxes and courier fees. If a courier ever asks you for payment, contact us before paying anything.
- Try everything on as soon as it arrives, with the shoes you plan to wear, and tell us straight away if anything needs attention.
Common questions
What do I need before I request a stitching quote?
Photos of your fabric in daylight, your measurements or a garment that fits, your main design choices and the date you need the outfit by. Anything you are unsure of can be marked “advise me” on the form.
Do I post my fabric before or after the quote?
After. Send photos with your quote request first, and post the fabric only once you have approved the quote and we have confirmed that it is suitable, how much is needed and where to send it.
Is there a minimum order, or can I have a free sample?
The minimum order is one suit, and there are no free samples. Many people start with a single everyday outfit and order more once they are happy with the fit.
