Narrow shoulders: getting a kameez that stays put

What a too-wide shoulder sets off

The shoulders are the hanger for everything else, so when they are wrong the faults spread downwards.

• The seam drops onto the upper arm, and the top of the sleeve collapses into a dent or fold just below it.
• Sleeves seem too long, although the sleeve length is correct, because they start lower than they should.
• The neckline wanders. It slides to one side, shows bra straps, or slips backwards so the front rides up against your throat.
• The armhole sits low and away from the body, and the kameez lifts with every arm movement.
• You keep hitching it back into place, which is what “does not stay put” really means.

Narrow shoulders with a fuller bust

This combination is where ready-made sizing does worst. The bust needs one size and the shoulders another, sometimes two sizes apart. Choosing by the bust gives you the faults above; choosing by the shoulders gives a kameez that strains across the chest.

The way out is to treat them as two separate jobs. The shoulder, neck and armhole are cut for your frame, and the extra room for the bust is added at the front only, with shaping to bring it back in. Our article on why a kameez pulls across the bust explains which measurements describe that. Many petite women meet the same problem, and our tips for petite women cover the lengths that go with it.

Measuring narrow shoulders properly

The shoulder is measured across the back from one shoulder point to the other, where a seam would sit. The shoulder point is the small bony corner you can feel at the outer end. On narrow or sloping shoulders it is easy to overshoot onto the arm, so find it with your fingers first.

• Get help if you can. It is the one measurement that is hard to take alone; measuring yourself without help has a workaround.
• Check a kameez you own. Lay it flat and measure straight across from shoulder seam to shoulder seam. If the seams hang off you, the difference between that number and your own shoulder is the excess.
• Measure the sleeve from the true shoulder point, not from where an over-wide kameez puts its seam.
• Add the high bust, around the chest above the bust and under the arms. Beside the full bust it shows how much of your size is frame and how much is bust.
• Say so in the notes. “Narrow shoulders, seams always hang off” is enough.

Necklines and details that help a kameez stay on

Shoulder width does most of the work, but the neckline decides how much cloth is left on the shoulder to hold the kameez in place. A wide neckline such as a boat neck sits close to the edge of the shoulder, and on a narrow frame it can slip unless it is cut a little narrower than usual. Round, V and band-collar necklines keep more fabric near the neck and are steadier. Whichever you choose, give the neck width you are comfortable with, or point to a kameez whose neckline sits well.

Raglan, kimono and drop-shoulder styles have no seam at the shoulder point, so they are meant to sit off it and look deliberate when they do. If your shoulders slope as well, see our guide to sloping shoulders.

Ordering

Enter your shoulder with the rest of your measurements on the stitching quote form, in centimetres or inches. If you are sending your own unstitched suit, unstitched suit stitching explains how the fabric is confirmed before you post it. The measurements are written into the quote for you to check before anything is cut.