How fabric changes fit and drape, even with the same measurements

Four qualities that decide drape

• Weight: heavier fabrics hang straighter and resist flaring; very light fabrics lift and move with every step.
• Stiffness: a stiff fabric holds its own shape, so a flared hem stays flared; a soft one collapses into folds.
• Stretch: most kameez fabrics are woven and have almost no stretch along the grain, but all of them give a little on the diagonal, known as the bias.
• Surface: smooth fabrics slide over the body and over other layers; textured ones catch and hold.

Ease is not the same for every fabric

Ease is the room between your body and the garment. Our guide to ease explains the basics, and fabric changes the amount that feels right. A crisp cambric with modest ease looks neat and skims the body. The same ease in clinging viscose can feel tight, because the fabric sinks into every contour. A thick khaddar or velvet uses up some ease in its own thickness, especially at seams, so it needs a little more to feel as comfortable as lawn.

When you give us your measurements, they are body measurements, and we add ease for the design and the fabric. The page on body vs garment measurements explains the difference.

Copying a kameez into a new fabric

Many people send a favourite kameez as a reference, which is a good start. If that kameez is lawn and the new one will be karandi, expect the karandi version to look slightly boxier and feel slightly firmer, even if every measurement matches. If the reference is crisp cotton and the new fabric is georgette, the new kameez will hang closer and longer. Tell us the fabric of your reference garment so we can allow for the change; our page on sending a sample kameez explains how.

Styles that suit soft and stiff fabrics

Soft, fluid fabrics suit gathers, flared panels and bias-cut details, because they fall into gentle folds. A kalidar frock in chiffon or georgette swings beautifully. The same many-panelled shape in stiff karandi would stand out like a bell.

Stiff fabrics suit clean lines, sharp collars and structured shapes such as a straight kameez or a gently A-line kameez. They also hold pleats and pintucks that a soft fabric would lose. Medium fabrics such as lawn and cambric sit in the middle and suit the widest range.

Length, hems and heavy fabrics

Heavy fabrics and anything cut on the bias can drop slightly after hanging for a while, so the hem sometimes looks uneven at first wear. Soft trouser fabrics, such as a palazzo in georgette, can also lengthen a little as they hang. Embroidered borders add weight at the hem, which pulls a light kameez straighter and makes it hang more neatly. All of this is allowed for when the hem is set, which is another reason to agree the fabric before cutting.

Telling us about your fabric

For made-to-measure stitching, the clearer the picture of the fabric, the better the result. With Stitching Only, send daylight photos of each piece, a close-up of the weave and the label. With Fabric + Stitching, describe the drape you want, soft and flowing or crisp and structured, and we propose a fabric before cutting. If you live somewhere with distinct seasons, such as Ireland, and want a summer and a winter version of the same design, the fabric notes make the difference between them. Production takes 5 to 7 working days after approval and full payment. Start your quote.