Will my kameez keep me covered when I bend?

What happens when you bend and kneel

Bend at the hips and three things happen. The distance from the nape of your neck to your seat grows as the spine curves. Your seat widens and rounds. And your hands, usually reaching forward, pull the sleeves and the whole kameez towards the front. Fabric that has nowhere to come from is drawn up the back.

Kneeling or sitting on the floor adds one more: the front and back panels separate at the side slits and fold independently. If the slits start high, near the waist, the back panel is free to swing up and away. If they start around the hip, the panels stay together over the seat.

Back length, and the trousers underneath

Measure the kameez length at the back, from the base of the neck to where you want the hem, rather than relying on a front length. Then bend forward and have someone measure the same line again; the difference shows how much the back has to give. A longer back, or a kameez that is longer overall, absorbs it. How long should your kameez be suggests lengths by height.

The trousers matter as much. Trousers with a short back rise slip down as you bend, and the gap opens at the very spot the kameez is lifting from. A back rise that stays at your waist when you bend closes it; the trouser fit guide explains how rise is measured.

Hip room and slit height

If the kameez is close over the hips, bending stretches it across the seat and it cannot slide back. Relaxed room at the hips, or an A-line cut that widens below the waist, lets the fabric fall back into place by itself. A gol daman, the curved hem that is longer at the back and front than at the sides, adds length just where bending takes it away.

Slits are a balancing act. Chaak side slits that start high give freedom to walk and sit on a chair but let the back panel flip; slits that start lower keep the panels together but need more hip room, so the kameez can still open over the thighs. A slit beginning around the fullest part of the hip, or a few centimetres below it, with generous hip room, suits most people who kneel and bend often.

What to ask for

Through custom stitching, add these to your measurements when you request a quote; they are agreed in writing before cutting. Comfortable outfits for long gatherings has more on dressing for hours of sitting and kneeling.

• Back length from the base of the neck, plus the same length measured while bending.
• Relaxed room at the hips, with a note that you kneel and bend often.
• Where the side slits should start, measured from the waist, or no slits with a wider hem.
• Trousers with a back rise that stays at the waist when you bend.
• A soft fabric with a little weight, which drops back down more readily than a crisp one.