Does a khaddar or karandi kameez need more room?

Where thick fabric takes the room

A heavier cloth changes the fit in three quiet ways, even when every measurement is the same.

• Thickness. The fabric itself takes up space between you and the outside of the garment, so the room inside a thick kameez is slightly less than the same pattern in fine lawn. Dressmakers sometimes call this the turn of the cloth.
• Bulkier seams. Seam allowances in a thick fabric are thicker too, and with a lining they double up. At the armhole, where several seams meet, the arm can feel the ridge.
• No give. Fine lawn has a little softness when pulled on the diagonal and folds easily at the underarm. Crisp karandi and dense khaddar hold their shape, so a close armhole or sleeve feels tighter in them.

Khaddar and karandi behave differently

Our khaddar guide describes it as thick, dense and soft, softening further with washing; it drapes more than you might expect and suits relaxed cuts. The karandi guide describes a crisp, grainy fabric with more structure, which holds clean shapes well but has very little give. In practice khaddar mostly needs room for its thickness, while karandi needs room for its stiffness, especially at the upper arm and across the back where you reach forward.

Both names are used loosely by sellers, and the weight varies from one suit to the next, so the label and the feel of your particular fabric matter more than the name. Our guide to how fabric changes fit and drape explains the general principle across all fabrics.

Winter layers underneath

If you wear a thermal vest, a fine knit or a long-sleeved top under a winter kameez, it needs room too. The simplest method is to put on what you will wear underneath and measure your bust, upper arm and armhole over it. The sleeve cuff also needs to pass over the layer beneath, so measure your wrist over it if the cuff is closed.

What to change from your lawn measurements

Keep your shoulder, lengths and neckline as they are. The places to add a little are the armhole, the upper arm and, for crisp fabrics or layers, the bust and back. The amount is often modest, around a centimetre or two (roughly half an inch to an inch) in the armhole and upper sleeve, but it depends on the fabric, so tell us and we confirm it in your quote rather than guessing.

Write a note such as “winter kameez in karandi, worn over a thermal, my lawn kameez fits well”, and send that kameez’s measurements or the kameez itself; see send a sample kameez. Our embroidered karandi suit can be ordered made to measure in the same way. To have a winter suit made in our fabric, see Fabric + Stitching and request a quote.