Measuring clothes that fit you: dresses, tops and trousers

Choosing the right garment to measure

• Woven, not stretchy: a jersey or knit top stretches over the body, so its flat measurements are smaller than the room a woven garment needs. Choose a woven cotton, linen or similar.
• The same kind of garment: a dress for a dress, trousers for trousers. A loose shirt tells us little about a fitted bodice.
• It fits where it matters: if a dress fits beautifully except that it is short, it is still useful. Measure it and tell us what to change.
• Freshly pressed: creases and a bunched hem can steal a centimetre or two.

Measuring a dress laid flat

Lay the dress front up, with the sleeves out to the sides.

• Chest: straight across from armpit seam to armpit seam. Double it.
• Waist: across the narrowest point, or along the waist seam if there is one. Double it.
• Hips: across the widest part of the skirt at hip level. Double it.
• Shoulder: from one shoulder seam to the other, across the back.
• Bodice length: from the shoulder seam beside the neck down to the waist seam, if the dress has one.
• Full length: from the shoulder seam beside the neck to the hem.
• Sleeve: from the shoulder seam to the cuff, along the top of the sleeve.

Measuring a top or blouse

Take the chest, waist and hem width as for a dress, along with the shoulder, sleeve and length. Then add the details that make a top feel right on you: the neck width, measured straight across the back neckline from seam to seam, and the front neck depth, from an imaginary line joining the two shoulder seams down to the lowest point of the neckline. For fitted sleeves, measure across the sleeve just below the armpit and double it; for cuffs, measure the cuff closed and double it.

If you have a favourite neckline on a top, these two numbers let us reproduce its feel on a kurta or a dress. Our necklines guide shows the shapes to choose from.

Measuring trousers laid flat

Fold the trousers in half lengthways so one leg lies on top of the other, with the crotch seam pulled out to the side.

• Waist: across the top of the waistband, doubled. With elastic, measure it relaxed and then gently stretched, and give both.
• Hips: across the widest part of the seat, doubled.
• Front rise: from the crotch seam up to the top of the front waistband. Back rise: the same at the back. These are the numbers that make trousers feel right in the body.
• Thigh: across the leg just below the crotch, doubled.
• Inside leg: from the crotch seam to the hem. Outside length: from the top of the waistband to the hem.
• Hem opening: across the bottom of one leg, doubled.

Labelling the numbers, or sending the garment

Write “garment measurements” above the list, say what the garment is, and tell us anything you would change, such as “a little longer” or “roomier at the hips”. Add your body measurements too if you can; together they show how much room you like. Our page on body vs garment measurements explains why the two must never be mixed in one list.

If measuring feels like too much, the quote form lets you choose to send a garment that fits instead. We measure it, and confirm how to send it first; see send a sample garment. Whether you live in Melbourne or Manchester, the same applies. Start a design quote if you want a piece recreated in a new fabric, or read about custom design in the UK.