Measuring for each trouser style, from shalwar to palazzo

Shalwar: few numbers, but the right ones

A shalwar is generous through the seat and legs and gathers at the waist with elastic or a drawstring, so a small difference in your waist measurement hardly matters. What does matter is the length, from the waist to where the hem should fall, and the bottom, the width of the opening at the ankle.

The bottom changes the whole look. A narrow, cuffed opening looks neat with a long kameez, while a wider bottom feels more traditional and cooler in heat. Give your hips too, so the shalwar has enough room to sit comfortably, especially if you sit cross-legged.

Straight trousers and cigarette pants

The closer the leg, the more measurements help. For cigarette pants in particular, give us:

• Waist where the trousers will sit, and hips at the fullest part.
• Rise: from the front waistband, between the legs, to the back waistband.
• Thigh: around the fullest part of one thigh, so they do not grip when you sit.
• Knee and calf: around each, standing with your weight on both feet.
• Ankle: around the narrowest part, plus around the heel and instep if the hem is very narrow, so your foot can pass through.
• Length: to the ankle bone for cigarette pants, or to the top of the shoe for straight trousers.

Churidar: extra length on purpose

A churidar is cut longer than the leg so the extra length gathers in soft folds above the ankle. Give us your true leg length from waist to ankle bone and let us add the extra; do not add it yourself, or it will be added twice.

Because a churidar is fitted from the knee down, the calf and ankle measurements matter, and so does the measurement around your heel and instep. A churidar opening that is snug at the ankle still has to pass over your foot, so a small opening with a button or a short slit may be needed. We confirm what suits your fabric in the quote.

Palazzo, sharara and gharara

For palazzo trousers, the waist, hips and length are what count. The width flows from the hip, so a palazzo that is tight across the seat will never hang well however wide the legs are. Measure the length in the shoes you plan to wear: palazzos look best almost brushing the top of the foot.

A sharara flares from the hip or upper thigh, and a gharara is fitted to the knee and then flares from a joining seam there. For a gharara, give us the length from the waist to the middle of your knee as well as the full length, so the joining seam sits where it should. Both styles use a lot of fabric, so check the quantity before you plan one from an unstitched suit.

Sending trouser measurements with your order

Choose the style on the quote form and add any extra measurements in the notes with a clear label. If you are not sure which style suits your kameez, choose “advise me” and tell us how you will wear it. If you have a pair that fits well, measuring it laid flat and doubling the width at the hem is a good way to get the bottom right.

Sending your own fabric from Canada? The Canada stitching page explains the steps, and the Stitching Only quote is where to begin. Our unstitched suit stitching page covers the service in full.