Pit to pit: measuring a kameez chest laid flat

How to take it on a kameez

A table, a tape and two minutes are enough. Some people measure exactly at the underarm point, others about an inch (2.5 cm) below it, which is the method in our template guide. On a straight kameez the two readings are almost the same, so pick one and say which.

• Close any buttons, hooks or zip and lay the kameez front up on a table or a hard floor, not on a bed.
• Smooth it from the centre outwards so the front lies flat on the back, with the side seams at the edges. Do not stretch it.
• Find the underarm point on each side, where the sleeve seam meets the side seam.
• Hold the tape straight from one point to the other. On a sleeveless kameez, use the bottom of each armhole.
• Read to the nearest quarter inch or half centimetre, then double it.

Why the number is bigger than your bust

A kameez cut to exactly your bust would not let you breathe or lift your arms, so every garment is made larger than the body by an amount called ease. As a rough guide, a fitted kameez measures 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm) more than the bust all round, a regular fit 3 to 5 inches (8 to 12 cm) and a relaxed one more again. Our article on how loose a kameez should be explains the choices.

So a woman with a 36 inch bust who likes a regular fit will find her favourite kameez measures about 19.5 to 20.5 inches pit to pit. If she sent “20” as her bust, the new kameez would be cut for a much smaller person. If she sent “40” as her bust, ease would be added a second time and it would hang loose. The body and garment measurements page sets out the difference in full.

Where the figure goes wrong

• Measuring too low. An A-line kameez widens from the underarm, so a tape placed a few inches down reads the flare, not the chest.
• Pleats, gathers or a wrap front. These hold extra fabric that a flat tape misses or exaggerates. Say what the kameez has.
• Stretch. Knits and anything with elastane give a small flat number for a garment that suits a larger body. Mention the fabric.
• A soft surface. On a duvet the kameez sinks and the reading shortens.
• Doubling twice, or not at all. Write both figures, flat and round, to keep them straight.
• An old favourite. A kameez worn for years may have relaxed. Check it still sits the way you remember.

Using it when you order

For made to measure we work from your body measurements and the fit you like, so pit to pit is not required. It earns its place as a second opinion: it shows the amount of room you are happy with far better than the words fitted or relaxed. Send it labelled, for example “favourite kameez, 20.5 inches pit to pit, garment measurement”, alongside your bust.

Add it in the notes on the quote form. If measuring a garment feels uncertain, you can post a sample kameez to us in Pakistan once we have confirmed how to send it. Custom stitching explains how the final measurements are agreed in writing before cutting.