Shalwar length in inches: what is a standard length?

Salwar length by height

These ranges assume the waistband sits at the natural waist and the cuff ends at the ankle bone. Leg and body proportions differ from person to person, so use them to sanity-check your own measurement, not to replace it.

• About 5 ft 0 in (152 cm): 34 to 36 inches (86 to 91 cm).
• About 5 ft 2 in (157 cm): 35 to 37 inches (89 to 94 cm).
• About 5 ft 4 in (163 cm): 36 to 38 inches (91 to 97 cm).
• About 5 ft 6 in (168 cm): 37 to 39 inches (94 to 99 cm).
• About 5 ft 8 in (173 cm): 38 to 40 inches (97 to 102 cm).
• About 5 ft 10 in (178 cm): 39 to 41 inches (99 to 104 cm).

Why the waist position changes the number

The same legs give different lengths depending on where the measurement starts. The natural waist is the narrowest part of the torso, usually a little above the navel. Many women wear a shalwar or trousers lower than that, on top of the hip bones, and the gap between the two is commonly 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm).

So a woman who measures 38 inches from her natural waist may need only 35 or 36 inches for a pair that sits on the hip. Neither is wrong, but mixing them up produces a shalwar that bunches at the ankle or stops short of it. Our size guide measures from the natural waist, so if you wear yours lower, measure from there and say so in your notes. The article on rise, waist and length explains how the waist position affects the rise as well. Three other things move the figure:

• Where the hem stops: a shalwar cuff usually sits at or just above the ankle bone, slim trousers often stop an inch or two higher, and palazzos run an inch or two longer, towards the top of the foot.
• Shoes: measure in the pair you will wear, since a heel lifts the hem.
• Churidar: cut several inches longer than the leg on purpose, so the extra gathers at the ankle. Give your true leg length and let the cutter add the rest.

Check it against a pair that fits

A shalwar or trousers you already like is the quickest check. Lay the pair flat, smooth the side without stretching any elastic, and measure the outer edge from the top of the waistband to the bottom of the cuff. Then put the pair on and look at where the waistband sits: if it is below your natural waist, the flat measurement is a low-waist figure.

To measure on the body, tie a ribbon or a length of elastic round your waist where you want the waistband, stand straight and run the tape from the ribbon down the side of your leg to the ankle bone. The trouser measuring page shows each point, and measuring for each trouser style covers how a shalwar, straight trousers and a palazzo differ.

Length is not inside leg

Western shops label trousers by inside leg: the seam from the crotch to the hem. The outside length of the same pair is longer by the depth of the rise, usually around 9 to 12 inches (23 to 30 cm) on trousers that sit at the natural waist, and less on low-rise styles. A shalwar has a deep, loose crotch, so an inside-leg figure means very little for it. Do not convert one into the other; measure the outside.

When you order, enter the trouser length on the quote form in inches or centimetres and add a note such as “from natural waist, to ankle bone”. With custom stitching the length is written into your quote and agreed before cutting.