UK, EU and US dress sizes: why measurements beat sizes for a kameez

Why sizes differ between countries

• Different numbering: the UK, the US and continental Europe each use their own numbers, so the same garment can carry three different sizes depending on where it is sold. US numbers are generally lower than UK numbers for the same garment.
• Europe is not one system: labels from different countries do not always agree with each other. Italian labels, for example, often use different numbers from French or German ones, so an “EU size” is less universal than it sounds.
• Different body data: each system grew out of different body surveys and fit models, so the proportions behind a size differ, not just the number on the label.
• Sizes drift over time: some brands have made garments more generous while keeping the same number, often called vanity sizing, so an older size 12 and a new one may not match.

Pakistani and Indian brand sizes

Ready-to-wear from Pakistani and Indian brands adds another layer. Most use letter sizes, from XS or S up to XL or beyond, and some use their own numbers. Many publish their own chart, often as garment measurements rather than body measurements, and a medium from one brand can be noticeably roomier or tighter than a medium from another. The cut matters too: a relaxed kurta and a fitted kameez in the same size fit very differently.

Our guide to brand size charts and made to measure explains how to read those charts, and our guide to altering a ready-made suit covers what to do when one is almost right.

Why measurements work better for a kameez

A kameez is not cut from a single standard block. The fit depends on your bust, waist and hips, and also on your shoulders, armholes, lengths and the amount of ease you like. A size squeezes all of that into one figure, and it cannot tell a tailor that your shoulders are narrow, your arms are long or you prefer a relaxed fit. Our guide to ease explains why the same body measurement can become very different garments.

Measurements also travel well. A centimetre is a centimetre in London, Milan and New York, so whether you order from the UK, Italy, the rest of Europe or the USA, the numbers you send describe you exactly, and your outfit is cut to them in Pakistan and shipped to you. Our guide to inches or centimetres explains how to enter them.

If you would still rather start from a size

You can. On the stitching quote form you can choose a standard UK size, from UK 6 to UK 24 or “between sizes”, and we confirm the key measurements with you before cutting. The size guide shows the reference body measurements behind each UK size, so you can compare them with your own. If you normally buy US or European sizes, measuring yourself is more reliable than converting.

The best of both is a size as a starting point plus a few key numbers: bust, waist, hips, shoulder and your lengths. Our measuring guide walks you through them, and the custom stitching page explains the rest.