What does made to measure mean?

What it normally includes

At a minimum, the phrase should cover five things.

• Your own measurements at every main point: shoulder, bust, waist, hip, armhole, sleeve and the lengths, each taken separately and not derived from a size.
• Your choice of lengths: where the kameez or dress ends, where the sleeve ends, where the trousers stop.
• Ease to your taste: how close or relaxed the garment sits, decided with you and not left to a chart.
• Design choices within the maker’s range: usually neckline, sleeve style, trouser style and lining.
• A record of what was agreed before cutting, so the finished piece can be checked against it.

What it does not automatically include

The phrase promises a method, not a miracle. It helps to know what sits outside it.

• Try-on sessions. Meeting the maker while the garment is half made belongs to bespoke tailoring, which is a different service.
• Unlimited design freedom. Some makers only adjust their own styles. Others, including us, also work from a design you send.
• The fabric. It may be yours or the maker’s. We offer both routes: Stitching Only for fabric you supply, and Fabric + Stitching where we supply the agreed fabric.
• Returns for a change of mind. A piece cut for one body cannot go back on a shelf.
• Protection from wrong numbers. The garment follows the measurements given, so careful measuring is part of the deal.

Three terms that get mixed up

Shops use nearby phrases as if they were the same. They are not, though each has its place: a made-to-order piece in a size that suits you is a perfectly good purchase. Trouble only starts when one is sold under another’s name.

• Made to order: the item is produced after you buy it, but in a standard size. Nothing about it is shaped to you.
• Custom size or stitching add-on: a standard size nudged by one or two numbers, most often a length.
• Made to measure: every main measurement is yours.

How to tell real made to measure from a size chart with extras

Look at what the order form asks. A form that begins with S, M or L and then offers “add length” is a size chart with extras. That can still serve you well if the size suits you, but it will not solve a shoulder that is a size smaller than your hips. These signs point to the real thing:

• It asks for more than bust, waist and hip. Shoulder width, armhole, sleeve length and garment length should all appear.
• It accepts any number, in centimetres or inches, without snapping you to the nearest size.
• It asks how you like clothes to sit, or explains the difference between body and garment measurements.
• It confirms your numbers and design back to you in writing before cutting.
• It tells you what happens if the finished piece does not match what was agreed.

What it means when you order from us

We make women’s clothing to measure in Pakistan and send it worldwide. You enter your measurements on the quote form, and the written quote sets out the agreed design, fabric, measurements, total cost, delivery arrangements and processing time before you pay. Making takes 5 to 7 working days from approval and full payment, and shipping time is extra. A few of our designs are also offered in sizes S to XL, and those pages say so, which means you always know which of the two you are choosing. If you have not measured before, begin with how to measure for a shalwar kameez, then ask for a quote.