What to wear under a white coat: kurtas for doctors

Getting the lengths right

Most full-length white coats end near the knee. A kameez that hangs a few centimetres below it looks like a mistake and flaps as you walk, so measure your coat from the top of the shoulder to the hem and ask for a kameez clearly shorter than that. Our guide to kameez length for your height shows where each length falls on the body.

• With a long coat: a kameez that finishes above the knee, hidden by the coat when it is buttoned.
• With a short coat: a mid-thigh kurta, or a deliberately longer kameez that shows a wide band below the coat. A clear step looks intended; a narrow strip does not.
• Sleeves: slim to the wrist or three-quarter. Bell sleeves and wide cuffs bunch inside a coat sleeve. Many workplaces have rules about sleeves in clinical areas, so read your dress code before choosing.
• Side slits: to the hip bone, so the kameez moves with the coat’s vent when you walk fast or take stairs.

Cloth and colour for long shifts

Duty clothes are washed often and hard. Cotton, cambric and cotton blends cope with that; chiffon, organza sleeves, velvet and anything marked dry clean only do not. Check that dark shades are colour-fast before the suit is cut, because dye that rubs off shows on a white collar and cuffs within a week. Our colour-fastness test takes a few minutes.

A thin white coat lets strong prints show through, so plain colours and small, quiet prints look neatest under it. For embroidery, choose none, or the delicate level at the neckline only. Leave the cuffs bare, since they are in and out of water all day, and avoid beads or anything raised that could catch.

Trousers and shoes for walking

Corridors, stairs and standing rounds add up to a great deal of walking. Straight trousers or cigarette pants that end at the ankle keep hems off the floor; a shalwar is comfortable, but its wide hem should be cut short enough not to brush the ground. The straight trousers page shows the shape.

Ask for a soft waistband that stays comfortable through a twelve-hour shift, and a pocket in the kameez or trousers for the moments when the coat comes off. Closed, flat shoes with a wipe-clean surface finish the outfit.

A dupatta or scarf that stays secured

Loose ends are the one part of a shalwar kameez that does not suit a ward. They swing forward when you lean over a bed or a desk and trail across whatever is in front of you. There are three tidy ways round it.

Whichever you choose, pick a matte cotton or jersey that stays put and washes as often as the kurta does, and follow your employer’s policy where it says more.

• Tuck it: wear the dupatta round the neck with both ends inside the buttoned coat.
• Shorten it: a narrow cotton scarf in place of a full dupatta.
• Pin it: a headscarf pinned firmly, with its ends tucked into the collar of the coat.

Ordering a week of duty clothes

Five or six kurtas and three pairs of trousers that all go together cover a working week with one wash. Through our custom stitching service they can be made to one set of measurements in a single order; our note on ordering several outfits at once explains how that is planned.

In the quote form, give the fabric, the embroidery level and the kameez length, and include your coat’s length so that the two can be matched. Making takes 5 to 7 working days from approval and full payment, and shipping time is extra, so order ahead of a new post or rotation. Plain workwear of this kind is also on our work and campus page.