Where should the shoulder seam of a kameez sit?

How to find your shoulder point

Stand in front of a mirror in a thin vest. Rest two fingers on top of your shoulder near the end and slowly lift your arm out to the side. A small dip opens up at the outer edge, where the arm bone meets the shoulder. The ridge just inside that dip is the point you want. A small sticker on it makes comparing with a kameez much easier afterwards.

Shoulders are rarely a matched pair. One side often sits a little lower or is slightly broader, which is why a seam can look right on the left and wrong on the right of the same kameez.

Too wide: what you see and feel

When the shoulder of a kameez is cut wider than yours, the seam slides past the point and rests on the top of your arm. The signs are easy to spot once you know them:

• A dent or fold just below the seam, where the top of the sleeve has nothing to rest on and caves in.
• A soft, sloping outline through the shoulders, which makes a crisp fabric look borrowed.
• Armholes that feel low, because the whole armhole has moved outwards and down with the seam.
• A neckline that wanders to one side during the day, since there is spare width for it to travel.
• Sleeves that seem too long, because they start further down the arm than they should.

Too narrow: what you see and feel

A shoulder cut narrower than yours stops the seam short, on top of the shoulder, so the head of the sleeve has to stretch over the joint. You feel a pull across the top of the arm when you reach forward, a band of tightness across the upper back, and the sleeve seems to hold your arm down. Small creases fan out from the top of the sleeve.

A few millimetres either way makes little difference. About a finger’s width past the point still feels fine in a relaxed kurta; two or three fingers down the arm usually looks oversized unless that was the plan.

Checking a kameez you already own

Put the kameez on, stand naturally with your arms down and look at each shoulder from the front and the side. Find the seam with your fingertips and compare it with the point you marked. Then make three movements: reach forward as if holding a steering wheel, cross your arms, and lift one arm to shoulder height. A well-placed seam stays where it is. A wide one rolls down the arm and a narrow one pulls tight across the joint.

A kameez whose shoulders feel right is the most useful thing you can send with an order. Measure it flat across the back from one shoulder seam to the other, as shown in using a kameez that fits as your template, and compare that with your body measurement from our size guide.

Dropped shoulders, kaftans and what to tell us

Some designs move the seam on purpose. A dropped shoulder sits a few centimetres down the arm and pairs with a wider body, while a kaftan-style kameez has no seam at the shoulder point at all. Neither is a mistake; the rest of the design simply has to match. If you like a dropped look, say so in your notes rather than asking for a bigger size.

For a set-in sleeve, give your shoulder width and mention it if one side is lower. On a custom stitching order the measurements and design are agreed in writing before cutting, which is the moment to add a line such as “seam on the shoulder point, not past it”. Request a quote and attach a front photo if you are unsure.