Yoke length for a frock or anarkali: how to measure

Decide where the flare starts

A reference photo usually shows which of these three you are looking at.

• Under the bust (empire line): the classic anarkali position. The skirt falls from the ribcage, which gives the longest sweep and skims the waist and tummy.
• At the natural waist: a more defined shape, closer to a Western fit-and-flare dress. The bodice needs your waist measurement to sit well.
• At the high hip (a long body): typically 20 to 23 inches (51 to 58 cm) from the shoulder. The flare starts lower, so the bodice has to follow the bust, waist and upper hip smoothly.

How to take the yoke length

You need a soft tape, a length of ribbon or narrow elastic, a mirror and ideally a helper. Wear the bra you plan to wear with the outfit.

• Tie the ribbon round your body where you want the seam. For an empire line, that is directly under the bust where a bra band sits.
• Check in the mirror that the ribbon is level all the way round, including across your back.
• Place the end of the tape at the highest point of the shoulder, right beside the neck, where the shoulder seam of a well-cut top would start.
• Run the tape down over the fullest part of the bust, letting it follow your shape, to the lower edge of the ribbon. Read the number standing straight, looking ahead.
• Repeat down the back, from the same shoulder point to the ribbon, and send both figures. The front is normally the longer of the two, and the gap grows with a fuller bust.
• Measure round your body over the ribbon as well. That is the size the seam itself has to be.

Why half an inch matters here

A seam cut too short sits on the bust instead of under it, flattens the shape and pulls the front hem upwards. A seam cut too long drops onto the ribs, and the empire line turns into a loose, undefined waist. Neither is easy to correct once the skirt is attached, because the panels are cut to match the seam.

This is also why a tape dropped straight from the shoulder is not enough. The fabric has to travel over the bust, so the same height of seam needs a longer front on a fuller figure. If you are petite or tall, expect your number to sit at one end of the typical range or outside it; that is exactly what the measurement is for.

The other numbers and choices

Alongside the yoke length, a frock needs your bust, the round measurement at the seam, shoulder, armhole, sleeve length and the full length from shoulder to hem. Say how full you want the skirt, in words or with a photo, since the flare decides how much fabric the design takes. Our kalidar frock guide explains panels and fullness, and yokes and panels shows how the bodice can be shaped or decorated.

A true kalidar, where long panels run from the chest or even the shoulder to the hem, may have no yoke seam at all. In that case the full length and the bust do the work, and you can leave the yoke length out.

Sending it with your design

Write the figure in the notes with its end point, for example “yoke length 14 inches, front, over the bust, to an under-bust seam”. The size guide covers the standard measurements. For a frock made from your own picture or sketch, start with Send Your Design or go straight to the design quote form. We confirm what is possible on your fabric and design, and the agreed measurements are set out in writing before anything is cut.