How to take your measurements at home for a custom outfit

A made-to-measure outfit is only as good as the numbers it is cut from. You can take reliable measurements at home with a soft tape, a mirror and ten minutes, provided you follow a few rules.

Before you start

• Use a soft cloth or fibreglass measuring tape, not a metal one.
• Wear the innerwear you plan to wear with the outfit, and a thin, fitted layer over it. Measuring over a loose kurta adds centimetres.
• Stand straight but relaxed, feet together, breathing normally. Do not hold your stomach in.
• Ask someone to help if you can. Shoulder and back measurements are nearly impossible to take accurately on yourself.
• Keep the tape flat against the body and snug, without pulling it tight. You should be able to slide one finger under it.
• Decide on inches or centimetres and use the same unit throughout.

The round measurements

For each of these, check in the mirror that the tape is level all the way round and has not slipped down at the back.

• Bust: around the fullest part of the bust, with the tape level across the back.
• Under-bust: just below the bust, snug but not tight. This matters for blouses and fitted bodices.
• Waist: around the narrowest part of the waist, usually just above the belly button. If you are unsure where that is, bend sideways; the crease is your natural waist.
• Hips: around the fullest part of the hips and seat, with your feet together.
• Armhole: around the top of the arm, passing through the armpit and over the shoulder point.
• Upper arm: around the fullest part of the upper arm, with the arm relaxed.
• Sleeve round: around the arm at the point where you want the sleeve to end.

The length measurements

• Shoulder: across the back from one shoulder point to the other. The shoulder point is the bony tip where the arm begins.
• Sleeve length: from the shoulder point down the outside of the arm to where the sleeve should end.
• Blouse or top length: from the highest point of the shoulder, beside the neck, straight down over the bust to where the garment should end.
• Front neck depth: from the highest point of the shoulder, beside the neck, straight down to where you want the neckline to sit.
• Back neck depth: the same, measured down the back.
• Full length: for dresses, gowns and lehengas, from the shoulder or the waist (say which) to the floor or to the hem you want. Wear the footwear you plan to wear, because heel height changes this measurement.

Common mistakes

• Adding your own allowance. Give the tailor your actual body measurements. They add the ease the design needs. If you add some and they add some, the garment ends up loose.
• Copying from an old outfit without saying so. Measurements of a garment and measurements of a body are different things. Either is useful, but label which you are giving.
• Measuring once. Take each measurement twice. If the two differ by more than about a centimetre, take it a third time.
• Using old numbers. Bodies change. Measure again for every important outfit, and for bridal wear measure again close to the date.
• Rounding. Write down what the tape says, to the nearest half centimetre or quarter inch.

What else to tell your designer

Numbers do not capture preference. Say how you like your clothes to fit: close or comfortable, sleeves snug or easy, neckline modest or deep. Mention anything about your posture or build that affects fit, such as one shoulder lower than the other, and send a photo of an outfit whose fit you like.

When to have it done professionally

For everyday wear, careful home measurements are enough. For bridal outfits, heavily structured blouses and anything expensive, have the studio measure you, and plan for a trial fitting before the final finish. A trial catches what a tape cannot.