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Ardezan
Sizing & fit

How to measure · Men

A made-to-order piece is cut from your numbers rather than from a size label, so these eleven are what our tailor works from. You need a soft tape, about ten minutes, and for one of them, someone else.

Before you start

  • Wear light, close-fitting clothes — not the jacket you are replacing.
  • Stand as you normally stand. Not to attention, not slouched.
  • Keep the tape snug enough to stay put and loose enough to slide a finger under.
  • Write every number in the same unit. Inches or centimetres, not both.

Reading the diagrams

  • A band around the body means the tape meets itself — the dashed half passes behind you.
  • A line with a tick at each end means the tape runs between those two points and stops.
  • Measure the right side of the body throughout, so nothing is taken from one side and cut for the other.
  1. 01

    Neck

    around

    Around the base of the neck, where a collar sits.

    Leave a finger between the tape and your skin, or the collar closes on nothing.

  2. 02

    Shoulder

    along

    Across the back, from the bone at the edge of one shoulder to the bone at the other.

    The one measurement you cannot take on yourself. Ask someone.

  3. 03

    Chest

    around

    Around the fullest part, under the arms, with the tape level across your back.

    Breathe normally. A chest taken on a held breath comes back tight.

  4. 04

    Belly

    around

    Around the natural waist, level with the navel.

    Do not hold your stomach in. The piece has to fit the body you wear it on.

  5. 05

    Hip

    around

    Around the fullest part of the seat, standing with your feet together.

  6. 06

    Sleeve

    along

    From the shoulder bone, down the outside of the arm, to the wrist bone.

    Bend the elbow slightly. A sleeve measured on a straight arm is short when you reach.

  7. 07

    Bicep

    around

    Around the fullest part of the upper arm, with the arm relaxed at your side.

    Relaxed, not flexed.

  8. 08

    Wrist

    around

    Around the wrist bone, where a cuff closes.

  9. 09

    Jacket length

    along

    From the base of the neck at the back, straight down to where you want the hem to finish.

    This one is a choice, not a fact about your body — decide where you want it to sit.

  10. 10

    Thigh

    around

    Around the fullest part of the upper leg, weight even on both feet.

  11. 11

    Trouser outseam

    along

    From the top of the waistband, down the outside of the leg, to where you want the hem.

    Measure in the shoes you expect to wear with it.

Every measurement we use

The eleven above cover most pieces. Kaftans, agbadas and fitted trousers use a few more — each product page lists the ones it is cut from.

Top

Neck
Around the base of the neck, where a collar sits.
Shoulder
Across the back, from the bone at the edge of one shoulder to the other.
Chest
Around the fullest part, under the arms, tape level across the back.
Stomach
Around the fullest part of the stomach.
Waist
Around the natural waist, level with the navel.
Hip
Around the fullest part of the seat, feet together.

Body lengths

Waist to knee
From the natural waist down to the middle of the knee.

Arms & sleeves

Around arm
Around the fullest part of the upper arm, arm relaxed.
Around elbow
Around the elbow, arm slightly bent.
Wrist
Around the wrist bone, where a cuff closes.
Palm
Around the widest part of the hand, so a cuff slips over it.
Shoulder to elbow
From the shoulder bone down the outside of the arm to the elbow.
Short sleeve
From the shoulder bone to where a short sleeve should end.
Long sleeve
From the shoulder bone, down the outside of the arm, to the wrist bone.
Armhole
Around the arm where it joins the shoulder, through the armpit.

Garment lengths

Shirt length
From the base of the neck at the back down to where the hem should finish.
Kaftan length
From the base of the neck at the back down to the kaftan hem.
Agbada length
From the top of the shoulder down to where the agbada should fall.

Trousers

Thigh
Around the fullest part of the upper leg, weight on both feet.
Around knee
Around the knee, leg straight.
Calf
Around the fullest part of the calf.
Ankle
The trouser opening at the ankle — what the tailors call the base.
Crotch
From the front waistband, between the legs, up to the back waistband.
Trouser length
From the top of the waistband down the outside of the leg to the hem.

Extras

Height
Standing straight, barefoot, from the floor to the top of the head.
Around head
Around the head above the ears, where a cap sits.

Saving them

Save them on your profile in My Wardrobe — or on the profile of whoever you're shopping for — and every made-to-order piece is cut from them. Inches unless you say otherwise. If you are between numbers on a piece that fastens — a collar, a cuff, a waistband — save the larger one and say so in the notes; letting a seam out is work, taking it in is not.

Rather send them by message? Use the contact page, or reply to your order confirmation. For ready-to-wear sizes instead, see sizing & fit.