Size Guide for Pakistani Dresses, Sherwani and Kurta

Every outfit on ShadiDress.co.uk is stitched after you place your order. You can select one of our standard sizes, or choose Custom Size and send us your own measurements. Both options are stitched by our team, and neither is taken from a rack.

Our sizes are set by the measurements in the charts below, not by numbered UK dress sizes. Compare your own measurements to the chart rather than the size you usually buy in a store. This page covers women’s outfits, groom sherwanis, and men’s kurta with shalwar.

Women’s Size Chart

This is our standard chart for women’s stitched outfits. It applies across bridal wear, maxis and gowns, frocks, lehenga cholis, shararas and ghararas, and shalwar kameez.

All values are in inches. Centimetres are converted and rounded to one decimal place.

How to read this chart

Three details are not fixed by size. Shirt, maxi and gown length is set from your height, which is why we ask for your full height with every order. Sleeve opening and trouser opening follow the design shown in the product photographs, so a fitted churidar and a flared sharara will finish differently even in the same size.

Sherwani Size Chart

Groom sherwanis are available in four standard sizes. Every measurement in this chart is a full round or full length measurement, so no doubling is needed here.

All values are in inches. Centimetres are converted and rounded to one decimal place.

Sherwani length is measured from the base of the neck at the back down to the hem. Collar is the neck measurement, taken at the base of the neck with room for one finger. If the chest and the waist point to different sizes, choose by chest and tell us the waist figure in your order notes.

Sherwani for boys

A sherwani for a boy is made to order rather than picked from the chart above. Send the same list of measurements shown in the sherwani chart, along with his height, and select Custom Size when you order.

Kurta and Shalwar Size Chart

Men’s kurta sets run from Small to XX-Large. The kurta is cut with normal wearing ease, so the chest figure here is not a close body measurement.

All values are in inches. Centimetres are converted and rounded to one decimal place.

Custom Size

If none of the standard sizes matches your measurements, select Custom size from the size options on the product page and send us your own figures. There is nothing else to arrange, and the garment is cut to what you provide.

What we need from you

Send the same measurements listed in the chart for your garment type, plus your full height. We do not need anything beyond that at the ordering stage. If a particular design calls for an extra detail, our team will ask you for it after the order is placed.

• Women’s outfits: height, shoulder, chest, waist, hips, shirt length, shirt opening, sleeve length, sleeve opening, trouser length, trouser opening.
• Sherwani: height, length, shoulder, chest, waist, hip, sleeve length, collar.
• Kurta and shalwar: height, kurta length, chest, waist, sleeve length, collar, shalwar length.

How your measurements are used

We stitch to the numbers you confirm. That is the point of the Custom Size option, and it is also the reason we ask you to check the list twice before you submit it. Record every figure in inches, or in centimetres if that is easier, and tell us which unit you used.

For branded wedding guest outfits, professional stitching is included in the listed price, and approved sizing or feasible style changes carry no separate customisation charge. The original colour and embroidery of a branded article stay exactly as they are.

For custom bridal orders, measurements are part of the normal production process. If a request materially increases fabric, embroidery or labour, we explain the additional charge and get your approval before we begin.

How to Measure

You will get a better result with a soft tailoring tape and a second pair of hands. Wear light, close-fitting clothing. Keep the tape level and snug against the body without pulling it tight, stand relaxed with your arms down, and write each figure down as you go.

Where a measurement describes the finished garment rather than your body, take it from an outfit you already own that fits you the way you want. Lay the garment flat, smooth out the fabric, and measure across it.

Women’s measurements

• Full height: stand barefoot against a wall and measure from the top of your head to the floor. This sets your shirt, maxi or gown length.
• Shoulder: across the back, from the tip of one shoulder to the tip of the other.
• Chest: around the fullest part of the bust, with the tape level all the way around.
• Waist: around the narrowest part of your natural waistline.
• Hips: around the fullest part of the hips, roughly 8 inches below the waist.
• Shirt length: from the shoulder seam straight down to where you want the hem to sit.
• Shirt opening: the hem width of a favourite shirt, measured flat from edge to edge.
• Sleeve length: from the shoulder tip to the wrist bone, with your arm slightly bent.
• Sleeve opening: around the arm at the point where you want the sleeve to end.
• Trouser length: from the waist down to the ankle.
• Trouser opening: around the leg at the hem, or measured flat across an existing trouser and doubled.

Men’s measurements

• Full height: barefoot, from the top of the head to the floor.
• Length: from the base of the neck at the back, straight down to where the hem should finish.
• Shoulder: across the back, from one shoulder tip to the other.
• Chest: around the fullest part of the chest, under the arms, tape level.
• Waist: around the natural waist for a sherwani. For a kurta, take it 6.5 inches below the armhole on a garment that fits well.
• Hip: around the fullest part of the seat.
• Sleeve length: from the shoulder tip to the wrist bone, arm slightly bent.
• Collar: around the base of the neck, leaving room for one finger between the tape and the skin.
• Shalwar or trouser length: from the waist to the ankle.

Size Questions

My measurements fall between two sizes. Which one should I take?

Take the larger size. Letting a garment out is limited by the fabric and the embroidery placement, while taking it in is straightforward for a tailor. If two or more of your measurements sit between sizes, Custom Size is the better route.

Do you work in inches or centimetres?

We take and record all measurements in inches. The centimetre figures on this page are converted for reference. You are welcome to send your own measurements in centimetres, as long as you tell us which unit you have used.

Does Custom Size cost extra?

For branded wedding guest outfits, professional stitching is included in the listed price, and approved sizing or feasible style changes carry no separate customisation charge. For custom bridal orders, your measurements are part of the standard production process. A request that materially increases fabric, embroidery or labour is quoted first and only started after you approve it.

How do you decide the length of a shirt, maxi or gown?

We set it from your height rather than from the size label, which is why we ask for your full height on every order. If you want a specific finished length instead, send that figure and we will follow it.

Can you make a sherwani for a boy?

Yes. A boy’s sherwani is made to order using the same measurement list as the adult chart, taken from him rather than read off a size. Select Custom Size when you order and send the figures along with his height.

What if my measurements change before the wedding?

Tell us as early as you can. Before cutting begins we can usually apply the updated figures without difficulty. Once cutting and embroidery are under way, some changes are no longer possible, and a major change may require an approved additional charge.

What happens if I send the wrong measurements?

We stitch to the measurements you confirm, so please check them twice. A garment made correctly to submitted measurements does not qualify under our measurement-error remedy, which covers cases where the finished garment differs materially from the figures you provided.

Can I see the outfit before it is dispatched?

A pre-shipment video of a completed wedding guest outfit is available on request. For bridal orders, progress photographs and close-up videos can be requested during production, so you can raise a fit concern before the dress is packed.