The measurement guide
A blouse that fits beats a tape that lies.
The single most reliable way to get a perfect fit is to courier us a blouse that already fits you well — we copy a real garment, not numbers taken at arm’s length in a mirror. If you’d rather send measurements, this page explains every field so nothing is guessed.
The shortcut: courier us a blouse that fits
Pick the best-fitting blouse you own — ideally in a similar fabric — and courier it to the T. Nagar studio, or drop it in if you’re in Chennai. We take every measurement from the garment itself, note where you want changes (“slightly longer”, “deeper back”), and courier it back with your order. Self-measured numbers are the most common cause of chargeable alterations; a sample blouse almost never is.
Field by field
All 22 measurements, explained
Measure in inches over the bra you will wear with the saree, tape snug but never pulled tight. The two-letter codes are what you’ll see in your written quote and the WhatsApp brief.
- L
Blouse length
From the shoulder seam at the neck, straight down to where you want the blouse to end.
- B
Bust / chest round
Around the fullest part of the bust, tape level all the way round, not pulled tight.
- UC
Upper chest round
About 2 inches below the collarbone, above the bust.
- UB
Under bust round
Snug, directly under the bust — this is what holds the fit.
- W
Waist round
At the narrowest point, usually just above the navel.
- SH
Shoulder width
Across the back, from the tip of one shoulder bone to the other.
- ST
Shoulder strap width
From the neck point to the shoulder tip, along the seam.
- AH
Armhole round
Around the arm at the armpit, with the tape passing over the shoulder tip.
- SL
Sleeve length
From the shoulder tip down the outside of the arm to where the sleeve should end.
- SR
Sleeve round (bicep)
Around the widest part of the upper arm, arm relaxed.
- MO
Sleeve opening (mohri)
Around the arm where the sleeve ends — keep two fingers of ease.
- FN
Front neck depth
From the shoulder seam at the neck, down the front, to the lowest point of the neckline.
- BN
Back neck depth
Same as above but down the back. This cannot be made shallower after cutting.
- NW
Neck width
Across the front, from one shoulder-neck point to the other.
- AP
Apex to apex
The distance between the two bust points.
- SA
Shoulder to apex
From the shoulder seam at the neck, down to the bust point.
- CF
Cross front
Across the chest between the two front armhole creases, about 5 inches below the neck.
- CB
Cross back
The same measurement across the back.
- EL
Elbow roundOnly for elbow or longer sleeves
Around the elbow, arm slightly bent.
- WR
Wrist roundOnly for full sleeves
Around the wrist bone.
- BL
Back lengthOnly for dori backs
From the nape to where a dori back should tie.
- HP
Hip roundOnly for long or peplum blouses
Around the fullest part of the hip — only for long or peplum blouses.
Measure these twice
The three everyone gets wrong
Of the alterations we see, most trace back to the same three fields. If you check nothing else twice, check these.
BNBack neck depth
Measured too shallow at home, then the finished back looks nothing like the reference. And it only cuts one way — once the fabric is cut, a back neck can be made deeper but never shallower.
APApex to apex
Guessed instead of measured, and the darts land in the wrong place. This one decides whether the blouse sits on you or stands off you — measure it wearing the bra you will wear with the saree.
CBCross back
Confused with shoulder width. Cross back is between the armhole creases, not shoulder tip to shoulder tip — get it wrong and the blouse pinches every time you bring your arms forward.
Ready-to-ship pieces
Standard size chart
The studio-stock garments badged Ready to ship are cut to these standard sizes. Everything else is made to your measurements, so this chart is only for ready-to-ship orders.
| Size | Bust (in) | Waist (in) |
|---|---|---|
| XS | 30 | 26 |
| S | 32 | 28 |
| M | 34 | 30 |
| L | 36 | 32 |
| XL | 38 | 34 |
| 2XL | 40 | 36 |
| 3XL | 42 | 38 |
| 4XL | 44 | 40 |
| 5XL | 46 | 42 |
Between sizes? Take the larger one — a blouse can be taken in, but a heavily embroidered panel cannot be let out.
Measured up?
Put them straight into your brief.
The customization brief carries these exact fields, marks the conditional ones for your sleeve and back choices, and sends everything to our designer in one message.