Fit
Size guide
Our garments are cut for real bodies, and every chart below is the one our own tailors work from. Measure yourself once, write the numbers down, and ordering gets a great deal easier.
Before you start
Every number on this page is a body measurement, not a garment measurement. We publish it that way because it is the only measurement you can take accurately at home. If you would rather not measure yourself at all, call into the shop on Parnell Street — we will do it for you in a few minutes, at no charge.
Size charts
Each product page names the chart it is cut from, so you only need the one that applies to what you are buying.
Our charts are being checked against the current stock and will be back shortly. In the meantime, the measuring guide below tells you exactly what to measure, and we will match your numbers to the right size — send them over on WhatsApp or bring them into the shop.
How to measure
Four numbers each, taken once. Keep the tape level, keep it snug, and write the figures down before you forget them.
Womenswear
Measure over light clothing, or over the underwear you plan to wear with the outfit. Keep the tape level and snug — tight enough to stay put, never tight enough to leave a mark.
- Bust
- Run the tape around the fullest part of your bust, under your arms and straight across your back. Keep it parallel to the floor. If you are between two numbers, write down the larger one.
- Waist
- Your natural waist is the narrowest part of your torso, usually just above the navel and below the ribs. Breathe out normally and measure there — do not pull your stomach in and do not cinch the tape.
- Hip
- Stand with your feet together and measure around the fullest part of your hips and seat, usually around 20 cm below your waist. This is the measurement that decides whether a kameez or lehenga sits properly, so it is worth getting right.
- Kameez length
- Measure from the top of your shoulder, right beside your neck, straight down to where you want the hem to finish — mid-thigh, knee, or below the knee. Holding the tape against your side is easiest. If you already own a kameez that falls exactly how you like it, measure that instead and use the number.
Menswear
Kurta pyjama and sherwani are cut close to the shoulder, so the shoulder and chest numbers matter more than the waist. Measure over a shirt, not a jacket.
- Chest
- Measure around the fullest part of your chest, passing under your arms and across the shoulder blades. Keep your arms relaxed at your sides and the tape level all the way round.
- Waist
- Measure around your natural waistline, roughly at the level of the navel. Do not hold your stomach in and do not measure over a belt — the pyjama waistband sits where the tape goes.
- Shoulder
- Measure across your back from the outer edge of one shoulder to the other, at the point where a shirt seam would sit. This one is genuinely difficult to read on yourself: ask someone to help, or use a shirt that fits you well and measure that.
- Kurta length
- Measure from the top of your shoulder, beside your neck, down to where you want the kurta to end. Most of our customers choose just below the knee; a shorter kurta sits at mid-thigh.
Worth knowing
- Use a soft tailor's tape, not a metal builder's tape. If you do not have one, a piece of string marked against a ruler works perfectly well.
- Write the numbers down as you go, in centimetres or inches — whichever you measured in. Both are shown on every chart below.
- A mirror helps, and a second pair of hands helps more. The shoulder and length measurements are the two people most often get wrong alone.
- If you land between two sizes, take the larger one. Taking a garment in is straightforward; letting it out depends on the seam allowance, which we cannot always predict.
If it is not quite right, we can fix it
Almost nothing fits perfectly off the peg, and it is not supposed to. We alter in house at Dublin 1 — hems, sleeves, taking in a waist or a bust, adjusting a lining, and shortening a lehenga or an abaya. Bring the garment in with the shoes you plan to wear and we will pin it on you there and then. Made-to-measure is available on bridal, sherwani and anything you would like cut to your own numbers.
Nimra Halal Foods, 89/90 Parnell Street, Dublin 1, D01 K302, Ireland. Unsure which size to order? Message us before you buy — it is quicker than a return. See also our FAQs and the delivery & returns policy.