Shirt and pant measurements: what to take and how to record them

Before you start

• Use a soft tape that has not stretched. Replace it when the first few inches fade.
• Have the customer stand straight and relaxed, wearing a thin shirt and their usual shoes.
• Keep the tape snug but not tight. One finger should slide under it.
• Write each number the moment you read it. Quarters and halves matter: 15 1/2 is not 15.

Shirt measurements

• Length: from the highest point of the shoulder, next to the collar, down to where the shirt should end.
• Chest: around the fullest part of the chest, tape level under the arms.
• Waist: around the stomach at the navel, for the shirt's shape through the body.
• Shoulder: across the back from one shoulder bone to the other.
• Sleeve: from the shoulder bone down to the wrist, with the arm slightly bent.
• Cuff: around the wrist, with room for a watch if the customer wears one.
• Collar (neck): around the base of the neck, with one finger inside the tape.

Trouser measurements

• Length: from the waistband down the outside of the leg to where the trouser should end.
• Waist: around the body where the customer wears their trousers, which is often below the navel.
• Hip (seat): around the fullest part of the hips.
• Thigh: around the fullest part of one thigh.
• Knee: around the knee, for how the leg narrows.
• Bottom (mohri): the width of the leg opening the customer wants.
• Rise: from the waistband, through the legs, to the waistband at the back.

Recording them so they can be used again

Measurements written on a loose slip are lost within a month. Keep them against the customer's name and phone number, with the date, and note anything unusual: one shoulder lower, a preference for a loose fit, a longer sleeve for a watch.

When a customer returns after a year, ask before reusing old numbers. Waist and chest change; length and shoulder rarely do.