How to measure yourself for a made-to-order piece
Five measurements, a soft tape and somebody to help with the back one.
Luméa · 04 Sep 2026 · 1 min read
Ordering something made to your measurements is the only way to get a shoulder that actually sits where your shoulder is. Here is how to take the five we ask for.
What you need
A soft tape measure. Not a builder's tape. Wear the underclothes you would wear with the piece, and stand normally — do not hold yourself straighter than you stand.
1. Shoulder
Across the back, from the bone at the edge of one shoulder to the other. This is the one to get somebody else to do; measuring your own back is how it comes out 3cm short.
2. Bust
Around the fullest part, tape level all the way round. Breathe out normally.
3. Waist
The narrowest part of your torso, usually just above the navel. Do not pull the tape tight.
4. Sleeve
From the shoulder bone, down the outside of a slightly bent arm, to where you want the cuff.
5. Shoulder to hem
From the top of the shoulder straight down to where you want the piece to end, in the shoes you will wear it with. This is the one people most often get wrong, and it is the hardest to alter afterwards.
Send the numbers, not a size
We would rather have five measurements in centimetres than "a medium". Sizes mean different things in different countries; a tape does not.
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