How to measure yourself for a kurti, in four minutes with a tape
By STARFITS · 11 September 2026 · 4 min read
There is no enforced sizing standard for Indian womenswear. One brand's M is another's L, a boutique's M is neither, and the letter on the label is the maker's opinion rather than a measurement.
The way out is to stop shopping by letter. Measure four things once, keep them in your phone, and every size chart you meet becomes readable.
What you need
A soft measuring tape. Not a builder's tape — it will not sit flat against you and every number will come out wrong.
Wear something thin while you measure, or nothing. Measuring over a kurta adds an inch or two and you will end up a size up.
The four measurements
Bust. Around the fullest part, tape level all the way round including across your back, snug but not compressing. Stand relaxed and breathe normally. This is the measurement that decides your size on almost every chart.
Waist. Around your natural waist — the narrowest part of your torso, usually an inch or so above your navel. Bend sideways and the crease that forms is your natural waist.
Shoulder. From the bony point at the edge of one shoulder, straight across your back, to the same point on the other side. This one is easier with help; if you are alone, measure a kurta that already fits you seam to seam instead.
Length you want. From the highest point of your shoulder, beside your neck, straight down your front to where you want the hem to sit. Hold the tape against yourself and look in a mirror. This is the one nobody measures and the one that causes most disappointment — a kurti that fits perfectly and ends in the wrong place still feels wrong.
The faster, more reliable method
Measure a kurti you already own and like.
Lay it flat, smoothed out, not stretched. Then:
- Bust: straight across from one underarm seam to the other. That is the
half measurement, so double it.
- Waist: across the narrowest point of the body, doubled the same way.
- Shoulder: seam to seam across the back.
- Length: highest shoulder point straight down to the hem.
This beats measuring your body, because it tells you how a garment of those dimensions actually sits on you — including how much room you personally like.
Reading a chart without being caught out
Garment measurement or body measurement? This is the trap. A chart quoting "Bust 40" may mean the garment measures 40 inches around, or that it fits a 40-inch body. The first gives you almost no ease; the second gives you a few inches. If a chart does not say, ask before ordering.
Ours are garment measurements, taken laid flat.
Between two sizes? Go by bust, then check the shoulder. A kurti that fits your bust but pulls across the shoulders will feel wrong every time you wear it, and it cannot be let out. If you prefer room, or you will layer, take the larger.
Length is not optional. Check the length column against the number you measured. A 34-inch kurti and a 44-inch one are completely different garments, and both get called "kurti".
Two-piece sets need two charts
A kurta with pants, or a top with a skirt, is two garments. The top has a bust and a sleeve; the skirt or pant has neither, and has its own waist and length.
A single row of numbers cannot describe both, so a set quoting one "length" is telling you about one piece and staying silent about the other. Ask which.
On our product pages a set publishes the top and the lower piece as separate tables, for exactly this reason.
What we publish, and one honest caveat
Every product page on our site carries the chart for that specific garment — bust, waist, length, shoulder and sleeve, in inches, measured flat.
The measurements on our women's range are currently marked indicative: they come from the production specification and are still being checked against received stock. We would rather say so than let you order against a number we have not personally put a tape to. If the fit is close, message us before ordering and we will confirm the actual garment.
Send us your bust measurement and the length you want on WhatsApp, and we will tell you which size to take. It is faster than an exchange, and we would rather answer a question than process a return.