A stitched suit saves you the trip to the tailor and the three-week wait, but it also takes the fitting out of your hands. You are buying someone else's idea of a medium. Here is how to read a stitched suit listing so the parcel that arrives is the one you pictured.
Measure before you look at sizes
Take three measurements with a tape, over the clothes you would normally wear underneath:
- Bust. Around the fullest part, tape level all the way round.
- Waist. The narrowest part, usually just above the navel.
- Hip. The fullest part, roughly 20 cm below the waist.
Then compare those to the measurements on the listing rather than to the letter. S, M and L mean different things from one supplier to the next, and imported sizing runs smaller than what you are used to from a local tailor. If your measurements fall between two sizes, take the larger one — a shirt that is slightly loose hangs well, a tight one does not.
Shirt length is the detail most people miss
Bust and waist get all the attention, but shirt length is what decides whether a suit looks right on you. A kameez that ends in the wrong place on your frame will feel wrong no matter how well it fits across the chest.
Measure from your shoulder seam down to where you want the hem to sit, and check that against the length given. If the listing does not give one, ask before you order.
Two piece or three
A three-piece stitched suit is shirt, trouser and dupatta. A two-piece is shirt and trouser. The photographs usually show the dupatta draped whether it is included or not, so read the title and the description rather than trusting the picture.
Fabric, in short
- Linen and linen blend. Visible texture, holds a press, good for autumn and spring. Creases easily — that is the fibre, not a fault.
- Lawn. Light and fine, takes detailed prints well, a summer cloth.
- Khaddar. Thicker cotton, warm enough for a Punjab winter, softens with every wash.
- Dhanak. Brushed and soft, the warmest of the common choices.
Our separate guide on unstitched fabrics goes into each of these in more detail, and the same fabric behaves the same way whether it arrives stitched or not.
What to check in the photographs
Look at the neckline and the sleeve. Those two decide how formal the suit reads. A round neck with a plain sleeve is everyday wear; a worked neckline with an embroidered sleeve is for an occasion, and it will usually need more care in the wash.
Look for a close-up of the embroidery too. On a flat product photograph, a printed motif and an embroidered one can look identical. The description will say which it is.
When stitched is the right choice
Stitched suits earn their keep when you need something quickly, when you are buying for someone whose measurements you do not have, or when you simply do not want to manage a tailor. Unstitched wins on fit and on cost per suit. Neither is better in the abstract — our guide to unstitched versus stitched sets the two side by side.
Before you order
Send us your bust, waist and shirt length on WhatsApp at 0345 6650894 along with the product link, and we will tell you which size to take, or tell you honestly if nothing in that listing will fit.
Browse stitched suits and women's clothing.