If you want to order a custom-made (= tailor-made) Qipao / Cheongsam, but you are afraid to order through Internet, then we can suggest you by our own experience: Try it out!
Good Chinese tailor shops present you a lot of varieties: At first you can choose fabrics, colour and pattern. But often you additionally can choose many different kinds of buttons, buttonhole-loops and -colours; you can select, if your Qipao / Cheongsam will get some or none coloured hem; you can decide the sleeve-length, the slit length, the slit position (on the side, front or back) and how many slits you want. Finally you can select the measurement of your Qipao / Cheongsam. In this way you can simply get an absolute individual and real fitting Qipao / Cheongsam.
There are some tips for the right measurement:
Attention:
The person who is measured should wear close-fitting underwear.
The person who is measured should keep in an upright, natural standing position without unnecessary actions.
When the girth around parts of your body is taken, make sure that the measuring tape is held horizontally, not too loose nor too tight.
Now you have to measure the following:
- Length of the gown (the distance from neck point across the breast point to the lower hem of the gown, or to the end of the gown)
- Shoulder width (the distance between two Shoulder joint with arms drooping naturally, taken at back)
- Bust (in standing position and breathing naturally, the girth around the biggest part of bust)
- Waist (in standing position, the girth round the narrowest part of the waist)
- Hip girth (in standing position, girth round the largest part of the hip)
- Neck Circumference (around the bottom of the neck)
- Height of the person
- Sleeve length (from shoulder seam to the length desired. If you order long-sleeved style,)
- Arm circumference (girth around upper arm - only if you order sleeves, which cover your upper arm)
The following measurements are optional, but not necessary:
- Front waist length (person in standing position, the distance from neck point across the breast point to the waistline)
- Back waist length (person in standing position, the distance from neck point across the shoulder blade to the waistline)
- Front width (the distance between two front armpits)
- Back width (the distance between two back armpits)
- Breast height (in standing position, distance from neck point to breast point)
- Cuff girth
- Wrist girth (girth around wrist - only if you order long sleeves)
- Slit length (for one or two side slits, respectively for one front slit or one back slit)
- Collar height
