How to Measure Yourself for a Made-to-Measure Abaya

A soft tailor's tape, a pen and a second person. You twist when you measure your own back and arm, and the twist changes the number. Ask a sister, a friend or your mother to hold the tape while you stand still and look ahead.

Wear what you wear under an abaya on an ordinary day, and the shoes you expect to wear most with this one. A fitted top gives cleaner numbers than a loose jumper.

Novella tailors from five points, the same five the made-to-measure form on each product page asks for. Take them in this order and write each one down in centimetres before you move to the next. For a fitted or belted cut, add your waist at its narrowest point, a little above the navel.

• Full length: from the highest point of the shoulder, beside the neck, down to where the hem should fall. For most abayas that is the floor in your shoes.
• Shoulder width: across the back, from the outer edge of one shoulder to the other, where a seam would sit.
• Sleeve length: from the top of the shoulder, over a slightly bent elbow, to the point on your hand where the cuff should end.
• Chest: around the fullest part of the bust, with the tape level under the arms and one finger of room.
• Armhole: around the top of the arm. Pass the tape under the arm and back over the point of the shoulder until the ends meet. This figure sets the sleeve opening, so the abaya does not pull when you raise your hand.

If an abaya in your wardrobe already fits the way you like, measure it instead of yourself. Button it, lay it flat on a bed and smooth it out. Measure the chest straight across under the armholes, the waist straight across, and the width below the waist, as the diagram in Novella's size guide shows.

Flat garment measurements already include room to move, so you can compare them with the chart on any product page at novellaabaya.com. Tell the team which kind you are sending: body or garment.

Length decides how an abaya looks from across a room, and it depends on your shoes. Measure in the heel height you wear most. If you switch between flats at the office and heels in the evening, choose the length for the shoes you will pair with this abaya.

Novella offers lengths from 50 to 60 inches in one-inch steps. Decide where the hem should fall before you measure: touching the floor, or an inch above it for stairs, car parks and long days on your feet.

• Pulling the tape tight. Leave room for one finger under it.
• Measuring over a thick cardigan, a bag strap or a phone in your pocket.
• Mixing inches and centimetres in one list. Write the unit beside every figure.
• Reading the length while looking down. Tilting your head shortens the number, so stand tall and let your helper read the tape.

Put every figure in one WhatsApp message, with your height, your usual heel height and the code of the design you want, for example 013. If two figures point to different sizes, mention it, and Novella tailors the abaya to your numbers instead of a chart row.

If you would rather be measured, book a fitting through the same WhatsApp number. Novella is in Muaither, Al Rayyan.