Measuring from your phone: how it works and how to get it right

A large share of our couture clients never visit the studio. They live in London, Houston, Toronto, Abuja or Port Harcourt, and they are measured from photographs taken on their own phones. Here is what that process does, what it does not do, and how to give us the best possible starting point.

What you do

1. Enter your height in centimetres. Everything else is scaled from it, so it needs to be accurate.
2. Take three photographs: front, side and back, standing against a plain wall with your whole body in frame.
3. Review the estimated measurements and the confidence shown for each one.

The result gives a range for each point (for example, waist 73–75 cm) and flags the points it is less sure about. You can try it now; it takes about five minutes.

How accurate it is

Across most measurement points, the confidence sits around 85 to 90%. That is accurate enough to draft a pattern and cut a toile, which is the stage where fit is really decided. Points that depend on posture or soft tissue, such as the high bust or the natural waist, are the ones most often flagged. A fitter confirms those with you on a video call before the real fabric is cut.

Five mistakes that throw measurements off

• Loose clothing. Wear fitted clothes, such as leggings and a fitted top or a bodysuit. A loose shirt adds centimetres at the waist.
• Wrong height. Measure it barefoot against a wall. A 3 cm error in height moves every other number.
• Camera too high or too low. Have someone hold the phone at your waist height, not eye level, and keep it upright.
• Busy background. A plain wall with even light works best. Avoid standing in front of a window.
• Changing posture between shots. Stand naturally, arms slightly away from your body, the same way in all three photographs.

What happens to the photographs

The photographs are used to calculate measurements and are then discarded. We keep the measurements on your commission record, not the images. They are never used for anything else and never shared. You can read the details in our privacy policy.

What happens next

Your measurements are attached to your commission. We send a written quote, and once the deposit clears, a toile is cut. You try it on during a video fitting while a fitter guides you through what to check: shoulder seams, how the bodice sits when you sit down, the length with your shoes on. Adjustments are made, the real piece is built, and it is couriered to you.

Phone measurement does not replace a fitting. It replaces the flight.