Abaya and kandura size helper
Type your height, or better, your shoulder-to-ankle measurement, and get the length size in inches to ask for.
Barefoot, standing straight against a wall.
From the highest point of the shoulder, next to the neck, straight down to where you want the hem: usually the ankle. Ask someone to help.
Runs on your phone. Nothing is uploaded or saved.
How to measure
- Height — barefoot, back to a wall, from the floor to the top of the head.
- Shoulder — across the back, from the tip of one shoulder to the other.
- Chest — around the fullest part, under the arms, tape level and not tight. For an abaya, sellers suggest adding 2 to 3 inches for a loose fit.
- Length — from the highest point of the shoulder, next to the neck, straight down to the ankle (or to where you want the hem). This is the number on the size label.
Wear light clothes and the shoes you will wear with it. Measure twice. Better still, lay a garment that fits you well flat and measure it.
Typical length sizes
From published size guides of abaya and kandura sellers. Width sizes (S, M, L…) are not shown: they differ a lot between makers and tailors.
Before you buy or order
On abayas and kanduras, 52, 54, 56 and so on are the garment length in inches, from the shoulder down. They usually go up in steps of 2 inches (about 5 cm).
Each maker cuts its own pattern. The same number can fit differently from one shop or tailor to another. Check the maker's own chart, or bring a garment that fits.
For an abaya, go longer if you wear heels; a hem can be shortened, not lengthened. For a kandura, the hem usually sits at the ankle: ask the tailor.
People of the same height have different leg and body lengths. A tape measurement beats any estimate from height.
Sources: ISO 8559-1:2017, Size designation of clothes – anthropometric definitions for body measurement (stature, chest girth, shoulder length and back shoulder width; iso.org); Penn State OPEN Design Lab, "Proportionality constants" (body-part ratios of height, from Drillis and Contini 1966, "should not be used for real design", which is why a tape measurement is preferred); published online size guides of abaya and thobe/kandura sellers (not named here) for length numbers, height ranges, measuring from the top of the shoulder to the ankle, adding 1–2 inches for heels and 2–3 inches of ease at the chest. Height ranges: abaya 52 = 150–157 cm, 54 = 157–163, 56 = 163–168, 58 = 168–173, 62 = 175–188; kandura 50 = 152–157 cm, then +2 inches for each 5 cm, to 64 = 187–193. Last checked: 27 Oct 2026. A guide only: always check the maker's or tailor's own chart.