Most fit advice you read online comes from cotton. Cotton is structured and forgiving — it holds the shape it was cut into. Silk doesn't. Silk drapes by gravity, follows the body, and the wrong size shows immediately. Here is how we think about fit at Jhouni, and how to size our silk so it sits the way it's meant to.
The principle: silk should skim, not cling
The mistake we see most often is sizing silk down "for a fitted look." Silk pulled tight loses every quality that made you buy it — the drape collapses, the sheen breaks, the fabric stresses at the seams. What looks elegant in the mirror in a fitting room becomes visibly strained the moment you sit down.
The opposite is also a mistake. Silk sized too generously billows. The shoulders fall off, the side seams swing, the slip dress starts to read as a sack rather than a body skim. There's no recovery from too-loose silk.
What you want is a half-inch of air. The fabric should rest against the body, not pressed onto it. You should be able to pinch a small amount of fabric anywhere on the garment without it feeling tight, and the fabric should fall back smooth without bunching.
Cotton fits to your body. Silk fits to your shoulders.
This is the single most useful thing to know about sizing silk: silk hangs from the highest point. Get the shoulder line right and the rest of the garment falls into place. Get the shoulder wrong and nothing else can save it.
- Shirts and pyjama tops: the shoulder seam should sit exactly on your acromion — the bony point at the outer edge of your shoulder. Not in front, not falling off. If the seam pulls toward your neck, size up. If it falls onto your upper arm, size down.
- Slip dresses: the strap-to-bust drop is what matters, not the bust circumference. The neckline should rest flat against the chest without gapping forward when you lean. If it gaps, the strap-to-bust drop is too long for your torso.
- Pyjama trousers: the rise is what fits, not the waist. A silk waistband that pulls down at the front is too low-rise. One that creeps up over the navel is too high.
How to measure for silk
The body chart on our Size Guide covers bust, waist, hip, sleeve and length. Three notes that don't fit on the chart:
- Measure over a thin layer. Not bare skin, not over a sweater. The thinnest tee you'd wear under a silk shirt is the right reference layer.
- Measure the natural waist, not the trouser waist. The natural waist is the narrowest point of your torso — usually about one inch above your belly button. Most off-the-rack waistbands sit two inches lower; that's a different number.
- Measure twice, in the morning. Body measurements vary by up to two centimetres between morning and evening, before and after a meal, before and after exercise. Take the morning number — it's the one our pieces are graded against.
The "between sizes" question
If you fall between two sizes on our chart, here is the rule we use:
- Shirts and pyjama tops — size up. You want shoulder line and arm room; the body of the shirt is forgiving.
- Slip dresses — size to the bust. The waist and hip will follow.
- Pyjama trousers — size to the hip. The waistband is elasticated and forgiving.
- Robes and kimonos — your usual size. They're cut generous already.
If you're between sizes by more than 5 cm at any single point, email us with your measurements before you order. We can advise on the specific piece. Custom adjustments aren't standard, but for major variances we'll talk through what's possible.
How silk wears in
Two small things to expect:
- The first hour, silk feels new. Slightly stiff, slightly cool. Body heat softens it within an hour of wear and it begins to drape properly. Don't judge fit straight off the hanger.
- Silk relaxes about 1–2% over the first three washes. That's roughly half a centimetre on a body measurement, and it's already accounted for in our grading. Don't size up to compensate — you'll outpace the relaxation and end up loose.
The mama + mini exception
Our linen pieces — including the full mama+mini range — are pre-washed. Linen does shrink, but ours has already done it. What you receive is what you keep. Size to the chart, no allowances needed.
What to do if it's not right
Because every Jhouni piece is made to order, we can't accept returns or exchanges for fit. This is exactly why we built this guide — and why we'd genuinely rather you email info@jhouni.com with your measurements before you order than guess. We answer every fit question personally, usually within a working day.
Bring us your numbers. We'll tell you the size we'd cut.
— The Jhouni studio
More to read: Mulberry Silk, Explained · How to Care for Silk Pyjamas · the full Size Guide.