What technology is used during a custom fitting, and what information does it provide?

The short version

This guide is about clothing. In golf, "custom fitting" means club fitting, where launch monitors measure ball and club data; that is a different subject.

Tape measure and fitting-room measurement

Most custom fittings still start with a tape measure. The fitter takes body measurements such as chest, waist, seat, shoulder, sleeve, back length and inside leg, and notes what a tape cannot record as a number: sloping or square shoulders, an erect or forward posture, one shoulder lower than the other, how the customer stands.

Information it provides: body measurements, posture observations and, from conversation, how the customer likes clothes to fit and what they will wear them for.

Limits: results depend on the fitter. Two people measuring the same body can differ, and a measurement taken over a shirt differs from one taken over a jumper. A measurement is of the body, not the finished garment, so the fitter still decides how much room to add.

Fitting garments

Many made-to-measure tailors and shirtmakers keep a set of fitting garments: sample jackets, trousers or shirts in graded sizes. The customer tries the closest size, and the fitter pins and chalks the changes, such as shortening a sleeve, letting out the seat or adjusting for a dropped shoulder.

Information it provides: how a known base pattern needs to change for this person, recorded as alterations rather than raw body measurements. This is often more useful to the workroom than measurements alone, because it starts from a pattern that already works.

Limits: the shop needs the sizes and cuts in stock, and the result is only as good as the fitter's reading of the try-on.

3D body scanners

A 3D body scanner, usually a booth or a rig of depth cameras, captures the surface of the body in a few seconds and calculates measurements from the scan. Some made-to-measure businesses, uniform suppliers and researchers use them alongside or instead of a tape.

Information it provides: many body measurements at once, taken the same way each time, and a 3D record of body shape that can be revisited later.

Limits: the customer has to wear close-fitting clothes and hold a set pose, and hair, loose clothing and posture affect the results. A scan says nothing about how much ease a style should have or how the customer likes a jacket to sit. A scan is a detailed image of a person's body, so it needs clear consent, secure storage and a deletion policy.

Phone measurement apps

Measurement apps ask the customer to take photos or a short video at home, usually in fitted clothing, and estimate body measurements from them. Some phones also use a depth sensor. Online made-to-measure brands use them to collect measurements without a visit.

Information it provides: estimated body measurements, collected remotely.

Limits: accuracy depends on lighting, background, camera angle, clothing and whether the customer follows the instructions. Treat the numbers as a starting point to check, not a finished specification, and compare an app's results with tape measurements on a few customers before relying on it.

Fit and size prediction from garment and order data

Size recommendation tools answer a different question: not "what is this person's pattern?" but "which of our standard sizes will fit them best?" They compare the customer's answers, such as height, weight, usual sizes or measurements, with the garment's size chart and measurements, and some also learn from which sizes were kept or returned.

Information it provides: a recommended standard size for a specific product, sometimes with a note such as "between sizes; take the larger for a relaxed fit".

Limits: it chooses between existing sizes and cannot create a custom pattern. It is only as reliable as the size charts behind it; see how to make a size chart.

Virtual try-on

Virtual try-on generates an image of the garment on the customer, from their photo, a live camera or an avatar. In a made-to-measure context it is used to help choose a cloth, colour, pattern or style before the garment is cut.

Information it provides: appearance: how a colour sits against the customer's skin, how a pattern or length reads on their frame, how a style looks on them.

Limits: no measurements, and no fit. A generated image cannot show whether a collar will close or a sleeve is the right length. Rendered Fits' own try-on works this way: it shows how a garment looks on the shopper and leaves fit to size advice. More in what is virtual try-on.

Made-to-measure pattern software

Pattern software (often part of a clothing CAD system) holds the brand's base patterns and alteration rules. The fitter's measurements or alterations are entered, and the software produces an individual pattern for cutting, by hand or by an automated cutter.

Information it provides: an individual pattern and a record of every alteration, so a repeat order can start from the last one.

Limits: the alteration rules have to be set up and checked against real fittings. The software cannot tell whether a garment fits before it is made, which is why many made-to-measure businesses still offer a fitting or alteration after the first garment.

How the information flows in a made-to-measure order

1. Choose: style, cloth and details, sometimes helped by swatches or a try-on image.
2. Measure: tape, scanner or app, plus posture notes and the customer's preferences.
3. Try: a fitting garment in the closest size, pinned for alterations.
4. Pattern: measurements and alterations entered into pattern software, or applied by a pattern cutter.
5. Make and fit: the garment is made, tried, and adjusted if needed. The record is kept for next time.

What this means for tailoring and made-to-measure brands selling online

Online, the fitting room is replaced by a self-measure guide, fit questions and, increasingly, phone measurement. The brands that do this well say plainly which measurements are body and which are garment, explain how to measure with a diagram, ask about fit preferences as well as numbers, and publish what happens if the first garment does not fit.

For ready-to-wear tailoring, the job is different: helping the customer choose between standard sizes, and showing how a jacket looks on them. Our guide to virtual try-on for tailoring covers how to test both. Rendered Fits recommends standard sizes from a brand's own size chart and shows try-on previews; it does not produce made-to-measure patterns.

For an overview of the technology shoppers meet online, read our guide to virtual fitting room technology. Intimate wear raises its own fitting questions, covered in virtual fitting for lingerie.

What to ask at a custom fitting

• Are you measuring my body, or the garment I will get?
• How much room (ease) will you add, and can I see a garment with that amount?
• If I was scanned or measured by app, who checks the numbers?
• What happens if the first garment does not fit: alteration, remake, or neither?
• How long do you keep my measurements and any scan or photos?