Custom Fit

Learn how our measurements, visual verification process, and fitting sample work together to create a barong tailored specifically to your proportions and preferences.

Our Approach to Custom Tailoring

Creating a custom-made barong is more than simply following a set of measurements. Every person has unique proportions, posture, shoulder structure, and fit preferences that numbers alone can’t fully capture. Our approach combines three important elements:

Your Measurements: Your body measurements provide the foundation for creating your initial pattern and determining the appropriate garment proportions.
Visual Verification: Measurement photos allow our tailors to verify measurement accuracy, assess posture, shoulder slope, body balance, and other details that can’t be captured by numbers alone.
Fitting Sample (Trial Piece): Before your final barong is completed, we'll create and send you a fitting sample so adjustments can be identified and incorporated into the final piece. This allows our tailors to refine details such as ease, sleeve length, body length, shoulder balance, and overall silhouette.

By combining measurements, visual references, and fitting feedback, we’re able to achieve a level of fit that would not be possible through measurements alone.

Why Measurement Photos Are Important

Custom tailoring relies on precision. We ask for a few quick measurement photos so our master tailors can double-check your numbers and catch any accidental slip-ups with the tape measure. Though we'll send you a fitting sample (trial piece) to try on for fine-tuning, its effectiveness depends on having an accurate starting point. Without an accurate starting point, your fitting sample may not provide a reliable baseline for your final piece.

When you provide photos: You’re completely covered by our Perfect Fit Guarantee. If there's any issue with the fit due to our tailoring, we’ll happily cover local alteration costs up to ₱5,000 (or up to ₱10,000 for coat barongs), or remake your item free of charge if needed.
If you skip the photos: We won’t be able to properly verify your starting measurements. Without this reference, the fitting sample may not provide a reliable basis for adjustments, and the Perfect Fit Guarantee cannot apply.

What Can We Make Without Measurement Photos?

If you're unable to provide photos, we can still happily craft a Classic Barong for you. However, we have a few firm boundaries in place, not to make things difficult, but to protect you from outcomes we can't undo:

Coat Barongs require photos, no exceptions. Because they are highly structured, contoured, and paneled, our tailors need visual references to get the construction right. There's simply no reliable way around this.
High-end and intricate items are strongly discouraged without photos. With certain pieces, if the fit is off, repairs or remakes may not be possible. The nature of the craft leaves very little room for correction. This applies to:
- Piña Classic Barongs - the fabric is exceptionally rare, delicate, and difficult to source.
- Intricate Threadwork or Hand-Embroidered Barongs - the artistry is painstaking, often taking our artisans weeks to complete, and can't simply be redone.
Non-Standard Cuts require photos without exception. Since these involve adapting our standard patterns to your specific build, our tailors need to see your proportions to ensure the garment drapes the way it should.

Measurement Photos: What We Need and How to Take Them

To work around the limitations of photo-based sizing and ensure a great fit, please provide three (3) sets of photos:

Your Body Measurements:You'll need assistance for this part. While someone measures you following our body measurement instructions, have the person take a photo from a view wide enough to show the tape measure’s position on your body. This allows our tailors to verify that the tape is perfectly level and in the exact right spot (like right across the chest, not sagging or riding too high)..
You in a Dress Shirt: Put on your best-fitting dress shirt (leave it untucked, but button the collar). Have the person assisting you take three full-body photos from a straight angle: one from the front, one from the side, and one from the back. These photos help our tailors see your natural posture and build.
Flat Shirt Measurements: Lay that exact same dress shirt flat on a table or bed and measure it following our dress shirt measurement instructions. Take a clear photo for each step, ensuring the shot is wide enough to show where the tape measure starts and ends on the shirt, while keeping the numbers sharp and readable.

To submit your measurement photos, simply follow the instructions within your order form.