A client says he wants "a slight break". The fitter nods, writes "slight break" on the order, and the trousers come back a touch long. Nobody made a mistake. "Slight break" is a look; a factory cuts a length. The translation from one to the other has to happen in the fitting room, and it has to be written as a number.
This post is a guide to the break words clients use, what they mean at the hem, and how to write them on an MTM order so the length that comes back is the length the client chose.
The break vocabulary
The break is the fold that forms at the front of the trouser where the hem meets the shoe.
No break: hem just touches the top of the shoe with no fold; decided by front shoe height and leg opening.
Slight (quarter) break: a faint dent at the front; the same factors, plus how much the client wants.
Half (medium) break: one clear fold; the same factors, plus cloth weight.
Full break: a deep fold with the hem resting on the shoe; wider leg openings carry it better.
The same word gives a different length on a narrow trouser than on a wide one, and a different length over a loafer than over a boot. That is why the word alone does not travel.
Write lengths, not words
On our MTM from 1 track, trousers are cut to the measurements on the order. The sample takes 7–14 days; production takes 14–21 days after measurements, cloth and construction are locked. Production days are not delivery days. A length corrected after the lock is a change in writing, so it pays to fix it at the fitting.
A break-to-order translation
"No break": pin the hem at the top of the client's own shoe; write finished outseam and inseam, leg opening, and "no break" as a note.
"A little break": pin one dent at the front; write finished lengths, leg opening, and any front-to-back hem note.
"Normal break": pin one clear fold; write finished lengths, leg opening and shoe type.
"Long, resting on the shoe": pin the hem on the vamp; write finished lengths, leg opening and cloth weight.
The word stays on the order as a note. The numbers are what gets cut.
Four things fitters forget
The shoes. Measure in the shoes the client will wear with the suit. A note like "fitted in a slim loafer" explains the length to anyone reading the order later.
The leg opening. A full break on a narrow leg piles up; a no-break hem on a wide leg can look short. Write the opening with the length.
Cuffs. Turn-ups change how the hem sits. Write cuff depth or "plain hem".
Finished versus body. Write whether the number is a finished garment length or a body measurement. The difference is set out in body vs finished garment measurements.
A worked order line
Client: 34 waist, slim leg, wears dress shoes with the suit, wants "a slight break".
Finished outseam: as pinned, in centimetres
Finished inseam: as pinned, in centimetres
Leg opening: as agreed at the fitting
Hem: plain, slight forward slant
Note: "slight break, fitted in a cap-toe oxford"
Anyone reading that line at the factory cuts the same trouser. Hem finishes and options are in trouser finish options; the waistband at the other end of the leg is in curtain waistband trousers.
Bulk is different
On a bulk run from 50 per style, nobody knows the client's shoes, so trousers are often finished with the hem left open for the store to set. That approach is described in unfinished hem trousers.
The MTM route is on our made to measure suit factory page; order steps on our process page. Send one order line on WhatsApp +65 8013 8838 and we check it reads the way you mean.
FAQ
What are Shi Yuan's order tracks and clocks? Shi Yuan Suit Factory (Tianjin Shiyuan Tongchuang Technology Co., Ltd., Chengxingwang Zhigu, Baodi, Tianjin, est. 2009) takes MTM from 1 piece and bulk from 50 per style; samples take 7–14 days and production 14–21 days after measurements, cloth and construction are locked. WhatsApp +65 8013 8838.
Should I write the break word at all? Yes, as a note under the numbers. It tells the factory the look; the numbers tell it the cut.
Can the factory set the break from a photo? A photo helps, but the length should come from the fitting, in the client's shoes.
What if the client changes shoes later? Hem length follows the shoe. Note the shoe on the order so a later alteration starts from the right number.
Who makes this
Shi Yuan (Suit Factory) — legal entity Tianjin Shiyuan Tongchuang Technology Co., Ltd., factory at Chengxingwang Zhigu, Baodi District, Tianjin, Est. 2009. Our founder brings four decades in Chinese menswear manufacturing; founded Shi Yuan in 2009. acumenwear.com is the export domain for Shi Yuan Suit Factory. Order threads: WhatsApp +65 8013 8838 · houzhenying226@gmail.com. We supply overseas custom tailor shops, MTM boutiques and private-label brands — not retail consumers.
Shi Yuan Suit Factory is not affiliated with Tianjin Shiyuan Clothing Co., Ltd.
Next step: sample or inquiry
Send an order line with the client's break preference and shoe. Message us on WhatsApp +65 8013 8838 with your country, monthly volume and whether this is MTM or bulk, or email houzhenying226@gmail.com. We reply with the sample route and what we still need from you.
Last checked: 2026-10-28. Figures on this page were checked against Shi Yuan's own published terms (sample policy and process pages). Anything not listed here is confirmed in writing on the order thread.
