Caravana Sizing Guide: How Does Caravana Actually Fit?

By Ella Blake – Senior Fashion Stylist & Founder | Tellar – Always honest, unbiased, & unsponsored

Here's the honest answer first: Caravana runs generous, and the majority of its pieces are made as one flowing, boxy, one-size silhouette that comfortably suits roughly a UK 6 to 16. So with Caravana, your dress size genuinely isn't the thing to worry about — the questions that actually matter are your height and how much drape you want billowing around you. Get those two right and you'll live in it. Get them wrong and you'll be drowning in a beautiful, very expensive tent.

First, what Caravana actually is

If you've not come across the label before, Caravana is a Mexican artisanal resortwear house, founded in 2009 and rooted in Mayan craft traditions. Everything is handmade — kaftans, ponchos, tunics, cover-ups and the odd languid maxi — usually in cotton gauze, linen and silk mixes. It sits firmly in the luxury bracket (pieces routinely run from a couple of hundred pounds to well over a thousand), so it's the kind of buy you want to get right the first time. The whole point of the brand is fluid, slow, easy elegance, which tells you almost everything you need to know about the fit before you even check a label.

So how does the sizing actually work?

Most of the collection is cut as one size, designed to move freely with the body rather than skim it. These aren't pieces that nip in at the waist — they're meant to fall off the shoulder, gather loosely and drape. That's brilliant news if you've ever been stuck between two sizes elsewhere, because Caravana sidesteps the problem entirely.

A handful of more structured styles (certain skirts and tie-waist pieces) do come in graded S/M sizing, and those tend to run true to size or a touch generous. But the kaftans, tunics and ponchos — the heart of the brand — are one-size-fits-most.

Where it can catch you out

One-size sounds foolproof, but it isn't, and this is where I'd want a friend to warn me before I spent the money:

Length is the real variable. Because the width is so forgiving, height is what decides whether something lands as a chic midi or swamps you. If you're petite (5'3" and under), a maxi kaftan can easily go from elegant to overwhelming.
It genuinely runs big. Shoppers consistently report pieces fitting larger than expected. If you prefer a closer line, you'll want to factor in the volume rather than hope it shrinks.
Handmade means small variations. These are artisan pieces, so two of the "same" garment can differ slightly. That's part of the charm, but always check the individual chest and full-length measurements on each product rather than assuming.
Boxy is the intention, not a flaw. The deep V-necks and dropped shoulders are deliberate. Don't size down trying to "fix" the shape — you'll lose the whole effect.

My honest take

I'll be candid — my first foray into one-size resortwear was a disaster. I bought a gorgeous gauze kaftan years ago on holiday, convinced "one size" meant "tailored to me," and ended up looking like I'd thrown a bedsheet over a sun lounger. Lesson learned. The win came later: a knee-skimming cotton tunic that I belted loosely with a tan leather wrap and wore over wide linen trousers. Suddenly the volume looked intentional and expensive, which of course it was. With Caravana, the trick is to let one area be voluminous and anchor everywhere else — flat sandals, a defined ankle, hair off the face.

How I'd style it

Belt a longer kaftan low and loose to create a waist without fighting the drape.
Layer a poncho or cover-up over something slim — a vest and cigarette trouser — so the volume reads as a choice.
Keep accessories earthy and artisanal: leather, raffia, a single piece of hammered gold.

If Caravana's price tag isn't for you: where to look instead

Caravana is a treat, not an everyday buy. If you love the relaxed, artisanal, resort-y feel but want kinder pricing — or pieces in proper graded sizing — here's where I'd actually send my clients.

High street

Mango — consistently the best high street name for linen kaftans and holiday edits; the resortwear genuinely punches above its price.
COS — for that architectural, fluid, boxy drape Caravana does so well, in a cleaner minimalist palette.
Hush — relaxed boho linen and beach cover-ups that feel effortless rather than fussy.
Anthropologie — the closest high street feel to artisanal, embroidered, hand-finished pieces.
Monsoon — a long-standing go-to for embellished kaftans and resort tunics.
Boden — dependable holiday cover-ups and easy throw-on dresses with proper sizing.
Seasalt Cornwall — natural-fibre, easy-wearing pieces with a coastal, unhurried feel.
Whistles — elevated relaxed drape when you want the look to lean a little more grown-up.

Premium

Mint Velvet — relaxed-luxe separates with that lived-in, expensive ease.
Massimo Dutti — beautifully made fluid linen and silk pieces that feel several rungs above the price.
Me&Em — for thoughtfully cut, flattering volume that still moves freely.

Luxury / designer

Max Mara — the gold standard for fluid, drapey luxury when you want investment quality with a more tailored hand.

Two independent gems worth knowing

Hannah Artwear — a small Bali-based label producing hand-dyed silk kaftans; properly artisanal and very much in Caravana's spirit.
Mola Sasa — a Colombian independent making vibrant, artisan-crafted resortwear, perfect if you want something nobody else on the beach will be wearing.

Never look at a confusing size guide again

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