Forte Forte Sizing Guide: Does It Run Small & What Size Should You Order?

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

Yes — Forte Forte does run small, and their sizing system is entirely their own, which catches out first-time buyers almost every single time. I speak from experience. The first time I ordered a piece online I sized as I normally would for a European luxury brand, and the trousers arrived looking like they'd been made for a different person entirely. A smaller, more Milanese person. Lesson learned. Here's everything you need to know before you spend several hundred pounds on something beautiful and unwearable.

The Forte Forte Sizing System Explained

Forte Forte — founded in 2002 by siblings Giada and Paolo Forte — is a thoroughly Italian brand, designed and produced in Italy using some of the finest fabrics the country has to offer. And like many Italian luxury labels, its sizing is not in line with UK sizing at all. What makes Forte Forte slightly more complicated than most is that they don't use standard European or Italian numeric sizes on their labels. Instead, they use their own system: Roman numerals and zeros.

Here's how that translates to UK sizing:

Forte Forte LabelUK SizeEU / Italian Approx.00UK 4EU 320UK 6EU 34IUK 8EU 36IIUK 10EU 38IIIUK 12EU 40IVUK 14EU 42

So if you typically wear a UK 10, you'll be looking at size II on the label. It sounds simple once you know — but it's the kind of thing that sends people hunting around the label wondering if they've accidentally bought something from the children's section.

Should You Size Up at Forte Forte?

As a general rule, yes. Italian sizing tends to run smaller than UK, and Forte Forte is no exception. If you're between sizes, I'd always recommend going up rather than down. The one saving grace is that the brand's aesthetic is built around relaxed, flowing silhouettes — billowing trousers, voluminous blouses, draped dresses and oversized shirts in sumptuous silks, linens and crinkled cottons. This means that many of their pieces are forgiving by design; a piece cut to fall away from the body is considerably less punishing on sizing than something structural.

ELLA'S SIZING TIPThat said, if you're looking at a more structured Forte Forte piece — a tailored jacket, a fitted silk dress — then sizing up is non-negotiable. The relaxed pieces may let you get away with your usual size; the tailored ones will not. When in doubt, go up.

Size Range: What Forte Forte Does & Doesn't Cover

This is important to flag honestly. Forte Forte's range currently tops out at IV / UK 14. If you're above a UK 14, this brand simply doesn't cater to you — and that is a significant limitation for a label charging upwards of £400 per piece. It's a frustrating reality of many Italian luxury brands, and Forte Forte is no different. I genuinely hope this is something they address in future collections, because the aesthetic is one that would flatter a much wider range of body shapes than they're currently dressing.

What Forte Forte Is Actually Like to Wear

When the sizing is right, Forte Forte clothes feel extraordinary. The fabrics are the first thing you notice — silk that pools in just the right way, linen that softens rather than creases badly, crinkled cotton that somehow looks intentional and effortless. The brand has a very specific poetic romanticism to it; it's not the sharp tailoring of Totême or the studied minimalism of The Row. It's softer than that. More artisanal. Each collection feels like a mood board for somewhere beautiful and slightly unhurried.

The pieces that translate most broadly are the wide-leg trousers (size up), the oversized shirts (these are fairly generous), and the slip dresses in silk — which, if sized correctly, look genuinely stunning. The knitwear is exceptional. The blouses can be truly special. It's the kind of brand where one well-fitted piece will make you look like you've been dressing effortlessly for years.

High Street & Premium Alternatives to Forte Forte

Forte Forte sits at the very top of the luxury market, and not everyone wants to spend £600 on a blouse — entirely reasonably. Here are the brands I'd point you towards if you're after a similar mood at different price points:

For the bohemian-artisanal aesthetic on the high street:

Anthropologie — probably the closest high street equivalent in terms of aesthetic DNA. Flowing fabrics, beautiful prints, artistic sensibility. Sizing is more generous and consistent.
Hush — easy, relaxed dressing in lovely fabrics. Very wearable, very well-priced, consistently good on sizing.
Oliver Bonas — brilliant for flowy dresses and relaxed silhouettes with a creative, independent spirit. Far more accessible pricing and UK sizing throughout.
Whistles — beautifully made pieces with a grown-up elegance. Consistent UK sizing, great fabric choices.
Jigsaw — a natural next step from Forte Forte's softer pieces. Linen separates, silk blouses, wide-leg trousers — all done with real quality and clear UK sizing.
Massimo Dutti — for the more structured, minimalist Forte Forte pieces. Excellent Italian-adjacent tailoring at a fraction of the price. Worth noting their sizing can also skew slightly small.
Me&Em — consistently flattering, beautifully cut, and one of the most honest sizing brands on the market. A brilliant everyday luxury option.
Reiss — for the sleeker Forte Forte pieces: fitted dresses, structured blazers. Smart, clean and considerably more size-inclusive.

Two independent labels worth knowing:

Paloma Wool — a Barcelona-based independent label with a deeply artistic, tactile aesthetic that feels genuinely close to Forte Forte's spirit. Knitwear and dresses that feel special and considered. Worth following.
Baserange — Copenhagen-born indie label working in natural fibres, relaxed silhouettes and beautiful, understated pieces. A cult favourite for good reason, and more generous in sizing.

My Verdict on Forte Forte Sizing

Forte Forte is a genuinely beautiful brand and I find it difficult to argue with the quality once the sizing is right. But it does ask you to do a little homework before you buy. Know your measurements, use their size chart carefully, and remember that the label's numerals bear no resemblance to UK convention. If you're between sizes, go up. If it's a structured piece, definitely go up. And if you're above a UK 14, unfortunately this particular Italian dream isn't for you — at least not yet.

The pieces that are worth the investment: the silk blouses, the wide-leg trousers, and the oversized linen shirts. Buy them in the right size and you will wear them for years.

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This post is written independently by Ella Blake for the Tellar Fashion Hub. It contains no sponsored content, no paid brand partnerships, and no advertising. Some links may be affiliate links — this never influences our editorial recommendations.