How to Find Your Size in Balenciaga

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

Balenciaga sizes down — and if you don't know that going in, you will get it wrong. The brand uses European sizing and, crucially, designs with an intentionally oversized silhouette baked in. That means a Balenciaga FR 38 does not behave like your usual UK 10. Depending on the piece, you could easily be sizing down one, two, or even three sizes from what you'd normally wear. I've seen perfectly intelligent, well-dressed women (myself included) end up with something that looks like a very expensive tent because they didn't account for the brand's deliberately exaggerated proportions. So let's sort this out properly.

Understanding Balenciaga's Sizing System

Balenciaga uses French/European sizing — so you'll see numbers like 34, 36, 38, 40, 42 rather than UK 6, 8, 10, 12, 14. The rough conversion looks like this:

Balenciaga (FR/EU)Approx. UK SizeApprox. US Size34UK 6US 236UK 8US 438UK 10US 640UK 12US 842UK 14US 1044UK 16US 12

But — and this is the bit most people miss — those conversions assume a standard, fitted garment. Balenciaga's RTW (ready-to-wear) is almost never fitted in a conventional sense. Under creative director Demna, the house has made oversized, deconstructed, and deliberately "wrong" proportions part of its entire design philosophy. A coat, a blazer, a hoodie — all of these are designed to swamp you. That's the point. So how do you size, exactly?

The Golden Rule: Know What You're Buying

Balenciaga's sizing really does depend on the category. There is no single universal rule — and anyone who tells you to "always size down two" hasn't spent enough time with the brand's full range. Here's how I'd break it down:

Outerwear & Tailoring (Coats, Blazers, Jackets)

These are designed to be oversized. The XS will fit a UK 10–12 with room to spare. If you want that intentional, boxy Balenciaga silhouette — the one that looks like you've borrowed your boyfriend's coat, only the coat cost £3,000 — size to your actual measurements or even a touch larger. If you want a more fitted, tailored look, go down one size.

Knitwear & Hoodies

Famously oversized. Their logo hoodies and crew necks in particular run enormous — I'd go down one to two sizes from your usual. If you're a UK 12 and you buy a medium in their knitwear without checking, you will be wearing a dress. Not necessarily a bad thing, but worth being intentional about.

Dresses & Skirts

More varied. Their bodycon and draped styles are closer to true EU sizing, so convert your UK size as normal. Structured shirt dresses and wrap styles tend to have more ease — size down one here.

Trousers & Jeans

Their wide-leg and barrel trousers are cut very generously through the seat and thigh. Stick to your true EU equivalent and check the inseam carefully — Balenciaga cuts long, and if you're under 5'7" you'll likely need to alter the hem.

Shoes & Trainers

Balenciaga trainers — the Triple S, the Track, the Speed — generally run true to size or a half size large. I'd suggest going half a size down if you're in between. Their boots run true to European sizing.

My Balenciaga Sizing Moment (A Cautionary Tale)

A few years ago I bought a Balenciaga logo tee online — the classic boxy one — in what I thought was a sensible size based on the EU conversion. It arrived and honestly looked like a nightshirt. I could have worn it as a dress. It wasn't unwearable — tucked into wide-leg trousers it actually looked brilliant — but it was not what I'd envisioned. Now I always check the actual garment measurements, not just the size label, before buying anything from Balenciaga online. Those centimetre measurements on their product pages are your real friend.

How to Measure Yourself for Balenciaga

Because Balenciaga's sizing is so garment-specific, the most reliable approach is to:

Take your bust, waist, and hip measurements in centimetres — Balenciaga's size guides use metric.
Check the specific product's measurements on the Balenciaga website or at the retailer — they list garment measurements (not body measurements) for most pieces, which is far more useful.
Consider your height — their cuts skew long. If you're petite, trousers and midi skirts will likely need hemming.
If buying trainers, measure your foot length in centimetres and compare to their shoe size chart rather than relying on your usual UK shoe size.

Where to Shop a Similar Aesthetic for Less

Balenciaga's prices are eye-watering — a basic hoodie will set you back upwards of £500, a coat north of £2,000. If you love the oversized, slightly subversive aesthetic but your bank account has opinions, these brands deliver something genuinely close:

High Street & Premium Alternatives

COS — the reigning queen of considered, oversized minimalism on the high street. Their tailoring and outerwear in particular share Balenciaga's architectural sensibility, at a fraction of the cost. Sizing is consistent and detailed on every product page.
Massimo Dutti — brilliant for elevated basics with clean, grown-up proportions. Their coats and blazers are beautifully cut and feel genuinely premium.
All Saints — if you want the edge and the attitude without the designer price tag, All Saints is endlessly reliable. Their leather jackets and oversized knitwear are particular strengths.
Zara — Zara has had multiple Balenciaga-adjacent moments in recent seasons, from oversized bomber jackets to wide-leg tailored trousers. You have to move fast, but the pieces are there.
Whistles — consistently well-cut, understated, and better quality than the price suggests. Their structured coats and minimal shirting hit a similar note to Balenciaga's quieter pieces.
Anthropologie — for the more directional, experimental end of Balenciaga's range, Anthropologie's curated edit of contemporary brands offers some genuinely interesting oversized and deconstructed pieces.
Hugo Boss — for sharp, oversized tailoring with a fashion-forward edge, Boss punches well above its weight. Their blazers and wide-leg trousers are particularly strong.

Two Independent Brands Worth Knowing

Ader Error — a Seoul-based label that has been doing intentionally oversized, logo-heavy, slightly surreal fashion for years. If Balenciaga's aesthetic speaks to you, Ader Error will too — and the prices are far more accessible. Available via SSENSE, Farfetch, and their own site.
Gestuz — a Danish contemporary brand with excellent oversized tailoring, clean colour palettes, and the kind of effortlessly cool, slightly androgynous cuts that Balenciaga built its reputation on. Widely available in the UK via ASOS and Wolf & Badger.

Stop Guessing Your Size — Let Tellar Do It For You

Navigating EU sizing, oversized cuts, and garment-specific measurements is exactly the kind of thing that makes online shopping a gamble. Tellar.co.uk is the UK's leading free sizing tool — built to match your body to over 1,500 brands instantly.

Measure once — enter your bust, waist, hip, or an existing brand size you trust.
Use the Store Size Lookup tool to get your precise size across 1,500+ brands — including Balenciaga, COS, Massimo Dutti, All Saints, and hundreds more.
Always free — no downloads, no sign-up, works instantly in your browser.

And don't miss the Tellar Fashion Hub — a growing library of honest, unsponsored style guides from our stylists. No ads. No brand deals. Just straight-talking fashion advice, always free.

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