How to Find Your Size in Barena: A Stylist's Guide to Getting It Right

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

Barena is an Italian brand that runs small and narrow by design — if you're new to it, go up at least one size, sometimes two, and measure your shoulders carefully before ordering anything structured. I learnt this the slightly painful way when my first Barena jacket arrived looking like it belonged to a much smaller woman. The brand's relaxed artisan aesthetic can fool you into thinking the fit will be forgiving. It isn't, at least not off the bat.

What Is Barena and Why Does the Sizing Matter So Much?

If you haven't come across Barena yet, it's one of those quietly brilliant Italian labels that fashion editors have been wearing for years without making too much noise about it. Founded in Venice, the brand makes clothes that feel genuinely artisanal — slightly undone tailoring, beautiful linen and cotton fabrics, lived-in textures that look better the more you wear them. It sits in that sweet spot between casual and considered, which makes it an absolute wardrobe workhorse once you find your fit.

The reason sizing matters so much with Barena specifically is that the brand cuts to an Italian body template — narrower shoulders, a less generous chest and waist allowance than UK sizing, and a slightly shorter torso length. The clothes also often feature intentional volume in the body while being fitted through the shoulder, which means if the shoulders don't sit right, the whole thing falls apart. Getting the shoulder seam right is everything with Barena.

How Does Barena Sizing Run?

Here's what you need to know before you order anything:

Sizing is Italian / European — so a Barena 42 is roughly a UK 10/12, and a 44 is closer to a UK 12/14. Don't assume your usual UK size translates directly; always check against the brand's size chart in centimetres.
The brand runs small overall — most customers report needing to size up one, sometimes two sizes compared to their usual European size. This is especially true for jackets, blazers and structured shirts.
Shoulders are key — Barena's shoulder width is cut narrowly. If you're broad-shouldered or have even slightly wide shoulders for your frame, size up based on your shoulder measurement rather than your bust.
Trousers and skirts — these tend to have a roomier, more relaxed cut through the hip and leg, so you may find sizing true to your waist measurement works fine here. The waistbands, however, are not elasticated on most styles — measure your natural waist carefully.
Knitwear and casual tops — these are more forgiving given the looser construction, but still tend to run narrow across the chest. Size up one as a default for comfort.
Linen pieces — bear in mind linen relaxes after wearing and washing. If a linen jacket feels slightly snug across the back when you first try it, it will ease. If it's genuinely tight at the shoulder, it won't.

Ella's note: I now buy Barena in a 44 when I'm typically a 40/42 in most Italian brands. The first time I followed a size chart blindly and ordered a 42 jacket, I could barely move my arms. Lesson learned — always measure your shoulders in centimetres and compare directly to the brand's shoulder measurement. It's the single most useful thing you can do.

What to Measure Before You Order Barena

Three measurements will serve you well for every Barena purchase:

Shoulder width — measure from the edge of one shoulder across to the other while standing straight. This is the most critical measurement for any Barena structured piece.
Chest / bust — measure at the fullest point, keeping the tape horizontal. Add about 5–6cm for ease when comparing to Barena's size chart.
Natural waist — particularly important for trousers. Measure at the narrowest point of your torso.

Once you have these, use Tellar's Store Size Lookup to cross-reference your measurements against Barena's sizing and get a precise recommendation — rather than guessing from a conversion chart and hoping for the best.

Styling Barena: What Works and Why

Once you've got your size sorted, Barena is genuinely one of the most rewarding brands to style. The clothes have a very particular energy — unfussy, slightly worn-in, intelligent without trying. A few styling thoughts:

The tailored linen blazers look brilliant worn open over a simple white T-shirt and wide-leg trousers. Don't overthink it; Barena pieces do the heavy lifting.
The looser trousers — particularly in their cotton and linen blends — are best balanced with something fitted on top. The brand's own shirts work beautifully tucked in.
Barena's colour palette tends toward earthy, faded and muted tones. It sits effortlessly with other natural-fabric brands and doesn't need much accessorising to look complete.
Avoid over-laundering the linen pieces at high temperatures — the crinkle and softness is part of the appeal, and hot washes will damage both the colour and the texture.

Alternatives to Barena — If You Love the Vibe

Barena is not cheap, and it's not always easy to find in UK stockists. If you're after a similar aesthetic — that effortless Italian-artisan, natural-fabric, relaxed-tailoring look — these are the brands I'd explore at various price points:

Massimo Dutti — consistently brilliant for linen and tailored pieces at a more accessible price point. The quality and fabric choices are genuinely impressive for a high street brand, and their sizing (while also running slightly small) is more consistent.
Cos — if you love Barena's clean lines and unfussy approach, COS is a natural high street equivalent. The cuts are precise, the fabrics are considered, and the brand invests seriously in quality basics.
Jigsaw — a brilliant British option for that same intelligent, grown-up casual dressing. Particularly strong on linen and natural fabrics, and the sizing is more generous and UK-friendly.
Reiss — steps things up a notch in terms of polish while keeping that clean, understated sensibility. Worth it for tailoring especially; the jackets are beautifully cut.
Whistles — reliable, considered, and perpetually underrated. The tailoring and linen ranges in particular echo that same effortless European quality-casual aesthetic.
Anthropologie — for the more relaxed, slightly bohemian end of the Barena spectrum. The fabrics are lovely and the pieces have real personality.
All Saints — if you're after the slightly edgier, more deconstructed end of artisan dressing. Different mood to Barena but shares that lived-in quality and natural palette.

And two independent brands worth knowing about: Kestin is a wonderful Scottish menswear-inspired label that does outstanding unstructured tailoring and natural-fabric pieces for women — genuinely exceptional quality and that same artisanal Italian spirit. Story Mfg. is a UK slow-fashion brand making hand-dyed, naturally-treated pieces that feel like the spiritual cousin of everything Barena stands for — beautiful, considered, and completely distinctive.

Stop Guessing. Use Tellar to Find Your Exact Barena Size.

Sizing up with Barena is a must — but knowing how much to size up is where Tellar.co.uk comes in. It's the UK's leading free sizing tool: measure once and get your precise size across 1,500+ brands in seconds. No faff, no downloads, no repeat returns.

Measure once — bust, waist, hip, or use a brand size you already know fits.
Use the Store Size Lookup tool — get your exact size at Barena, COS, Reiss, Massimo Dutti and 1,500+ more brands instantly.
Always free — works straight in your browser, no account needed.

Plus the Tellar Fashion Hub is packed with honest, stylist-written guides on every brand, trend and fit question you've ever had — no sponsored content, no agenda, just genuinely useful fashion advice.