Ulyana Sergeenko Sizing: Does It Run True to Size?

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

Ulyana Sergeenko runs small and structured — the brand uses French sizing (FR) and its demi-couture construction means very little stretch and an unforgiving fit, especially through the waist. If you are considering a corset dress or anything with internal boning, size up. There is genuinely zero give in those pieces.

I'll be honest — the first time I handled a Ulyana Sergeenko dress at a press day, I was a bit intimidated. The construction is extraordinary, the kind of thing that makes you want to peer inside the seams to see how it's actually done. But that architectural beauty comes with a caveat: this is not a brand where you can wing it with sizing. Get it wrong and you'll know about it.

About the Brand

The Moscow-born designer Ulyana Sergeenko launched her label in 2011 and quickly earned a coveted guest spot at Paris Haute Couture Week. Think of the house as a modern fairytale fed through a very specific Russian aristocratic lens — sculptural corset dresses, Vologda lacework, dramatic silhouettes and an almost obsessive attention to handcraft. The signature "Russian Doll" silhouette is instantly recognisable: nipped waists, full skirts, exquisite embroidery and print work. These are collector's pieces.

The ready-to-wear line is classed as "Demi-Couture" — it uses the same atelier methods as Haute Couture but is produced in small, commercially available runs. Available via Farfetch, Net-a-Porter and directly through ulyanasergeenko.com.

Ulyana Sergeenko Size Guide – FR to UK Conversion

The brand uses French sizing throughout, which is two sizes up from UK sizing. A French FR36 is a UK8; FR38 is UK10, and so on. Use the table below as your starting point, but read the garment-type advice that follows — because how you apply this conversion depends entirely on what you are buying.

French Size (FR)UK SizeUS SizeEU SizeBust (cm)Waist (cm)Hips (cm)FR 34UK 6US 234806187FR 36UK 8US 436846591FR 38UK 10US 638886995FR 40UK 12US 840927399FR 42UK 14US 10429677103FR 44UK 16US 124410081107

Key tip: Always measure your natural waist before purchasing Ulyana Sergeenko, not just your hip or bust. The waist is where the fit will be most tested.

Sizing by Garment Type

Corset Dresses & Boned Pieces

This is the heart of the Ulyana Sergeenko offer and also the trickiest category to size for. The boning is rigid and precise, and the waistline is engineered to be extremely fitted — we're talking couture-level precision. If you are between two FR sizes, size up. Do not hope for the best. The internal boning has no give whatsoever, and being half a size too small in a boned corset is deeply uncomfortable and visually obvious.

Measure your natural waist (the narrowest point of your torso) and use that as your primary sizing reference
If your waist measurement sits between two sizes, always go to the larger FR size
The bust in corset dresses often has some built-in structure, so it can accommodate a slightly larger cup size than the number suggests

Dresses & Skirts (Non-Boned)

The printed and floaty midi and maxi dresses — silks, georgettes, chiffons — follow French sizing closely. These tend to be more accommodating than the corset pieces, but they are still cut with a precise, close-to-body silhouette. I'd still say to go true to your FR measurement rather than rounding down. The brand's aesthetic does not lend itself to the "floaty and forgiving" end of the dress spectrum — even the less structured pieces have a deliberate shape.

Go true to your standard FR conversion from the table above
Note that skirts are often high-waisted and fitted across the hip — measure both waist and hip and size to whichever is larger
Printed silk blouses and tops run slim across the shoulder — petite frames will find them particularly well-suited

Blouses & Tops

Ulyana Sergeenko tops and blouses are cut with narrow, delicate shoulders and a close-fitting torso. If you have broader shoulders or a larger bust relative to your waist, go up a size. Many of the tops are cropped and intended to be worn with the brand's own high-waisted skirts — something to bear in mind if you're mixing with pieces from other brands.

Knitwear

The brand does produce some beautifully crafted knitwear — hand-knitted accessories and occasional sweater pieces. These tend to have slightly more give than the woven garments. Go true to size here, but check the fibre content — some pieces use wool and silk blends that will have a degree of natural stretch, while others are more rigid.

Who Does Ulyana Sergeenko Suit Best?

I think about this brand a lot when clients ask me for "something unforgettable." Ulyana Sergeenko is genuinely best suited to women who:

Love a defined, nipped-in waist and a structured silhouette
Have a naturally narrower waist relative to hip and bust (the house's proportions assume this)
Are willing to invest in one extraordinary, show-stopping piece rather than a full wardrobe
Appreciate handcraft, embroidery and the weight of heritage techniques in their clothes

If you carry more of your weight around the waist or have a fuller middle section, the corset pieces will be very challenging to fit — you'd be better served by the printed silk dresses and skirts, which are more adaptable. And if you are petite — under 5'4" — this brand was practically made for you. The proportions, the tiny nipped waists, the full midi skirts: they work beautifully on a smaller frame.

A Note on Buying Ulyana Sergeenko Second-Hand

Given the price points — we're talking thousands for ready-to-wear pieces — the resale market (The RealReal, Vestiaire Collective, Poshmark) is worth exploring. Most resale listings will include both FR size and US size. Use my table above to convert to UK. One important thing: always ask the seller or check for a garment measurement in the listing, particularly the waist circumference. Second-hand corset pieces especially can have been altered, taken in or let out — so the label size alone isn't always reliable.

Alternatives to Ulyana Sergeenko: Similar Aesthetic, Different Budget

Not everyone is ready to spend £2,000+ on a midi dress — and honestly, that's completely fine. There are brilliant alternatives that capture a similar spirit across price points.

High Street & Accessible:

Coast — One of the best high street options for structured, occasion dresses with defined waists and beautiful fabrics. A go-to for that "proper dress" feeling without the couture price tag.
Phase Eight — Consistently brilliant for women who want a polished, feminine silhouette. Their midi dresses in particular often echo the proportions Ulyana Sergeenko does so well.
Reiss — More architectural and modern than Coast, but excellent for clean, sculptural dresses that feel elevated. Great for women who want the structure without the maximalist prints.
Ted Baker — Their signature floral midi dresses and fitted bodice styles often tap into a similar romantic, feminine vocabulary. Better quality than most high street, and the fit is generally flattering.
LK Bennett — The obvious pick for anyone who wants real occasion dressing credentials on the high street. Their structured silk-like dresses are consistently well-made and well-proportioned.
Hobbs — Underrated for occasion wear. Their dresses have a classic elegance and a well-cut waist that echoes the Sergeenko sensibility without trying too hard.
Anthropologie — For the printed, floaty, romantic end of the Ulyana Sergeenko offer, Anthropologie has genuine charm. Their midi dresses with detailed prints and ruffle or tie details are surprisingly good value.

Premium:

Self-Portrait — Probably the closest in terms of aesthetic mood on the premium market. Structured bodices, lace details, feminine midi lengths. Much more accessible pricing, genuinely beautiful pieces.
Needle & Thread — For the embellished, dreamy end of the Ulyana Sergeenko world. Their embroidered and sequinned midi dresses have a fairytale quality that genuinely holds up in person.
Saloni — A London-based brand doing refined, print-driven dresses with excellent cut and a grown-up, occasion-ready quality. One of my personal recommendations in this space.

Luxury / Designer:

Dolce & Gabbana — For the corset-and-structure enthusiast, D&G is the obvious comparable at the top of the market. Their fitted bodice dresses share Ulyana Sergeenko's love of handcraft and a very defined feminine silhouette.
Vivienne Westwood — For a British take on corseted dressing with real heritage credentials. The cut and construction are exceptional and similarly unforgiving — measure first!

Independent & Niche Picks:

Emilia Wickstead — A London-based New Zealand designer who creates some of the most exquisitely tailored occasion dresses in the UK. Famously favoured by royals, utterly underrated by everyone else. The fit precision is comparable to Ulyana Sergeenko.
Beulah London — A beautifully conceived British brand with a strong ethical mission and a flair for romantic, occasion-ready dresses in gorgeous silks and prints. Brilliant for women who want something genuinely special and a little different.

Never Guess Your Size Again — Use Tellar

Sizing across luxury and designer brands is genuinely complicated — French sizing, demi-couture cuts, boning and structure that demand precise measurements. That's exactly the problem Tellar.co.uk was built to solve.

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Use the Store Size Lookup tool to find your exact size across brands like Reiss, COS, Self-Portrait, Saloni and hundreds more.

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