What Is Sizing Like at Albaray?

Albaray generally runs true to size, but with a slightly generous cut through the bust and waist and relaxed silhouettes that sit looser than you might expect — so if you like a neat, tailored finish, you’ll often want to size down. After dressing clients in this brand for a few seasons now, that’s the single most useful sentence I can give you. It’s the kind of label where ordering your “usual” can leave you with something lovely but a touch too roomy, especially across the shoulders and waistband.

The honest fit verdict

Albaray was founded in 2020 by three women with decades in the fashion industry, and you can feel that experience in the cut — these are grown-up, considered clothes made largely from natural fabrics like organic cotton and viscose. Here’s how the fit breaks down across the range:

Dresses and tops: Cut on the relaxed, generous side. True to size if you genuinely want that easy drape; size down if you prefer waist definition or a sharper line.
Trousers: The standout category for me. Well-structured, beautifully cut workwear trousers with strong waistbands. Take your usual size and trust them.
Denim: The trickiest piece to call. The relaxed straight-leg styles run roughly true, but plenty of customers find the jeans come up small — I’ve seen women go up a size, occasionally two, from their usual Levi’s.
Knitwear and jackets: Structured and well-judged, but the relaxed shapes mean trying your normal size first is wise.

A few things I’ve learnt the hard way

Early on I ordered an Albaray shirred-waist dress in my standard 12 for a client lookbook, convinced the shirring would hold the shape. It swam on her — gorgeous fabric, completely wrong proportion. Lesson learnt: with Albaray, the relaxed cut is a feature, not a fluke, so I now style their pieces with a belt or a half-tuck to bring the waist back in.

The other thing worth flagging: if you’re tall, watch the sleeve and hem lengths. Several pieces run slightly short or cropped on anyone over about 5’8”, so a wrist-length sleeve on the model can land mid-forearm on you. Not a dealbreaker — just check the measurements before you commit, and lean into the cropped trouser as a deliberate styling choice rather than fighting it.

If Albaray works for you, you’ll love these too

Albaray sits in that lovely sweet spot — sustainable, smart-casual, natural fabrics, a bit of print. If that’s your world, here’s where else I’d send you, split by budget.

High street

Seasalt Cornwall — coastal-inspired prints and proper natural-fabric staples; runs true to size with a comfortable, relaxed cut very close to Albaray’s.
Fat Face — easy, casual everyday pieces in soft cottons and jersey; generously cut, so a reliable shout if you like Albaray’s roominess.
White Stuff — quirky prints and characterful basics; sizing is consistent and forgiving.
Boden — the print-and-colour queen of the high street, brilliant for dresses; tends to run a touch generous, so size down if between.
Joules — country-leaning prints and relaxed shapes that overlap neatly with Albaray’s mood.
Phase Eight — my go-to for occasion and tailored dresses; cut is neater and more defined than Albaray, so a good contrast piece.
Monsoon — feminine, embellished and printed pieces; generally true to size with a flattering, gentle shape.

Premium

Me&Em — elevated, beautifully proportioned, and genuinely tall-friendly with longer lengths — the answer if Albaray’s sleeves come up short on you.
Mint Velvet — relaxed luxe with a slightly more polished, drapey finish; sits a half-step up from Albaray in both price and refinement.

Luxury / designer

Max Mara — the gold standard for relaxed, fluid tailoring and coats; structured, true to size and built to last decades, for when you’re investing.

Two off-the-radar independents worth knowing

Beaumont Organic — a Manchester-based, GOTS-certified label doing soft organic-cotton staples with the same quiet, sustainable ethos as Albaray; relaxed but cleaner-lined.
Lowie — a small London independent making playful, ethically-produced knits and separates; lovely if you want Albaray’s values with a bit more colour and personality.

How to nail your Albaray size first time

Because Albaray’s cut shifts between relaxed dresses and small-running denim, guessing really isn’t worth the returns hassle — especially as their customer service can be slow if an exchange goes wrong. This is exactly the gap Tellar fills.

Stop guessing. Start with Tellar.

Tellar is the UK’s leading sizing tool — your body matched exactly to 1,500+ brands instantly, so you never look at a size guide again. Plus a Fashion Hub library of free posts covering every fashion query: always honest, always unbiased, always free.

Measure once, using bust, waist, hip, or your existing brand size.
Use the Store Size Lookup to get your precise size in any brand — COS, Reiss, Everlane, Arket & more.
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And once you’ve sorted your fit, the Tellar Fashion Hub is there for everything else — a library stacked with free posts from our top stylists. Honest. Unbiased. Independent. Always free. Style advice, top picks and best brands, with no adverts and no sponsored posts.