What Is Sizing Like at CDLP?

The short answer: take your usual size

Across the board, CDLP runs true to size. Their own product pages say it, the retailers say it, and in my experience it holds up. If you're a medium in most decent menswear, you're a medium here. The brand sizes in the classic S–XXL run, and it maps cleanly to a waist measurement — small sits around a 30-inch waist, medium a 32, large a 34, and so on up. Where it gets interesting is that CDLP cuts things with a bit more intent than your average basics label, so "true to size" doesn't mean "loose and forgiving."

Underwear: the reason most people are here

CDLP made its name on lyocell underwear — that silky, wood-pulp fabric that feels a world away from cheap cotton. The fit varies by style, so don't assume one size fits all their cuts:

Boxer briefs — the hero product. These are genuinely fitted with limited stretch, and the leg sits slightly narrower than a lot of British equivalents. The waistband is snug in the best way. Take your usual size; only size up if you strongly dislike anything close to the thigh.
Boxer shorts — a looser, mid-waist, breezier cut. If you find the briefs a touch trim, these are your friend. Still true to size.
Briefs, trunks and Y-briefs — all true to size and consistent. No nasty surprises.

T-shirts and tops: structured, so don't get clever

Here's the one place I see men go wrong. CDLP tees are structured — the Tencel drapes close to the body and holds its shape. Because of that, the instinct to "size down for a slimmer look" backfires: drop a size and the chest goes snug and the whole thing looks like it shrank in the wash. Order your normal size. If you want it relaxed, you can safely go up one — the fabric carries a looser cut beautifully.

Marcus's fit tipDon't size CDLP off your jeans. Their tops are chest-led and their bottoms are waist-led, so grab a tape and measure both properly. A 32-inch waist with a broad 42-inch chest needs a medium bottom and a large top — and that mismatch is exactly what static size charts get wrong.

Swimwear: tailored and reliable

The swim shorts are cut cleaner and more tailored than most beach-club fare, and they fit true to size, sitting neatly on the waist rather than slipping to the hips. If you're between sizes, I'd stay with the smaller one — they're built to sit trim and look sharp, not to billow.

Loungewear, home shorts and robes: mind the waist

This is the one caveat I'd flag. CDLP's shorts and loungewear can run slightly narrow at the waist. If you're fuller through the middle, or you simply like your off-duty kit relaxed, size up one for the trousers, shorts and robes. The tops in the loungewear range follow the same structured logic as the tees. Socks, for what it's worth, follow standard shoe sizing but have a firm, high-compression rib — comfortable, but they hold on.

How I'd style it

CDLP earns its keep as elevated off-duty. I'll put a client in a plain lyocell tee, tailored swim shorts or their home shorts, and clean white trainers for a summer look that costs nothing to think about but reads expensive. In winter, the loungewear sets are the smartest thing you can answer the door in. The trick with minimal, logo-free pieces like these is to let the fit and fabric do the talking — which is precisely why getting the size right matters more here than with a busy, branded label.

The best brands to buy alongside CDLP

CDLP is brilliant, but no single label should own your whole drawer. Here's who I'd pair it with across three price points — with a note on how each one fits relative to CDLP.

High street

Uniqlo — the AIRism and Supima ranges are astonishing value for everyday basics and underwear. It fits a touch more generously than CDLP's structured tees, so take your true size and enjoy the softer, roomier drape.
Arket — the H&M group's grown-up Scandinavian line, and the closest high-street cousin to CDLP's aesthetic. Loungewear and tees run relaxed and true to size, noticeably less fitted than CDLP through the body.
Marks & Spencer — genuinely underrated for underwear and loungewear, and kind to your wallet. Cuts run roomier and more forgiving than CDLP, so if the boxer briefs felt trim, M&S is the easy, comfortable middle ground.

Independent & boutique

Sunspel — the British heritage house that arguably invented the luxury tee and boxer short. Fit is slim-regular and true to size, with a softer, more fluid drape than CDLP's structured Tencel. A natural step across, not up.
Organic Basics — a Danish sustainable label and CDLP's most direct rival for the conscience-clear underwear drawer. It runs slim with a touch more stretch, so it feels a shade more forgiving than CDLP's limited-stretch briefs.
Asket — Swedish, precise, and built around a "permanent collection" of essentials. True to size with a slightly longer body length, which is a gift if you're tall and CDLP's tees ride up on you.

Designer & luxury

Zimmerli — the Swiss benchmark for luxury underwear, and about as good as fabric gets. It runs slim and true to size, sitting snugger than CDLP, so if you like a barely-there feel, it's the upgrade.
Orlebar Brown — the smart choice if CDLP got you into proper swim shorts. Tailored, true to size, cut like trousers rather than beachwear — a direct and worthy swim comparison.
Derek Rose — British luxury loungewear and nightwear done properly. Fits relaxed and true to size, roomier than CDLP's loungewear, so it's the answer if you found CDLP a little trim at the waist.

Any one of those will sit happily beside your CDLP pieces. The only rule I'd hold you to is this: buy on measurements, not habit. Which brings me neatly to the tool I actually use.

Never guess your size again

Fit anxiety is why most men over-order, keep the wrong one and post the rest back. Tellar is the UK's leading sizing tool — it matches your body to 1,500+ brands instantly, so you can bin the size guides for good. It's completely free, works in your browser, and there's nothing to download.

Measure once — chest, waist and hips, or just tell it a brand size you already know fits.
Use the Store Size Lookup to get your exact size in any brand — CDLP, COS, Reiss, Everlane, Arket and more.
Shop with confidence — no guesswork, fewer returns, better-fitting purchases.
Always free — no sign-up faff, no app, just answers.

For a brand like CDLP, where a structured tee and a waist-led short need different numbers, this is exactly the sort of precision that saves you a wasted order.

Find Your CDLP Size How to Measure

Beyond the sizing tool, there's the Tellar Fashion Hub — a library of free posts written by working stylists like me. Honest, unbiased, independent and always free. Style advice, top picks and the best brands for every occasion, with no sponsored nonsense muddying the recommendations.

Tellar is always honest, always unbiased and always unsponsored. No brand pays for a place in our recommendations — ever.

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