What Is Sizing Like at Club L London?

By Ella Blake – Senior Fashion Stylist & Founder | Tellar – Always honest, unbiased, & unsponsored post

Club L London generally runs true to size in standard UK sizing across its stretchy jersey and satin styles – but its bodycon, corset and structured pieces run noticeably snug, particularly through the waist and bust, so if you’re between sizes or eyeing anything boned, ruched or “sculpting”, size up. That one sentence will save you a lot of grief, because Club L is a brand built almost entirely around dresses designed to cling, and clingy is wonderful right up until the zip won’t do up over your ribs in a hotel bathroom twenty minutes before a wedding. (More on that later.)

So, does Club L London run small?

Yes and no – and the “no” is the bit most reviews skip over. The brand itself reports its pieces as true to size, and for a huge chunk of the range that holds up nicely. Where it gets caught out is the very thing it’s famous for: figure-hugging, red-carpet silhouettes in heavyweight stretch fabric. Those are cut close on purpose, so a dress can be technically “true to size” and still feel a full size tighter than your usual high-street midi. The trick is to stop thinking about the number on the label and start thinking about the style in front of you.

How it fits, style by style

Bodycon & bandage dresses: The most fitted things they make. The thick stretch jersey holds you in beautifully, but it’s unforgiving around the tummy and hips. If you carry a little more there, or you want to sit down and eat dinner, size up.
Corset & structured bodices: These run the smallest of the lot. The boning gives a gorgeous nipped waist when it fits – and a genuinely painful evening when it doesn’t. If you’re between sizes here, always go up.
Satin slip & draped maxi dresses: The most forgiving cut in the range. The bias-cut drape skims rather than grips, so most people are happily true to size. Just mind the bust, as the cups can sit small.
Soft stretch jersey: Genuinely true to size and the safest first order if you’re new to the brand. It moulds to you without strangling you.
Tall & Curve ranges: A real strength. The Tall line is properly proportioned for 5’9” and over (not just lengthened a token inch), and the Curve pieces are cut with the same sculpting fabrics rather than treated as an afterthought.

A fashion fail (and the win that followed)

Let me be the cautionary tale so you don’t have to be. I once ordered my “usual” size in a Club L corset midi for a friend’s evening do, completely ignored the snug-bodice rule I now preach, and spent the pre-drinks doing that breathe-in-and-pray manoeuvre we’ve all attempted. It did not zip. The win? The following month I sized up into a draped satin column for a black-tie dinner, and it was the single most photographed dress I’ve owned – people genuinely asked if it was designer. Same brand, two completely different outcomes, decided entirely by reading the cut before I clicked “buy”.

My honest styling advice

Buy to your measurements, not your habit. Get a tape measure on your bust, waist and hips and check them against the dress – Club L lists all three per size, so use them.
Size up for anything boned or bandage; stay true for slip and jersey.
Order two sizes if you’re unsure. Returns can take a gentle chase, but it beats a dress that doesn’t fit on the night.
Mind the length. Many maxis are cut for heels – factor that in before hemming.

Where else to shop for the same look

If Club L isn’t quite landing for you, here’s where I’d send clients chasing that same glamorous, occasion-ready energy.

High street

River Island – brilliant for on-trend going-out dresses with a bit of edge, and the fit tends to be generous through the hips.
Oasis – lovely embellished and satin occasion pieces; a reliable true-to-size cut.
Warehouse – sharp, modern party dressing with a flattering, slightly structured fit.
Coast – the high-street go-to for weddings and black-tie; bodices run fitted, so size up.
Phase Eight – elegant occasionwear with kinder, more relaxed proportions.
Mango – trend-led party dresses at a great price; sizing can run a touch small.
Reiss – polished, tailored event dressing when you want something more grown-up than full bodycon.
Monsoon – pretty embellished and draped styles, especially strong for mother-of-the-bride and dressier occasions.

Premium

Self-Portrait – the modern occasion label everyone knows for its lace and crepe; runs true to size with structured, supportive bodices.
Karen Millen – grown-up bodycon and tailoring with a sculpting, snug fit – very much the same lane as Club L, levelled up.

Luxury & designer

Hervé Léger – the original bandage dress; the gold standard for sculpting stretch (and runs extremely snug, so always size up).
Roland Mouret – the famous “Galaxy” dress and architectural tailoring that flatters every shape.

Two independents worth knowing

Solace London – a brilliant British label doing sculptural, asymmetric occasion dresses with a genuinely editorial eye. Fewer people know it, and that’s rather the point.
Bariano – an Australian event-wear brand specialising in sequins, draping and bridesmaid-friendly glamour; lesser-spotted in the UK and beautifully made for the money.

Never guess your Club L size again

Club L London is all about drama, shape and a fit that actually works for you – so stop rolling the dice on size charts. Tellar is the UK’s leading sizing tool: measure once using your bust, waist, hip or an existing brand size, and your body is instantly matched to over 1,500 brands. Never look at a size guide again.

Measure once – using bust, waist, hip, or your existing brand size.
Use the Store Size Lookup tool to get your precise size in any brand – COS, Reiss, Everlane, Arket & more.
Always free, no downloads needed – works in-browser.

→ tellar.co.uk→ Store Size Lookup tool

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