What Is Sizing Like at Emilia Wickstead?

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

Emilia Wickstead sizes small and cuts very fitted — most women will need to go up one full UK size, and if you're fuller through the bust or hips, possibly two. This is a designer who constructs her pieces with serious precision, and the fit rewards those who approach it accordingly. Go in with the right size and you'll look extraordinary. Get it wrong and even the most beautiful dress won't do you justice.

I've had the pleasure of working with Emilia Wickstead pieces on clients several times over the years — two weddings, one incredibly glamorous birthday party, and one client who simply wanted to wear a Wickstead dress to a really good dinner because, frankly, why not? Every single time, the sizing conversation was the same. "But I'm usually a 10." Yes, darling. Order the 12. Trust me on this.

The Emilia Wickstead Fit — What You're Actually Buying Into

Emilia Wickstead is a New Zealand-born, London-based designer who has, over the past decade and a half, become arguably the go-to name for a certain kind of British occasion dressing — the kind that's polished, feminine, architectural, and completely unafraid of a statement colour. The Princess of Wales is a fan. So is seemingly every well-dressed woman attending a garden party anywhere in the British Isles.

The hallmark of her work is structure. These aren't dresses that drape loosely around you — they are precisely engineered to create a silhouette. Think nipped waists, sculpted bodices, flared or A-line skirts, and impeccable tailoring. That structure is exactly why sizing matters so much here. The pieces are built to fit a specific set of measurements, and there's very little stretch or forgiveness in the fabric to accommodate an off-size.

How Emilia Wickstead Sizes — The Specifics

The brand uses standard UK sizing (so no conversion headaches like you'd get with French or Italian labels), but cuts consistently small. Here's what I'd tell any client shopping the range:

Dresses and gowns — size up one as a default. If you're between sizes or carry more through the bust, size up two. The boned and structured bodices have almost no give; get this wrong and you'll spend an evening unable to breathe, which is not the point.
Tailored separates — blazers and trousers — size up one. The silhouette is designed to be close-fitting rather than boxy, and the proportions are cut for a lean, long frame. If you're shorter and curvier, the styling challenge is real — but solvable with the right alterations.
Skirts — her full, A-line and midi skirts are probably the most forgiving pieces in the collection, but still size up one if you carry width through the hip.
Jumpsuits and co-ord sets — size up one, potentially two. Getting the right balance between waist and hip in a one-piece cut this precisely is genuinely tricky. Read the measurements carefully.

The brand provides measurements on their site and I'd strongly encourage using them rather than relying on the size number. If you know your bust, waist, and hip measurements, you'll be able to match to the right size far more reliably than guessing based on what you wear elsewhere.

A Lesson in Getting It Right (and Getting It Very Wrong)

A client of mine — a woman with excellent taste and a tendency to be stubborn about her size — once ordered a Wickstead column gown in what she insisted was her correct size, despite my advice to go up. It arrived, it looked stunning on the hanger, and she could not do up the zip. Not even close. In fairness to her, she handled it brilliantly, called the brand, exchanged it for the size up, and wore it to a charity gala where she looked genuinely sensational. The lesson? Emilia Wickstead's fit, when right, is transformative. The architecture of the construction lifts you, holds you, and makes you look better than almost anything else at that price point. But you have to let the size number go. It's just a number. The fit is everything.

Emilia Wickstead's Size Range

The brand runs from UK 6 to UK 16 in most styles, occasionally extending to an 18 in select pieces. This is fairly typical for a designer at this level, though it's worth noting it's not as inclusive as many modern shoppers would hope. If you're above a UK 16, the ready-to-wear line may not accommodate you — though the brand does offer bespoke and made-to-measure services, which rather sidestep the issue entirely and are, honestly, the ideal way to wear Wickstead if your budget allows.

Caring for Your Investment

Since these are serious financial investments — prices start at several hundred pounds and reach well into the thousands for gowns — a note on care: always dry clean, never machine wash, and store properly with adequate space. Crushing a Wickstead dress into an overfull wardrobe is a crime against both the fabric and your bank account.

Where to Shop If You Love the Aesthetic — My Recommendations by Budget

Not everyone is shopping at Wickstead's price point every season (very few of us are), but the aesthetic — elegant, structured, feminine occasion dressing with real craft behind it — is absolutely achievable at other budgets. Here's where I'd look:

High Street

Phase Eight — the high street brand that comes closest to Wickstead's occasion-wear territory. Their structured dresses and evening separates are genuinely well-made for the price, and they do beautiful full-skirt silhouettes. Reliable, consistent sizing and a strong range for weddings and formal events.
Hobbs — superb for polished, grown-up dressing with a British sensibility. Their tailoring in particular is excellent value. True to size and well-finished.
Coast — a go-to for occasion dressing, with strong embellished and structured pieces. Very affordable entry point for the Wickstead look. Can run slightly small so size up if between sizes.
LK Bennett — the brand Kate Middleton wore before she could wear Emilia Wickstead, which tells you everything. Impeccably made for the high street, excellent for court shoes and dresses together. Sizes true to UK standard.
Ted Baker — gorgeous for the floral, feminine, occasion-ready pieces that overlap with Wickstead's aesthetic. Runs small — size up one, just as you would with Wickstead itself.
Reiss — brilliant for understated, architectural occasion dressing at a mid-range price. Their structured blazers and column dresses in particular are genuinely impressive quality. True to size.
Monsoon — wildly underrated for occasion dressing. Their embroidered and embellished pieces punch well above their price point, and their sizing is more generous than most — a relief after Wickstead.

Premium

Self-Portrait — the premium sweet spot for Wickstead-adjacent dressing. Beautifully made lace, guipure, and structured occasion pieces at a fraction of the designer price. Sizes small, so go up one.
Saloni — London-based designer beloved by the same women who love Wickstead. Beautiful prints, feminine silhouettes, exceptional quality. Sizes close to standard UK but check measurements.
Whistles — for quieter, more understated occasion dressing. Their silk and crepe pieces are excellent quality and they size more generously than most in this territory.

Luxury / Designer

Roland Mouret — the other great British architect of women's occasion dressing. Known for sculptural, body-conscious silhouettes with extraordinary construction. Also sizes small.
Jenny Packham — if Emilia Wickstead is for garden parties and state occasions, Jenny Packham is for black tie. Extraordinary embellishment, gown-level glamour, and a similar size-up rule applies.
Victoria Beckham — VB's design aesthetic overlaps with Wickstead in its precision and minimalist femininity, though with a sharper, more urban edge. The quality is exceptional and the pieces age beautifully.

Two Independent Picks Worth Knowing

Beulah London — a truly special independent British brand with a royal following of its own (the Duchess of Edinburgh is a fan). Their silk occasion pieces are breath-taking, ethically made, and cut beautifully for real women. Sizes true to UK standard — a lovely change of pace from the size-up conversation.
Needle & Thread — if you love Wickstead's romantic, feminine spirit but want something with a little more whimsy and a significantly smaller price tag, Needle & Thread is your answer. Their embellished, tulle-layered dresses are genuinely magical and have an almost cult following among stylists. Size up one.

Know Your Exact Size Before You Invest in Emilia Wickstead

At these price points, getting the size wrong isn't an option. Tellar is the UK's leading free sizing tool — match your measurements to 1,500+ brands instantly, so you can order with complete confidence.

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