What Is Sizing Like at Escada?

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

Escada runs large — and the brand itself will tell you so. Their own size guide states quite plainly that customers should "choose one size smaller" due to a generous sizing policy. In practice, that means if you're a UK 12, you'll almost certainly be an EU 38 in Escada rather than a 40. Get this wrong and even the most beautifully cut jacket in the world will look like you've borrowed it from someone else's wardrobe. So: size down, always check the conversion table, and resist the temptation to assume your usual EU size will translate.

I've styled clients in Escada for everything from corporate board meetings to black-tie dinners, and the question I get asked most — every single time — is "but why does the size 40 swamp me when I'm normally a 40?" The answer is always the same. Escada's generosity is a deliberate part of the brand's heritage: these are precision-tailored pieces designed to skim the body rather than cling to it, cut with enough room to move gracefully in the kind of occasion wear that actually has to last an evening.

Understanding Escada's EU Sizing

Escada doesn't use UK sizes — they work in European sizing, which already causes confusion before you even factor in their generous cut. Here's the baseline conversion, though bear in mind that because Escada runs large, most women will want to take one step down from what this chart suggests:

ESCADA EU SIZESTANDARD UK EQUIVALENTESCADA RECOMMENDED UK34UK 6UK 836UK 8UK 1038UK 10UK 1240UK 12UK 1442UK 14UK 1644UK 16UK 18

So if you're a UK 12, your starting point should be an Escada EU 38, not a 40. That said, individual pieces vary — which is why measuring rather than just converting is always the smarter move.

Who Is Escada?

If you're not already familiar with Escada, a quick bit of history — because the brand's DNA genuinely informs how the clothes are made and how they fit. Escada was founded in Munich in 1978 by Margaretha and Wolfgang Ley. Margaretha had trained as a seamstress at the Royal Court in Stockholm and had modelled for Jacques Fath and Christian Dior, which tells you everything about her eye for quality and cut. The brand became famous in the 1980s and 90s for bold colour combinations, exuberant embroidery, and impeccably structured tailoring — Princess Diana was a customer, Kim Basinger accepted her Oscar in an Escada gown in 1998, and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden remains a loyal devotee today.

The modern Escada still carries all of that heritage. It sits at the top end of the luxury market — think Farfetch, Net-a-Porter, Selfridges — with prices for jackets running from around £600 to well over £1,500. These are investment pieces, not impulse buys, which makes getting the sizing right before you purchase absolutely non-negotiable.

How Sizing Varies Across the Escada Range

The general "size down" rule applies across the collection, but there are some useful nuances depending on what you're buying:

Blazers & tailored jackets: This is Escada's signature category and the sizing is consistently generous. Size down one. The shoulder and chest have ample room, and sizing down gives the clean, polished line these jackets are famous for. Going true to your usual EU size will result in something that feels oversized rather than structured.
Dresses — shift & occasion styles: Run large in the body, particularly through the bust and waist. Size down. The structured shift styles are especially prone to looking boxy if you don't go smaller.
Dresses — wrap & relaxed styles: A little more forgiving. If you're between sizes, you might manage with your usual size — but sizing down still tends to give a more flattering result.
Trousers & skirts: Generous through the waist but can run more fitted through the hip relative to the waist. If you have a more pronounced hip-to-waist ratio, check your hip measurement against the size chart specifically — don't just go by waist alone.
Knitwear & soft separates: More relaxed in construction and closer to true-to-size, though still on the generous side. Here, going by your actual measurements rather than instinct is the safest approach.
Escada Sport: The diffusion line runs slightly more true to size than the mainline and generally has a more relaxed, casual fit throughout. Less need to size down here, though the EU sizing still applies.

Why Sizing Down Can Feel Counterintuitive

Here's the thing — most of us have been conditioned by years of high street shopping to assume that sizing up is the "safe" move when we're unsure. With Escada, the opposite is true, and it takes a moment to retrain your instinct. I've seen this trip up experienced shoppers repeatedly. A client of mine — a seasoned vintage Escada collector who knows the brand inside out — still second-guessed herself when trying a new season blazer and nearly went up a size "just to be safe." It would have been a disaster. The magic of Escada tailoring is entirely in the fit of a correctly sized garment; add a size and it collapses into shapelessness.

Trust the size guide, take your measurements, and size down. Every time.

Great Alternatives If Escada Is Out of Budget Right Now

Escada is a genuine luxury investment, and there are brilliant options at every price point that share its love of smart tailoring, bold occasion dressing, and structured femininity:

🛍 HIGH STREET & ACCESSIBLE

Hobbs – The UK high street's most consistently reliable option for smart tailoring. Their blazers and shift dresses have a similar ethos to Escada's more understated pieces, at a fraction of the price. Sizing is true to UK size and very consistent.
Phase Eight – Brilliant for occasion wear — particularly their embellished and embroidered dresses that echo Escada's love of detail and colour. Well priced, inclusive sizing, and widely available.
LK Bennett – The go-to for polished, occasion-ready dressing on the British high street. Their structured shift dresses and court shoes are a staple for anyone who shops Escada. Sizes run true.
Jigsaw – A more restrained, minimalist take on the smart-casual wardrobe. Excellent quality for the price, with strong tailoring across their blazers and trousers. Sizes true to UK.
Ted Baker – For the more print-forward, glamorous side of what Escada does. Great for occasion dresses and embellished separates. Runs slightly small, so worth checking measurements.

✨ PREMIUM

Massimo Dutti – Quietly one of the best premium high street brands for tailored separates and occasion pieces. The quality-to-price ratio is exceptional, and the European cut gives it a refinement that rivals some designer labels. Runs true to EU size.
Hugo Boss – Particularly strong for sharp suiting and structured blazers. Their women's tailoring range shares Escada's love of clean lines and precise construction. Tends to run slim, so check measurements carefully.

💎 LUXURY & DESIGNER

Gant – For the sportier, Escada Sport-adjacent side of things. Premium quality, classic European sensibility, and a very well-executed smart-casual range that sits just below full luxury pricing.

For something genuinely left-field, I'd point you towards two independent brands worth knowing: Goat Fashion, the British luxury label beloved by the late Queen Elizabeth and Kate Middleton for exactly the kind of occasion tailoring that Escada does so well — impeccable structured dresses and jackets made in Britain, with a slightly more restrained palette. And Emilia Wickstead, the New Zealand-born, London-based designer whose bold colour-blocked dresses and precise tailoring make her one of the most Escada-spirited designers working today. Both are significantly more niche than Escada but equally considered about cut and quality — and neither will have the same sizing challenge.

My Honest Stylist Verdict

Escada rewards those who take the time to shop it properly. It is emphatically not a brand you can shop on a whim at 11pm based on your usual dress size. But for a client who wants something that looks genuinely expensive, holds its structure all evening, and comes in the kind of jewel-bright colours that most designers are too timid to touch? It's hard to beat. The key is simply this: size down, measure yourself properly, and know your hip and bust measurements before you buy anything tailored. Do that, and Escada delivers every single time.

Get Your Exact Escada Size — Free, in Seconds

At these prices, getting your size wrong isn't just frustrating — it's expensive. Tellar.co.uk is the UK's leading free sizing tool, and it's built exactly for situations like this: luxury European brands with non-UK sizing conventions and their own fit quirks.

Here's how it works:

Measure once — your bust, waist, and hip are all you need
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Your Tellar profile also works across the rest of your wardrobe — from Hobbs and LK Bennett to Max Mara and Roland Mouret. One set of measurements, your correct size everywhere.

And while you're there, the Tellar Fashion Hub has hundreds of free, unsponsored style guides written by real stylists — no brand bias, no advertiser agenda, just genuinely useful fashion advice.

Find Your Escada Size Now →