What Is Sizing Like at Escada Clothing?

Escada runs largely true to size, but with a precise, tailored cut — the brand uses German and European numerical sizing (34, 36, 38, 40 and up), and the fit leans structured rather than roomy. So if years of UK high street vanity sizing have lulled you into a comfortable false sense of security, Escada will feel refreshingly honest, and a touch sharper through the waist and hips. There’s no padding of the numbers here, which I rather love.

I’ll be straight with you: the first piece of Escada I ever bought was a fuchsia blazer from a vintage rail in Munich, and I confidently grabbed my “usual” size. It fit beautifully across the shoulders and would not button across the bust. A glorious, expensive lesson. Let me save you that particular blush.

Understanding the Escada Sizing System

Escada is a German luxury house founded in 1978, and it has never followed the inflate-the-label game that creeps across the high street. The grading is consistent and the cut is deliberate — built around a tailored, feminine silhouette with a defined waist. That precision is exactly why it feels so polished on, and also why guessing your size is a gamble.

The numbers are European, not UK. A label reading 38 is not your UK 38 — it sits closer to a UK 12. Don’t let the figure spook you.
The cut is engineered around the waist. Pieces nip in where a tailor would expect, so your true measurements matter more than your habitual size.
Confusingly, Escada’s own guidance leans generous. The brand suggests considering a size down on certain styles, particularly relaxed knitwear and casualwear — more on that below.

How It Fits, Piece by Piece

The fit isn’t uniform across the collection, so here’s my honest breakdown after years of pulling Escada for clients and for myself:

Blazers and jackets — structured but genuinely wearable, with flattering shoulders. Check the bust and upper arm before anything else; this is where most people get caught out.
Tailored trousers and skirts — the snuggest category. Compared with vanity-sized UK brands they can feel close through the waist and hip, so if you’re between sizes here, take the larger.
Dresses — broadly true to size, occasionally a little slim at the hip. Beautifully structured at the bust on occasion styles.
Knitwear and casualwear — the most forgiving, with a slightly generous, stretchier cut. This is the one place I’d actually consider sizing down.

My Honest Styling Advice

Escada is power dressing in its purest, most joyful form — bold colour, confident tailoring, the odd leopard or graphic print done with real wit. My golden rule is to let one Escada piece be the loudest thing in the room and keep everything else quiet. A jewel-toned blazer over a black column dress, simple court shoes, and you’re done.

The trick with anything this tailored is the bust and waist measurement, not the size on the label. Measure yourself properly before you commit, especially when buying pre-loved or vintage, where grading has shifted subtly across the decades. And if a jacket is perfect everywhere but the bust, a good tailor can let it out a touch — Escada’s generous seam allowances are a quiet gift.

Where to Shop the Escada Look

If you adore that sharp, colourful, occasion-ready aesthetic but want options across budgets, here’s where I’d send you.

High Street

Reiss — the closest high street match for clean, elevated tailoring with a modern edge.
Hobbs — polished occasionwear and beautifully cut blazers in that grown-up, confident register.
L.K. Bennett — refined, ladylike pieces and excellent dresses for a wedding or work event.
Phase Eight — reliable for structured occasion dresses with a bit of drama.
Coast — bold, glamorous event dressing at a friendly price point.
Ted Baker — the high street’s answer to Escada’s playful prints and vivid colour.
Massimo Dutti — quietly luxurious tailoring and trousers that punch well above their price.
Whistles — sleek, contemporary suiting when you want sharp without the shoulder pads.

Premium

Max Mara — the gold standard for heritage tailoring and immaculate coats; an Escada lover’s natural home.
Hugo Boss — precise, architectural suiting with that same disciplined German cut.

Luxury & Designer

Akris — Swiss, architectural and impeccably made; for the woman who wants understated power.
St. John — signature knit suiting that occupies very similar elegant, structured territory.
Roland Mouret — sculptural, body-conscious dressing when you want maximum impact.

Independent Gems

The Fold London — a brilliant independent specialising in sharp, hardworking tailoring with real polish.
Borgo de Nor — a London independent known for bold florals and statement occasion pieces with serious flair.

Never Look at a Size Guide Again

Tellar is the UK’s leading sizing tool — your body matched exactly to 1,500+ brands in seconds. Measure once using your bust, waist and hip, or simply your size in a brand you already own, and we’ll do the rest. Always honest, always unbiased, always free, with no downloads — it works right in your browser.

Find your true Escada size in seconds: tellar.co.uk
Use the Store Size Lookup tool to get your precise size in any brand — COS, Reiss, Everlane, Arket and more.

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