What Is Sizing Like at Giorgio Armani?

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

Giorgio Armani runs small — sometimes significantly so — and if you're shopping the mainline collection without measuring yourself first, there is a very real chance your usual size won't fit. This is one of those brands where going in blind is genuinely risky, especially given the price points involved. Here's everything you need to know before you buy.

I learnt this the hard way. Years ago I spotted an Armani blazer in the sale — a beautifully cut, fluid thing in dove grey that I'd been coveting for months. I ordered my usual size without a second thought. It arrived, I tried it on, and the shoulders sat a good inch too tight, the sleeves barely grazed my wrists. It wasn't remotely wearable. Back it went. What made it sting more was that the next size up was already sold out. Lesson learned, and one I've shared with every client since: always size up at Armani, and always measure first.

Why Does Armani Run Small?

The answer lies in the brand's heritage. Giorgio Armani is an Italian house, and Italian sizing follows a different standard to UK sizing. Italian garments are cut to Italian body measurements, which have traditionally been more narrow through the shoulders and torso than the equivalent UK size. The result is that an Italian size 44 (which converts roughly to a UK 12 on paper) will often fit more like a UK 10 in practice — or even a UK 8 if the cut is particularly close.

This isn't unique to Armani — it applies across Italian luxury houses including Prada, Gucci, and Bottega Veneta — but it's particularly worth flagging at Armani because the brand is so beloved by women who are buying into it for the first time and simply don't know to expect it.

The Armani Family: Which Line Are You Shopping?

This matters, because sizing can vary depending on which part of the Armani universe you're in:

Giorgio Armani (mainline) – The flagship collection. Beautifully tailored, often quite close in cut through the body. Consistently runs small. Size up one, sometimes two, from your usual UK size.
Emporio Armani – The diffusion line, younger and a little more relaxed in silhouette, but still cuts on the smaller side. Customer feedback consistently points to sizing up for comfort.
Armani Exchange (A|X) – The most accessible and casual of the three. Closer to standard European sizing but still tends to be narrow through the chest and shoulders. Worth sizing up by at least one.
Armani Jeans – Runs particularly small. This is well-documented and consistent: size up one full size from your usual jeans size, without fail.

The Golden Rule: How to Size at Armani

Across all lines, the single most important thing you can do is measure yourself before buying. Armani's own size guide states that if you're undecided between two sizes, you should go for the larger one — and that advice is there for a reason. Here's how I'd approach it:

Take your bust, waist, and hip measurements in centimetres (Armani's sizing system is metric).
Compare directly against the brand's size chart — don't rely on your usual UK size label as a guide.
If you're between sizes, always go larger. The tailoring is structured enough that a slightly roomy fit sits beautifully; a slightly tight fit does not.
For jackets and blazers specifically — Armani's strongest category — focus especially on your shoulder and bust measurement. The shoulder seam is the hardest thing to alter and the most unforgiving if it's off.
For knitwear and softer jersey pieces, the fit is more forgiving, but still err on the side of sizing up.

What to Expect From the Fit

Armani's signature is fluid, unstructured tailoring with an elongated, slightly androgynous silhouette. Think wide-leg trousers with a clean fall, blazers with minimal padding, shirts that drape rather than cling. The aesthetic actually looks best with a little ease in it — it's not meant to be skin-tight. Which means that even when you size up, the result should still look polished and intentional rather than oversized.

Where it gets trickier is with Armani's more structured pieces — the blazers and formal separates that first made the brand famous. These are precision-cut and leave less room for error. If you're buying in-store, always try on. If you're buying online, have your measurements to hand and do not skip the size chart.

Alternatives to Giorgio Armani: Similar Aesthetic, More Forgiving Sizing

Love the Armani look — the clean lines, neutral palette, fluid tailoring — but want something with more straightforward sizing? Here's where I'd shop:

High Street & Accessible Brands

Massimo Dutti – Possibly the closest high street parallel to the Armani aesthetic. Beautifully cut tailoring in neutral tones, strong on blazers and wide-leg trousers. Sizing is more consistent and runs closer to standard European.
Whistles – Excellent for clean, minimal tailoring at a realistic price. Their structured blazers and fluid trousers hit a very similar note to Armani without the sizing complexity.
Jigsaw – Quietly brilliant for exactly this kind of grown-up, unfussy dressing. Great fabric quality and proportions that actually work on real women's bodies.
Reiss – Reliable for sharp tailoring and occasion dressing in the Armani spirit. Sizing is consistent and clearly mapped.
Me&Em – My go-to recommendation for the Armani customer who wants quality, fluid basics and tailoring that fits predictably. The wide-leg trousers and tailored blazers are particularly strong.
Hobbs – Understated, well-cut, and very wearable. Strong on the kind of smart-casual separates that Armani devotees tend to live in.
Phase Eight – Especially good for occasion pieces and fluid dresses in the neutral, elegant palette Armani shoppers gravitate towards.

Premium Options

Max Mara – Also Italian, also investment-level, but arguably more consistently sized and with a similarly minimal, refined aesthetic. If you love Armani, Max Mara deserves a place in your wardrobe.
Claudie Pierlot – French, polished, excellent for the smart-casual register. The tailoring is crisp and the sizing is clear.

For something more independent and off the beaten track, I adore Totême — a Swedish label that's become something of an insider favourite for exactly the kind of elevated, minimal dressing Armani built its reputation on. The tailoring is exceptional, the sizing is true to European standard, and the aesthetic is quietly extraordinary. Also worth knowing about is Aeron, a Croatian contemporary brand making quietly beautiful structured pieces in that same clean, architectural language. Both are the kind of discovery that feels genuinely exciting.

Get Your Exact Armani Size — Without the Guesswork

Italian sizing, metric measurements, and a brand that consistently runs small — Giorgio Armani is exactly the kind of label where getting your size right the first time really matters. That's what Tellar.co.uk is built for. The UK's leading free sizing tool matches your exact body measurements to 1,500+ brands instantly — so you'll always know your correct size before you buy.

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Plus, browse the Tellar Fashion Hub — a library of free, honest, unsponsored style content from our in-house stylists. No ads, no sponsored posts, no agenda. Just straight-talking fashion advice.

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