What Is Sizing Like at Italian Luxury Brands?

Italian luxury brands generally run small and narrow, so for most women the safe move is to size up at least one — sometimes two — from your usual UK size. I've dressed clients in Prada, Gucci and Max Mara for years, and I promise it isn't in your head: that elegant Italian cut comes with a famously slim fit.

The honest version is that most Italian houses cut for a lean, slightly petite frame — narrow shoulders, a higher armhole, a neater waist and a slimmer hip. It's beautiful on the hanger and it photographs like a dream, but it catches people out constantly. I learned this the embarrassing way: I once ordered a Miu Miu skirt in my regular UK 10, completely confident, and couldn't get the zip past my hip. Lesson noted, ego bruised.

Why Italian sizing feels so small

It's cut for a slim silhouette. The proportions are based on a narrow, sample-style frame, so the bust, shoulder and hip all read tighter than a British high-street equivalent.
The number scale throws people. Italian labels use their own run — a 42 looks like a generous size on paper, but it sits much closer to a UK 10 than the 12 you'd assume. Bigger number, smaller garment.
There's no vanity sizing. Where the high street quietly makes the numbers kinder, Italian luxury does the opposite. The fit is the fit.

It's not all the same — brand by brand

"Italian sizing" isn't one rule, and knowing the outliers saves a lot of returns:

Prada & Miu Miu — run small, especially through the waist and on skirts. Size up.
Gucci — snug across the bust and shoulders; tops and tailoring are the tightest part.
Bottega Veneta — knitwear and trousers are narrow. Go up for anything fitted.
Dolce & Gabbana — built for an hourglass and very fitted, so unforgiving if you're between sizes.
Versace & Valentino — body-conscious and delicately cut; narrow shoulders are the giveaway.
Max Mara — the happy exception. Coats and tailoring run true, even generous. My camel Max Mara coat is the one luxury buy I've never once regretted — bought my normal size, fits perfectly five winters on.
Brunello Cucinelli & Loro Piana — relaxed, understated "quiet luxury" cuts that sit roomier than the fashion houses.
Marni — deliberately oversized, so it actually reads larger than the label suggests.

How to buy it without the heartbreak

Trust the measurements, not the label. Check the garment's bust and waist in centimetres against your own body before you commit.
Size up for anything fitted — dresses, skirts, blazers — and stay true for relaxed or oversized pieces.
Watch the shoulders and armholes. They're the hardest thing to alter, so if those don't sit right, the size is wrong.
Budget for a tailor. At this price, a small nip at the waist is worth every penny and makes luxury look bespoke.

Where to get the Italian look with friendlier sizing

If the fit (or the price) isn't quite working, plenty of brands capture that polished Italian elegance with far more forgiving cuts.

On the high street:

Massimo Dutti — the closest thing to Italian tailoring on the high street; clean lines, beautiful fabrics, true-to-size.
Reiss — sharp, grown-up tailoring and slip dresses with a designer feel and a sensible fit.
Jigsaw — quietly luxe knitwear and coats cut for real bodies, not sample sizes.
Hobbs — structured dresses and tailoring that nod to Italian polish without the squeeze.
LK Bennett — elegant, occasion-ready pieces with a softer, more generous cut.
Mint Velvet — relaxed-luxe separates with a forgiving fit and that effortless Continental ease.
Me&Em — clever, flattering tailoring designed to fit and lengthen, brilliant for taller frames.
Whistles — minimalist, modern shapes with the kind of restraint Milan does so well.

Premium step-up:

Max Mara Weekend & Studio — the same Italian heritage, true sizing and a gentler price than the mainline.
Joseph — refined French-Italian minimalism; trousers and knits with a relaxed, modern fit.
By Malene Birger — Scandinavian elegance with Mediterranean drama, cut a little roomier.

Luxury, but kinder cut:

Brunello Cucinelli — the gold standard of relaxed Italian luxury; cashmere and tailoring that sit soft and easy.
Loro Piana — understated, generously cut and impossibly elegant if you want the look without the body-con fit.

And two off-radar labels I love:

St. Agni — an Australian indie doing pared-back, Italian-feeling leather and tailoring with a relaxed, true fit.
Róhe — a cult minimalist label for clean lines and quiet-luxury basics that fit beautifully without the designer markup.

Stop guessing your Italian size

Tellar is the UK's leading sizing tool — match your body to over 1,500 brands instantly and never squint at an Italian size guide again. Measure once using your bust, waist and hip (or just an existing brand size), and we'll tell you exactly what to order.

Use our Store Size Lookup to get your precise size in any brand — Prada, Max Mara, COS, Reiss and more. Always free, no downloads, works straight in your browser.

Visit Tellar Store Size Lookup

And once you've nailed the size, dive into the Tellar Fashion Hub — a library stacked with free posts from our stylists. Honest, unbiased, independent and always free: style advice, top picks and the best brands, with no sponsored nonsense.

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— Ella Blake, Senior Fashion Stylist & Founder, Tellar