What Is Sizing Like at Marie Adam-Leenaerdt?

Marie Adam-Leenaerdt uses French/European numeric sizing that runs from FR 34 to FR 42 — broadly a UK 6 up to a UK 14 — and the cut itself is fairly true to size, so the number you take matters far less than the fact that the range is narrow and the most-wanted sizes sell out fast. If you only remember one thing from this guide, let it be that: with this label, getting in early is more important than sizing up or down.

I’ll be honest, the first time I tried to dress a client in a Marie Adam-Leenaerdt piece I made the classic mistake. I saw a deconstructed trench skirt, clocked how voluminous it looked on the runway, and instinctively ordered a size up to be “safe”. It arrived swimming on her. The volume is built into the design, not into the sizing — a lesson I’d like to save you the bother of learning the expensive way.

How the sizing actually works

This is a Belgian designer label, so it sticks to continental numeric sizing rather than the XS–XL labels we’re used to on the high street. At stockists like SSENSE and Net-a-Porter you’ll see each French size paired with its nearest letter equivalent, which makes life much easier. In practice:

FR 34 is your UK 6, sitting around an XS.
FR 36 is a UK 8, roughly a small — this is the brand’s core sample size.
FR 38 lands at a UK 10, a comfortable medium.
FR 40 is a UK 12, sitting around a large.
FR 42 is a UK 14, the top of the range at an XL.

There are no half sizes and, at the time of writing, nothing above a FR 42. The house models are typically tall (5’8” to nearly 5’11”) and tend to wear the 36, which is worth bearing in mind when you’re reading the “model wears” note — those proportions are doing some of the styling work for you.

Does it run true to size?

For the most part, yes — but the answer depends entirely on the piece, because this is a label where one garment is engineered to do several jobs. Skirts reverse, jackets have interchangeable linings, dresses cinch and zip off. That cleverness changes how each thing sits on the body:

Oversized shirts and tailoring — cut deliberately roomy with dropped shoulders and elongated hems. Take your normal size; the slouch is the point.
Stretch jersey pieces (the bodysuits, asymmetric tanks and second-skin tops) — these have elastane through them, so they’re the most forgiving and genuinely true to size.
Structured wool and twill (blazers, the houndstooth dresses) — cut closer at the shoulder. If you’re broader across the back, this is the category where I’d size up rather than the soft separates.

The bit nobody warns you about

Here’s the genuinely useful, unglamorous truth: the limitation isn’t the fit, it’s the availability. A huge number of styles are only ever produced in the 34 and 36, so by the time a piece reaches sale the middle and larger sizes have usually vanished. On top of that, plenty of the discounted stock at SSENSE and La Garçonne is marked final sale — non-returnable. With a designer price tag attached, a guess you can’t send back is an expensive guess. This is exactly the kind of brand where you want your measurements pinned down before you add to bag.

A stylist’s quick fit tips

Buy for your shoulders and bust, not the silhouette — the drape will handle the rest.
Between two sizes on tailoring? Go up. Between two on jersey? Go down.
If you’re petite, the 34 can read as a midi-length statement rather than the intended mini — embrace it or have it taken up.
Always check the “made in” (Belgium, Lithuania, Romania) and the “model wears” height against your own before committing.

Where else to shop the look

Marie Adam-Leenaerdt sits firmly at the designer end, so if you love the deconstructed-tailoring, soft-drape aesthetic but want it across a few price points, here’s where I’d send you.

High street

COS — the closest high-street match for sculptural, minimalist tailoring and clever fabric.
Massimo Dutti — beautifully cut blazers and column skirts with a quiet, continental polish.
Zara — its elevated “Studio” tailoring catches the conceptual edge for a fraction of the price.
Whistles — pared-back drape dresses and soft separates that layer like designer pieces.
Jigsaw — grown-up, considered cuts in lovely natural cloth.
Reiss — structured tailoring with a sharp shoulder when you want the architectural feel.
Uniqlo — its minimalist “U” line nails the clean, fuss-free base layers the look relies on.
Toast — relaxed, artful volume in cotton and wool for the off-duty version.

Premium

Totême — Scandinavian minimalism with the same intelligent restraint and gorgeous drape.
Joseph — French tailoring heritage; the trousers and coats are investment-grade.
By Malene Birger — Danish, slightly sculptural, with an artistic point of view that echoes the brand.

Luxury / designer

Max Mara — the gold standard for voluminous, beautifully engineered coats and easy tailoring.
Lemaire — the natural aesthetic neighbour: fluid, understated, endlessly wearable drape.

Two independents worth knowing

Sofie D’Hoore — a fellow Belgian working in pure, quiet minimalism and exquisite cloth. If you love the restraint here, you’ll adore her.
Paloma Wool — the Barcelona studio for playful, artful, slightly off-kilter pieces that share the same “clothes as ideas” spirit.

Never guess your size again — that’s where Tellar comes in

A brand with a narrow range and final-sale pieces is precisely why I built Tellar — the UK’s leading free sizing tool, matching your body to over 1,500 brands instantly so you never have to squint at a size guide again. Measure once using your bust, waist, hip or an existing brand size, then use the Store Size Lookup to get your precise size in any brand — COS, Reiss, Everlane, Arket and more. It’s always free, no downloads, works straight in your browser.

There’s also the Tellar Fashion Hub: a library stacked with free posts from our top stylists. Honest, unbiased, independent and always free — style advice, top picks and the best brands, with no sponsored fluff.

A few of my favourite guides to read next:

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