What Is Sizing Like at Molly Goddard?

By Ella Blake – Senior Fashion Stylist & Founder | Tellar — Always honest, unbiased, & unsponsored post

Molly Goddard runs true to size, so in the vast majority of cases you should take your normal size and trust it. The brand uses UK sizing across its tulle dresses, smocked tops and tailoring, and its own studio confirms what years of customer reviews back up: take your regular size and you'll be right. That said, anyone who has actually worn one of those cloud-like tulle confections knows the real story is a little more interesting than "true to size" lets on — so let me talk you through how it genuinely fits on a body.

So, does Molly Goddard run true to size?

Yes — with one caveat I'll always flag. The fitted parts of a Molly Goddard piece (the smocked bodice, a jersey top, a tailored waistband) hug you exactly where you'd expect for your usual size. The volume, on the other hand, lives in the skirts and sleeves, which are designed to be enormous on everyone. So a dress can feel snug across the chest and balloon out into metres of net below — that's the silhouette, not a sizing fault.

A few things worth knowing before you commit:

The bodices are smocked and have stretch. That hand-smocking gives a forgiving give of an inch or two, which is why so many people sit comfortably across two sizes.
The tulle is unlined. Most signature dresses are 100% nylon tulle and are meant to be layered over a slip — factor the slip into how fitted you want the bodice.
It's almost all dry clean only. Tulle doesn't bounce back from a hot wash, so treat sizing as a long-term decision.
Sizing spans roughly XS to XL, mapped to UK 6 through 16. An XS sits at the smaller end, a medium around a UK 10–12.

The tulle factor — where the volume actually sits

Here's my honest stylist take. The reason people panic about Molly Goddard sizing is the photos: those Scarlett O'Hara skirts make you assume the whole thing must be cut huge. It isn't. The genius of the design is that the structure is in the bodice and the drama is in the layers. I once styled a client into a smocked midi for a gallery opening — she'd ordered up a size in a flap, convinced the brand "ran small," and the bodice gaped at the back all night. We swapped to her true size for the next event and it sat like a glove. Lesson learned, and now I pass it on: don't let the skirt fool you into sizing up.

My genuine fashion fail to balance that win: I once bought a tulle overlay dress online without checking it was meant to go over a slip, wore it as-is to a wedding, and spent the day feeling distinctly more sheer than the dress code intended. Read the product notes — Molly Goddard tells you when a piece is built for layering.

If you're between sizes

Going to a fitted, smocked style? Take your true size — the stretch handles a half-size of wiggle room.
Bigger bust or broader shoulders? Size to your bust on the structured bodices, as that's the only part doing any actual gripping.
Want a relaxed, easy fit? The looser tent and prairie styles take kindly to sizing up one; the fitted dresses do not.

Where to shop for the Molly Goddard look

Molly Goddard is designer-priced, so if you love the romance but not the receipt, here's where I'd send you across every budget — the volume, the smocking and the unapologetic femininity, done well at every level.

High street

Whistles — the grown-up choice for occasion dresses with clean tulle and ruffle detailing that doesn't tip into costume.
Coast — built for events; their fuller, structured-bodice dresses echo the Goddard shape at a fraction of the price.
Monsoon — reliably good for embellished, romantic occasionwear with proper volume.
Phase Eight — flattering fit-and-flare and tulle-overlay styles that nail the smocked-bodice silhouette.
Anthropologie — the closest high-street spirit to Goddard's whimsy, with smocking and dreamy prints in spades.
Boden — surprisingly strong on hand-smocked detail and prairie shapes for everyday wear.
Ted Baker — for the bolder florals and statement party dresses when you want maximum impact.
Oasis — trend-led party tulle and puff sleeves at the friendliest prices on this list.

Premium

Needle & Thread — my top premium pick: tulle, sequins and hand-finished romance that feels genuinely special.
Self-Portrait — sharper and more structured, but the tulle-and-statement-sleeve party dresses scratch the same itch.

Luxury / designer

Simone Rocha — the obvious sister act: another London designer working tulle, pearls and tough-romantic volume.
Cecilie Bahnsen — Danish, dreamy and built around voluminous smocked silhouettes; if you adore Goddard, you'll adore this.

Two left-field independents worth knowing

Batsheva — a cult New York indie label doing prairie-meets-party smocked dresses with real personality.
Lirika Matoshi — the independent label behind that viral strawberry tulle dress, for whimsical net confections nobody else will be wearing.

How Tellar takes the guesswork out

Sizing across brands is a minefield — which is exactly why I built Tellar. It's the UK's leading sizing tool: match your body once to over 1,500 brands and never squint at a size guide again.

Measure once — using your bust, waist and hip, or simply a brand size you already own.
Use the Store Size Lookup tool to get your precise size in any brand — COS, Reiss, Everlane, Arket and more.
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 for every question you've got.

A few more reads while you're here:

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