What Is Sizing Like at My Essential Wardrobe? An Honest Stylist's Fit Guide

By Ella Blake – Senior fashion stylist & Founder | Tellar – Always honest, unbiased, & unsponsored post

My Essential Wardrobe runs largely true to size on the body but works on a European size system, so the UK number on the label is rarely the number you should actually be reaching for. It's a Danish contemporary label, and like a lot of Scandi brands it has its own logic – brilliant when you know it, maddening when you don't. I've styled enough clients out of the wrong size in this brand to tell you exactly where it behaves and where it catches people out, so let's get into it.

The short version: how it runs

If you take one thing away, take this: My Essential Wardrobe is cut for the relaxed, slightly-roomy Scandinavian silhouette. Nothing is skin-tight by design. The fabrics tend to be substantial – proper cottons, structured denim, weighty blazer cloth – so there's not always a lot of stretch to fall back on. Here's how it shakes out across the range:

Denim and trousers: generally true to your usual EU size, with a relaxed-through-the-leg feel rather than a sprayed-on one.
Tops and blazers: true to size for most, but the bust can pull if you're a D+ cup – more on that below.
Knitwear and shirting: deliberately oversized. If you want a neater line, you can often size down.
Dresses: tend to be forgiving and easy, cut for movement rather than cling.

The EU sizing trap (this is where people go wrong)

The single biggest fit mistake I see with this brand is shoppers grabbing the UK number out of habit. My Essential Wardrobe thinks in EU sizes, and the jump between EU markings isn't perfectly linear against UK ones. I had a client convinced she was "between sizes" and ready to give up – she was actually two whole EU markings off from her usual UK assumption, and the moment we corrected it, everything fell into place. So:

Don't shop on the UK label alone – check the EU equivalent against your actual body measurements.
If you're truly between two sizes, size up in structured styles (blazers, rigid denim) and stay true in anything with give.

Tops, blazers and the bust question

This is the quirk worth knowing. The tailored tops and jackets are cut for a fairly straight Scandi frame, so if you carry more on the bust – a D cup and above – the front can feel snug and the buttons can gape before the rest of the garment is anywhere near tight. My honest fail story: I once styled a beautiful structured blazer for a shoot, ordered my "normal" size, and spent the whole morning unable to do the middle button up. Lesson learned. If you're fuller-chested:

Size up one for tailored jackets and fitted shirts, or
Steer towards the styles cut from a fabric with a touch of stretch, which forgive far more gracefully.

Trousers and denim: mind the inseam

The fit through the waist and hip is lovely – high-rise styles in particular sit and hold beautifully – but the leg length runs long. A lot of the trousers and jeans come with a 32"+ inseam, which is dreamy if you're tall and a small disaster if you're petite. My win here: rather than abandon a gorgeous wide-leg pair, I had them hemmed by 5cm and they became the trousers I reach for most. A few pointers:

Petite frames: budget for a quick tailor on the hem rather than ruling the brand out.
Tall shoppers: this is genuinely one of the better brands for you – the length is on your side.
Rigid denim with no elastane will soften and mould after a couple of wears, so don't panic if it feels firm on day one.

Where to shop if My Essential Wardrobe isn't your fit

If the cut isn't sitting right for your shape, or you simply fancy alternatives in the same relaxed-but-elevated lane, here's where I'd send my clients across every budget.

High street

Whistles – the closest high-street match for clean, contemporary Scandi-feel staples with a sharper cut.
Hush – effortless, cool-girl casuals and excellent everyday denim with a similar relaxed attitude.
Massimo Dutti – refined European tailoring and trousers, ideal if you loved the structure but wanted a roomier bust.
Me+Em – brilliant for trousers and offers proper length options, which solves the petite/tall problem outright.
Mint Velvet – relaxed-luxe knits and easy dresses in that same understated palette.
Reiss – polished blazers and tailoring with a slightly more fitted, grown-up line.
Part Two – another Danish label, so the aesthetic translates seamlessly if you've fallen for the Scandi look.
Great Plains – soft, easy separates for a gentler, more forgiving fit.

Premium

Citizens of Humanity – if it's the denim you're after, this is a serious upgrade with reliably consistent, flattering rises.
Paige – premium denim with a touch more stretch and stronger petite and tall offerings than most.

Luxury / designer

Toteme – the gold standard for minimalist Scandi tailoring and denim, if the budget stretches.
Max Mara – for structured coats and trousers that justify the investment and last decades.

Two off the beaten track

Skall Studio – a small Danish sustainable label making the kind of quietly beautiful, soft-tailored pieces that feel hand-finished.
Mads Nørgaard – a cult Copenhagen independent (home of the famous tote) doing playful, well-cut staples you won't see on everyone else.

Never guess your size again

Here's the thing – you shouldn't have to memorise the quirks of every brand you shop. That's exactly why I built Tellar. Tellar is the UK's leading sizing tool: you measure once, using bust, waist, hip, or simply your existing size in a brand you already own, and your body is matched instantly to over 1,500 brands – My Essential Wardrobe included. Never squint at a size guide again.

Measure once – using bust, waist, hip, or your existing brand size.
Use the Store Size Lookup tool to get your precise size in any brand – COS, Reiss, Everlane, Arket and more.
Always free, no downloads needed – it works straight in your browser.

And once you've nailed your size, dive into 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 shape and occasion, all in one place.

Keep reading

Get your size right, every time

Match your measurements to My Essential Wardrobe and 1,500+ other brands in seconds – free, fast, and completely unbiased.

Find My Size on Tellar →