What Is Sizing Like at Poetry?

Poetry runs generously — most people need to size down by one, and sometimes two, from their usual size. If you normally take a 12, start with a 10 and keep the 12 on standby. The whole identity of the brand is built around a soft, artistic, slightly oversized silhouette, so that extra room is deliberate rather than a mistake. Get the size right and it looks effortless. Get it wrong and you’ll be swimming in fabric.

I’ve styled enough women through Poetry orders to know this is the single thing that trips people up, so let me walk you through it properly — no waffle, just what actually works.

Why Poetry feels so roomy

Poetry’s cut is intentionally relaxed. Think floaty linen, slouchy knits, wide-leg trousers and dresses with plenty of swing. That gentle, bohemian ease is the entire point — but it does mean the proportions are cut bigger than most of the British high street. A few things worth knowing before you order:

Linen and cotton pieces are the most generous. Their summer linen in particular is cut with loads of ease, so size down with confidence.
Knitwear is soft and forgiving but can relax further with wear, so resist the urge to go up “just to be safe”.
Trousers are the wildcard. Plenty of shoppers find them properly baggy — the leg and the rise both run long and wide. This is the one category I’d measure carefully every time.
Tops and dresses generally sit a size, occasionally two, larger than the label suggests.

My own first Poetry order is a cautionary tale. I ordered a linen shirt-dress in my “safe” size, convinced a flowing style needed the extra room. It arrived looking like a beautifully made tent. The size down was perfect — still relaxed and easy, just not engulfing. Lesson well and truly learned.

How to nail your Poetry size

Forget the number on the label and go by the measurements. Poetry is genuinely brilliant at publishing finished garment measurements next to every product — the actual bust, waist and hip of the made-up piece. That is far more reliable than any generic size chart. Here’s the method I use with clients:

Measure yourself at bust, waist and hip with a soft tape — standing relaxed, no breathing in.
Compare to the garment’s finished measurements, not the size name on the label.
Allow a few inches of ease for that signature drapey look — but if a piece measures ten inches bigger than you, it will drown you.
Order two sizes if you’re on the fence and lean on the free returns. Their customer care team will happily talk you through measurements if you ring them.

One genuine styling win: a client who’d written Poetry off as “too sack-like” went down two full sizes on a pair of their wide-leg linen trousers. Suddenly they read as chic and intentional rather than clownish. Same trousers, two sizes, an entirely different outcome.

Where else to shop for the Poetry look

If Poetry’s sizing puts you off, or you simply want to spread your shopping around, these are the brands I send clients to for that same artistic, natural-fabric feel — with more predictable sizing.

High street

White Stuff — natural fabrics and relaxed, easy-wearing shapes, with sensible true-to-size cuts.
Seasalt Cornwall — coastal-inspired linen and cotton, cut more traditionally, so what you order is what you get.
Boden — quirky prints and artistic separates with dependable, reliable sizing.
Hush — soft, slouchy basics and linen pieces with that same lived-in ease.
Mango — flowing, romantic styles backed by precise Spanish size charts.
Monsoon — pretty, textured summer and occasion pieces with consistent fit.
Jigsaw — grown-up, refined separates that bridge high street and premium beautifully.

Premium

Toast — arguably Poetry’s closest cousin: artful linen and considered shapes, but cut a touch closer to true size.
Brora — exquisite Scottish cashmere and natural fibres for the knitwear devotee.
Baukjen — sustainable, contemporary tailoring with a relaxed, elegant edge.

Luxury / designer

Totême — pared-back Scandi minimalism in beautiful natural fabrics.
Max Mara — investment linen, camel and tailoring with an impeccable cut.
By Malene Birger — artistic prints and fluid silhouettes for a more directional take.

Two to discover — the independents I love

Beaumont Organic — a Manchester-based label doing gorgeous organic linen and cotton in soft, relaxed shapes. Quietly beautiful and ethically made.
Nomads Clothing — ethical, natural-fabric pieces with a warm, bohemian spirit that sits very close to Poetry’s heart.

The honest verdict on Poetry sizing

Poetry is worth the small amount of faff. The fabrics are lovely, the pieces genuinely last for years, and once you’ve cracked the size-down rule you’ll buy with confidence. Start one size down, trust the finished garment measurements over the label, treat the trousers with extra care, and use those free returns liberally until you know your number. Crack the code once and you’ll understand exactly why their customers come back season after season.

Never second-guess a Poetry size again

Working out your Poetry size shouldn’t take three orders and two returns — and with Tellar, it doesn’t. Tellar is the UK’s leading sizing tool. You measure yourself once — using your bust, waist and hip, or simply a brand size you already own — and we match your body to over 1,500 brands instantly. Never look at a size guide again.

Measure once and you’re set for life
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And when you want to go deeper, the Tellar Fashion Hub is a free library of honest, unbiased posts from our stylists — style advice, top picks and best-brand guides. No ads, no sponsored posts, always free.

Keep reading:The Ultimate Clothing Sizing Guide The Best Jean Trends for 2025 & 2026 The Ultimate Guide to Dresses & Best Buys The Ultimate Guide to Jackets & Best Buys

Written by Ella Blake, Senior Fashion Stylist & Founder of Tellar.