What Is Sizing Like at Sun 68?

By Ella Blake — Fashion Stylist | Tellar Fashion Hub — Always honest, unbiased, & unsponsored post

Sun 68 runs small by UK standards — this is an Italian brand sizing in Italian/European measurements, and if you order your usual UK size without checking, you will almost certainly find yourself in something uncomfortably snug. My rule with Sun 68? Size up by one, always. I learned this the hard way with a gorgeous stripe polo shirt that arrived looking like it had been made for a very stylish twelve-year-old. Beautiful piece. Just not on me, in that size. Now I size up without a second thought and it's always perfect.

If you haven't discovered Sun 68 yet, let me make the introduction. It's an Italian brand founded in Treviso — the same part of north-east Italy that gave us Benetton — and it has that same deep, instinctive sense of colour and quality that you associate with the best Italian casual dressing. The aesthetic is vintage sports club: think polo shirts in brilliant colour-block stripe combinations, fine knitwear, clean-cut sweatshirts, and relaxed jersey pieces. It's got a sort of Sixties-Seventies Italian Riviera energy — sporty without being athletic, colourful without being garish. Genuinely lovely stuff, and the quality is excellent for the price.

The Italian Sizing Problem — and How to Solve It

The core thing to understand is that Sun 68 sizes in Italian sizing, which runs small relative to UK sizing. Italian sizing is essentially the same system as European sizing (38, 40, 42, 44, etc.) but designed around a more tailored, closer-to-the-body Italian fit philosophy. British women typically need to go one full size up from their normal UK size to land in the right place with Sun 68. If you're usually a UK 12, you're shopping for a Sun 68 size that corresponds to a UK 14 equivalent — or checking the cm measurements very carefully before ordering.

Their pieces — especially the polos and fitted tops — are designed to fit neatly and cleanly without much ease. That's intentional and it's part of the brand's appeal: they look incredibly crisp and pulled-together when the fit is right. But it does mean there's very little forgiveness if you're in between sizes. When in doubt, go larger. You can always layer a slightly roomy polo; you cannot un-shrink a too-tight one.

Sun 68 Size Conversion Guide

IT / EU SizeUK SizeUS SizeBust (cm)Waist (cm)Hips (cm)386–82–480–8262–6486–88408–104–683–8565–6789–914210–126–886–8968–7192–954412–148–1090–9372–7596–994614–1610–1294–9776–79100–1034816–1812–1498–10280–84104–108

One important note: Sun 68's size range is more limited than most mainstream brands, typically running from an IT 38 to an IT 48. If you're on the larger end of the UK size spectrum, it's worth checking availability carefully and measuring up before ordering — their range doesn't extend as broadly as high-street brands do.

Garment-by-Garment: What to Expect

Polo Shirts: Their hero product, and the reason most people discover the brand. These run small and are designed to fit neatly across the shoulders and chest. Size up one — it makes all the difference. The fabric is beautifully weighted piqué cotton that holds its shape brilliantly.
T-Shirts & Jersey Tops: Again, size up. Their jersey is fine and close-fitting. If you want a relaxed, easy fit, go up two sizes. For a clean, fitted look, just one size up from your usual UK size.
Knitwear: Their knitwear is a highlight — fine merino and cotton blends in gorgeous colourways. These run slightly more generously than the polos but I'd still go up one size for comfort and ease of movement.
Sweatshirts & Casual Tops: These tend to have a little more ease built in and can be closer to true-to-size in their European equivalent. Still worth going up one UK size to be safe.
Trousers & Shorts: Size up on the waist — Italian cut trousers are trimmer through the hip and thigh than UK-standard cuts. If you're fuller through the hip, consider going up two sizes and belting at the waist if needed.
Dresses & Skirts: As with everything, size up. Their dresses tend to be shaped and fitted, so the Italian sizing runs particularly small on the bust and hip measurements.

The Fabric & Quality Story

One of the things I genuinely love about Sun 68 is that they take their fabrics seriously. The piqué cotton on the polos is thick and holds structure beautifully — it doesn't go thin and sad after washing the way some cheaper versions do. Their knitwear uses fine merino and cotton blends that feel properly luxurious without being precious about care. The prints and stripe combinations are developed in-house and you can tell — they have a considered, distinctly Italian colour intelligence that sets them apart from anything you'd find on the high street.

The brand also does a proper children's and men's line, which is worth knowing if you're shopping for the whole family — the sizing logic applies across all of them, so size up universally.

Who Is Sun 68 Best For?

Sun 68 works brilliantly for women who love a smart-casual, colour-confident aesthetic without veering into high fashion. If your wardrobe leans towards clean, quality basics with an interesting twist — a great polo instead of a plain tee, a stripe knit instead of a solid — this brand will slot in perfectly. It's particularly wonderful for:

Anyone who loves colour-block stripe dressing done with real Italian finesse
Women who want quality casualwear that doesn't look like it came from a sports shop
Those who appreciate a vintage-inspired, Sixties sports club aesthetic — think Slim Aarons photographs, Italian lake holidays, that world
Petite and slim frames will find the Italian cut particularly flattering, as it's designed to sit close to the body without excess fabric
If you have a broader shoulder or fuller bust, do size up generously — the cut is quite narrow across the chest

If You Love Sun 68 — Other Brands to Know

Sun 68 sits in a pretty specific niche — Italian-inflected quality casual with a vintage sports edge — and there are some brilliant brands in the same orbit. Here are my honest picks across price points:

High Street & Accessible:

Benetton — The spiritual ancestor, honestly. Same Treviso DNA, brilliant colour sense, and quality cotton basics at an accessible price point. Their polos and stripe knitwear are excellent.
Gant — East Coast American prep meets European quality. Their piqué polos are reliably excellent and the sizing is more UK-friendly than Sun 68's, which is a bonus.
Tommy Hilfiger — For the colour-block stripe energy at a lower investment. Quality has improved noticeably in recent years and their classic stripe pieces hit a very similar note.
Cos — If you want the clean Italian minimalism without the sports reference. Beautifully made basics in quality fabrics, and they size more generously for UK shoppers.
Massimo Dutti — The grown-up sister brand to Zara, with genuine quality and a more tailored Mediterranean sensibility. Their knitwear and polos are brilliant.
Whistles — For the elevated casual moment. Beautiful quality jersey and cotton pieces with a considered, unfussy design sensibility that echoes Sun 68's restraint.
Abercrombie & Fitch — Their quality has genuinely improved dramatically and their polo shirts and stripe pieces are now very good. Worth a look if you want the aesthetic for less.

Premium:

Claudie Pierlot — French rather than Italian but the same effortless colour confidence and quality fabrication. Beautifully made casual pieces with a chic edge.
Reiss — For when you want the clean, European smart-casual look in something that'll really last. Their quality is excellent and their stripe and block colour pieces are reliably elegant.

Independent & Worth Discovering:

Circolo 1901 — An Italian brand from Bari with a very similar sporting heritage aesthetic to Sun 68. Their jersey and piqué pieces are beautifully made and the colour stories are wonderful. Not always easy to find in the UK but absolutely worth seeking out.
Hartford — A French brand with an Italian holiday spirit. Brilliant stripe and print pieces, quality cottons, and a relaxed but considered sensibility that sits in exactly the same world as Sun 68. A genuinely lovely discovery if you don't know them.

Sort Your Sun 68 Size Once and For All — Use Tellar

Italian sizing is one of the trickiest things to navigate as a UK shopper — and Sun 68 is a perfect example of a brand where getting it wrong means an expensive return. That's exactly why Tellar exists. It's the UK's leading clothing sizing tool, matching your exact measurements to over 1,500 brands instantly — including European and Italian labels where the sizing logic is entirely different from what you're used to.

Measure once — your bust, waist, and hips, or use an existing brand size you already know fits well
Use the Store Size Lookup to get your precise recommended size in Sun 68 or any other brand instantly — tellar.co.uk/store-size-lookup
Always free — no app, no subscription, works instantly in your browser

And while you're there, the Tellar Fashion Hub is stacked with free, honest, unsponsored posts from our stylists covering every brand, every sizing question, and every style dilemma you've ever had. Honest. Independent. Always free.

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