What Is Sizing Like at Threadbare?

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

Threadbare runs largely true to standard UK high street sizing, but the fit is genuinely inconsistent across categories — tops and dresses tend to come up more relaxed in the body, while jeans and joggers stay closer to the number on the label. If you're between sizes, my honest stylist advice is to go up one for outerwear and chunky knitwear, and stay true to size in tops, jersey and jeans.

I've worked with Threadbare pieces on plenty of clients over the years — usually after they've ordered three sizes of the same hoodie via ASOS hoping one fits. It's that kind of brand. Affordable, prolific, weirdly addictive when they nail a print or a borg jacket, but with sizing that wobbles depending on whether you're buying a basic tee or a teddy coat. Let me break it down properly.

Where Threadbare's Sizing Actually Lands

Threadbare is a UK family-owned brand that's been quietly building one of the bigger casualwear empires on the high street. You'll spot it everywhere — their own site, ASOS, Next, Debenhams, Very, Matalan. Their bread and butter is everyday basics, jersey loungewear, denim and seasonal outerwear at prices that make a Saturday afternoon scroll feel pleasingly low risk.

Here's what to expect by category:

Tops, t-shirts and blouses — generally relaxed through the body. Cotton tees in particular sit a touch boxy, so if you want a closer fit, go down one. Watch for narrower shoulders on their fitted shirts.
Dresses — cut for a slightly more forgiving silhouette, especially their jersey and viscose styles. True to size works for most body shapes.
Knitwear and jumpers — sized fairly generously to allow for layering. If you live in your knits, true to size is fine; if you like a neater fit, size down.
Coats and puffers — built to layer over jumpers, so true to size unless you're slim through the shoulders, in which case drop one.
Jeans and joggers — the most predictable category. UK sizing here is reliable.
Loungewear and pyjamas — runs generously. Most people find sizing down works better unless they specifically want that oversized, swallow-me-whole feel.

The honest truth? Their own size chart isn't perfectly consistent across product categories. I've seen a UK 12 jumper and a UK 12 jersey dress fit two completely different people. That's not unusual at this price point — it's the trade-off you make for affordability — but it does mean checking individual pieces matters more than at brands with stricter quality control.

A Quick Confession From the Styling Trenches

A few winters ago, I bought a Threadbare longline puffer in a size 12 (my usual) from ASOS for a casual styling job. It was meant to be the throwaway coat — easy, on-trend, layered over a knit for school-run clients. It arrived two sizes too snug across the shoulders. I sent it back, ordered the 14, and it fit perfectly. Lesson learnt: with their outerwear especially, trust the model shot on the site, not the label. I've since told every client the same.

Where Else To Shop If Threadbare Isn't Quite Hitting

If you're after affordable casualwear with personality, there's a handful of brands that nail the same brief — sometimes with more consistent fit.

High Street Picks

New Look — probably Threadbare's closest competitor for trend-led casual at a budget. Generally true to UK sizing and brilliant for affordable denim and dresses.
H&M — the king of affordable basics and trend pieces. Sizing runs slightly small in fitted styles, so size up if you're between.
River Island — a more polished, going-out-out feel than Threadbare at a similar price point. True to UK sizing in most categories.
Urban Outfitters — better for the trend-forward, slightly streetwear-leaning Threadbare shopper. Many styles are intentionally oversized — size down at least one for a wearable fit.
Hollister — fantastic for relaxed denim, joggers and cropped tees. Uses US sizing on much of their range, so go up one from your usual UK number.
Warehouse — underrated for affordable elevated basics and modern occasion pieces. True to UK sizing and very consistent.
Oasis — strong for casual dresses, denim and feminine basics. True to size with reliable cuts.

Premium Picks

Mint Velvet — if you've been buying Threadbare loungewear and want a more grown-up version, this is where I'd send you. Sizing is generous and consistent.
AllSaints — cooler, darker, more considered casualwear. Runs slightly narrow through the shoulders, so check measurements on fitted styles.

Luxury & Designer

Acne Studios — the elevated, Scandi take on jersey, denim and casual outerwear. Sizing skews oversized by design.
Isabel Marant Étoile — for boho-leaning casualwear with serious longevity. Generally true to French sizing, which runs a touch small.

Left-Field Independent Picks

Lucy & Yak — Brighton-based, ethically made, brilliantly playful. Their corduroy dungarees, bold prints and oversized jersey are the proper antidote to fast fashion repetition. Sizing is detailed and accurate — they publish full measurements on every product, which makes shopping them refreshingly straightforward.
Omnes — a London-based independent doing sustainable, beautifully cut contemporary casualwear at a genuinely accessible price point. Their dresses and trousers fit cleanly and predictably to UK sizing, and the quality punches well above the price tag.

Never Guess Your Size Again — Use Tellar

This is exactly where Tellar.co.uk earns its keep. Threadbare gets stocked across half the internet — ASOS, Next, Debenhams, Very, Matalan — and each retailer presents their sizing slightly differently. Trying to remember whether you took a 12 in last winter's puffer or a 14 in their loungewear set is a losing battle.

Tellar is the UK's leading sizing tool, matching your body exactly to 1,500+ brands instantly. Never look at a size guide again.

Measure once using bust, waist, hip — or your existing size in any brand you already trust
Use the Store Size Lookup tool to get your precise size in any brand — Threadbare, COS, Reiss, Everlane, Arket and hundreds more
Always free, no downloads, works straight in your browser

And the Tellar Fashion Hub is a library stacked with free posts from our top stylists — honest, unbiased, independent and always free. Style advice, top picks, best brands.

The Honest Stylist Verdict

Threadbare is a genuinely solid call for affordable casualwear, seasonal outerwear and the kind of trend-led pieces you don't want to spend a fortune on. Just don't assume that because their basics fit you in a 12, their puffer will too — it almost certainly won't. Measure yourself once, run those numbers through Tellar, and you'll save yourself the £4.99 return slips and the disappointment of three near-identical hoodies stacked by your front door. That's the dream, isn't it?