What Is Sizing Like at Vilebrequin? A Stylist's Complete Guide to Getting Your Fit Right

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

Vilebrequin runs small — it uses French sizing, which typically means you'll need to go up one, and sometimes two, sizes from your usual UK size. If you're a UK 10, you're looking at a French 38 or potentially a 40 depending on the cut. I learned this the hard way on a holiday a few summers ago when I packed a brand new Vilebrequin bikini top I'd ordered without properly checking the conversion — let's just say it spent most of the trip in my beach bag. Now I always size up, and it's made all the difference.

Founded in Saint-Tropez in 1971, Vilebrequin is one of those brands that has become genuinely synonymous with a certain kind of effortless, sun-drenched luxury. You know the look — bright, beautiful prints, impeccably cut swimwear, the kind of thing that makes you feel like you're in a 1970s French Riviera film even if you're actually on a beach in Cornwall. The brand is best known for its men's swim trunks, but the women's collection — bikinis, swimsuits, cover-ups, kaftans, and beach dresses — is just as carefully made and just as worth knowing about. The quality is exceptional; these are pieces that will survive dozens of holidays and still look wonderful.

Vilebrequin Size Conversion Table

Vilebrequin uses French/European sizing throughout. The table below maps UK sizes to French sizes along with the key body measurements. Always use your measurements as the primary guide — particularly your bust for bikini tops and your hips for bikini bottoms and swimsuits, as these are the most critical fit points in swimwear.

UK SizeFrench / EU SizeUS SizeBust (cm)Waist (cm)Hips (cm)63428061878364846591103868869951240892739914421096771031644121008110718461410485111

Important note on bikini sizing: Vilebrequin, like many European swimwear brands, sizes bikini tops and bottoms separately in some styles. If your bust and hip measurements place you in different size brackets, don't panic — buy the top and bottom in their respective sizes. It's completely normal and absolutely worth doing rather than compromising on fit.

How Vilebrequin Fits Across Different Styles

The brand spans several different categories and the fit nuances vary, so here's my garment-by-garment breakdown:

Bikini Tops: These are cut in a very European style — the cups tend to be on the smaller side and the overall cut is lean. If you have a fuller bust (a D cup or above), I'd strongly recommend sizing up by at least one size and considering styles with underwire or adjustable ties for better support. The triangle styles are particularly unforgiving on a larger bust — go for the underwired or bandeau options if that's you. The prints are genuinely beautiful though, so it's worth finding your size rather than giving up on them.
Bikini Bottoms: Generally true to the French sizing guide, but cut quite high on the hip in many styles, which gives a very flattering elongated-leg effect but does mean the fit around the seat needs to be spot on. Go by your hip measurement here and don't size down thinking you can get away with it — nothing ruins a beach day like a bikini bottom that's working too hard.
One-Piece Swimsuits: These are where Vilebrequin really delivers, in my opinion. The construction is excellent, the prints are stunning, and the cut is genuinely figure-flattering in a very sophisticated French way. They do run slim through the torso, so if you're longer in the body, check the torso length in the size guide and size up if you're on the cusp. A swimsuit that pulls at the shoulders is desperately uncomfortable — I speak from experience.
Cover-Ups & Beach Dresses: More generously cut than the swimwear, and honestly some of the most beautiful pieces in the collection. The kaftans and beach dresses tend to be floaty and forgiving — you can usually go true to French size here, or even size down if you want a more fitted silhouette. These are the Vilebrequin pieces I'd reach for first as a styling win because they look expensive even just thrown over jeans at the airport.
Rashguards & Swim Tops: These have a more athletic cut and sit closer to the body. True to French size, but bear in mind they're designed to stay in place when you're in the water, so they're not meant to feel loose. If you prefer a relaxed fit, size up.

My Honest Advice on Buying Vilebrequin

Here's the thing about Vilebrequin — it's a proper investment brand. The swim shorts alone start at well over £150, and women's swimwear sits at a similar level. So the stakes of getting your size wrong feel considerably higher than with a high street buy. My honest advice is this: measure yourself properly (bust, waist, hips), use the table above, and when in doubt, size up. The French are not designing for British or American bodies — the cuts are lean, the hips run narrow, and there's very little ease built in. That's not a criticism; it's just the reality of European luxury swimwear sizing.

If you're buying online without trying first, stick to the styles with adjustable ties — the triangle bikinis and wrap-style pieces are the most forgiving in terms of fit because you can customise the feel. The fixed-cup and structured pieces are beautiful but require a more precise fit.

One more thing: Vilebrequin's prints are seasonal and genuinely sell out. If you spot one you love, don't deliberate for too long. I've missed two that I still think about.

The Best Alternatives at Every Budget

Whether Vilebrequin is a treat for a special holiday or you're looking for something that captures the same Saint-Tropez spirit at a friendlier price, here's where I'd look:

High Street & Accessible:

Boden — Consistently one of the best high street options for women's swimwear. The prints are genuinely lovely, the quality is well above average for the price, and the sizing is thorough and accurate. A brilliant pick if you want that Riviera print energy without the Vilebrequin price tag.
Anthropologie — Stocks a range of swimwear brands alongside its own label pieces, and the curation has a similar aesthetic to Vilebrequin's — lots of colour, great prints, and a slightly bohemian French-coastal feel. Well worth a look for cover-ups especially.
Seasalt Cornwall — Brilliant for beach cover-ups, linen beach dresses, and UV-protective swimwear. The brand has a real quality-to-price ratio and the prints are beautiful in a very different, organic way to Vilebrequin. True to UK sizing, which is a relief.
Fat Face — Genuinely underrated for swimwear. They've improved their collection significantly in recent seasons, and the beach cover-ups and casual holiday dresses are excellent quality. Good for those who want a more relaxed, less body-conscious fit than Vilebrequin's European cut.
Tommy Hilfiger — A strong pick for that preppy, nautical take on resort wear that sits in similar colour and print territory to Vilebrequin. The swimwear quality is solid and the sizing is more forgiving. UK and US sizes available.
Joules — Particularly strong on beach cover-ups and holiday dresses with distinctive, print-led designs. More relaxed in fit than Vilebrequin but with that same love of colour and pattern. Reliable UK sizing.
Hush — A brilliant contemporary brand with a quietly confident aesthetic. Their resort and holiday pieces — linen dresses, kaftans, beach cover-ups — have a real sophistication to them and are well made. Good for building a holiday capsule around a Vilebrequin swimsuit.

Premium:

Gant — Smart, nautical resort wear with impeccable quality. The aesthetic shares Vilebrequin's love of the sailing-holiday lifestyle and the pieces are made to last. A strong premium option.
Lululemon — For those who want high-performance swimwear that still looks incredibly polished. The fabric technology is genuinely impressive — everything stays where it should, whatever you're doing. A different aesthetic to Vilebrequin but excellent quality.

Independent & Niche Picks:

Hunza G — The cult British swimwear brand beloved by Vogue, Grazia, and pretty much every fashion editor who has ever been on holiday. The signature crinkle fabric is one-size (it genuinely stretches to fit most bodies), the swimsuits are incredibly flattering, and the brand has a glamour to it that rivals Vilebrequin at a slightly lower price point. Absolutely worth knowing about.
Heidi Klein — A British luxury swimwear and resort wear brand that is genuinely the closest direct alternative to Vilebrequin in terms of quality, aesthetic, and price. Beautifully made pieces, stunning prints, and an excellent size range. If Vilebrequin isn't stocking the style you want, Heidi Klein almost certainly has something in a similar spirit.

Stop Guessing Your Size — Let Tellar Do It For You

French sizing, European cuts, separate bikini top and bottom sizing — Vilebrequin is genuinely one of the trickier brands to size yourself in. That's exactly what Tellar.co.uk is here for. The UK's leading sizing tool matches your exact measurements to over 1,500 brands instantly — so you always know your size before you buy.

Measure once — just your bust, waist, and hips (or plug in a brand size you already trust)
Use the Store Size Lookup to get your precise size across Vilebrequin, Hunza G, Boden, Anthropologie, and hundreds more brands
Always free — no app, no subscription, works instantly in your browser

And while you're there, explore the Tellar Fashion Hub — a free library of honest, unsponsored styling guides and brand deep-dives written by our team of stylists. No ads, no sponsored content, just genuinely useful fashion advice.