What Is Sizing Like at Wales Bonner?

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

Wales Bonner runs small — particularly in tailored pieces, where the cuts are precise, close-fitting, and rooted in a Savile Row tradition that does not forgive you for guessing. For most women, sizing up by at least one size in blazers, structured trousers, and fitted shirts is not optional — it's essential.

I have to confess: I once tried a Wales Bonner blazer on in my usual size at Selfridges and genuinely could not get both arms in at the same time. Mortifying. The blazer was exquisite and I coveted it deeply, which made the whole experience worse. The good news is that once you understand how the brand cuts its clothes, you can shop it with complete confidence — and at these price points, you absolutely want that confidence before you commit.

The Brand: Why Wales Bonner Is Worth Understanding

Wales Bonner was founded in London in 2014 by Grace Wales Bonner — South East Londoner, Central Saint Martins graduate, LVMH Prize winner, MBE, and in 2025, appointed creative director of Hermès menswear, making her the first Black woman to lead design at a major European luxury house. The cultural weight of this brand is real and it matters.

The aesthetic fuses European tailoring with Afro-Atlantic heritage, Jamaican references, archive sportswear, and deep creative research. What comes out the other side is a wardrobe unlike anything else: richly embellished knitwear, impeccably structured blazers, fluid wide-leg trousers, and the cult Adidas collaborations that single-handedly revived the Samba trainer. Women have been buying the menswear and unisex pieces for years — because quite frankly, they often fit and flatter better than the dedicated womenswear lines from brands half the price.

Wales Bonner Women's Size Guide

The womenswear line runs XS to XL. Here is how those sizes translate across UK, EU, and US sizing, with the body measurements you actually need to get the fit right — measure yourself before you order anything tailored:

Wales BonnerUK SizeEU SizeUS SizeChest (cm)Waist (cm)Low Hip (cm)XS6–834–362–4806288S8–1036–384–6846692M10–1238–408–10887096L12–1440–4210–129274100XL14–1642–4412–149678104

Important: the womenswear line stops at XL. If you're above a UK 16, the mainline collection won't accommodate you — that's a genuine gap that's worth knowing before you fall in love with a piece online.

Tailored Pieces: Blazers, Trousers & Shirts

This is where Wales Bonner's sizing demands the most care. The tailoring draws directly on Savile Row tradition — it is narrow through the shoulder, close in the arm, and shaped tightly at the waist. There is no stretch in the fabrics and no forgiveness in the cut.

Blazers — size up at least one, often two sizes if you carry any width through the shoulders or bust. The shoulder seam sits narrow. The payoff when it fits perfectly is extraordinary, but it's ruthless if it doesn't.
Trousers — cut slim through the hip and thigh. The waist might feel fine, but the hip is where people get caught out. Check your low hip measurement against the table before every order.
Shirts — run slim through the body, especially across the chest. Fuller-busted women should size up without hesitation. Silk and fine cotton give nothing; they sit exactly where they sit.

Knitwear & Unisex Styles

This is the more accessible side of Wales Bonner — and honestly, some of the most wearable pieces in the whole collection live here. The striped heritage vests and crewneck knits are wardrobe workhorses once you have them.

Knitwear — generally true to size with comfortable ease. Far more forgiving than the tailoring. Styled loosely over wide-leg trousers, these pieces are brilliant for a huge range of body shapes.
Unisex T-shirts and casual tops — boxy and relaxed. True to size for a laid-back fit; size down if you want a cleaner line on a feminine frame.
Denim — sold in waist sizes 28–36. True to your waist measurement in the band, but can feel snug through the hip on curvier frames. Low hip measurement is your friend here.

The Adidas x Wales Bonner Collaboration: Sizing Notes

The Adidas pieces — tracksuits, track tops, and the sellout Samba trainers — behave a little differently to the mainline and are worth a dedicated note given how quickly they disappear.

Tracksuits and track tops — broadly true to size in the body, but slim through the arms. Broader shoulders or longer arms? Size up.
Samba trainers — true to size in length, but can run narrow. Half a size up if you have wider feet. Do not deliberate — these sell out at retail and rarely come back at original price.

My Honest Fit Verdict

Wales Bonner is a brand where "I'm usually a medium" will genuinely let you down. The precision of the tailoring means real measurements matter, every single time. That said — when this brand fits, it is extraordinary. The craftsmanship is exceptional, the cultural weight behind every collection is genuine, and there is a reason editors, stylists, and the most well-dressed people you know keep coming back to it.

Always size up in tailored pieces — blazers, structured trousers, fitted shirts
True to size for knitwear, unisex styles, and the Adidas collab apparel
Check your low hip measurement every time before ordering trousers or denim
Range stops at XL (approx. UK 16) — worth knowing upfront
Use your actual measurements, not your usual brand size — this is one label where the difference genuinely matters

If You Love Wales Bonner — What Else Should You Shop?

Whether it's the precise tailoring, the cultural richness, or the quiet authority of the pieces you're after, here are my picks at every tier.

High Street

Reiss — consistently the strongest high street option for sharp, considered tailoring. Blazers and trousers are reliably well-cut and the quality-to-price ratio is genuinely impressive. The natural first port of call for Wales Bonner admirers shopping at a lower price point.
Massimo Dutti — Spanish brand with exceptional tailoring credentials. Blazers in particular punch well above their price in terms of fabric and construction quality. A brilliant everyday substitute for Wales Bonner suiting.
Me&Em — British luxury high street at its most grown-up and considered. Beautifully made trousers, structured jackets, and quality knitwear in a register that speaks directly to the Wales Bonner customer.
Whistles — a British brand with real credibility for unfussy, structured tailoring that lasts. Particularly good for blazers and smart trousers. Widely praised by style editors for consistency of fit and quality.
Hobbs — excellent for British tailoring in quality fabrics with genuinely reliable sizing. Slightly more classic in sensibility but the craftsmanship and cut quality are very much in the right postcode.
LK Bennett — one of the best high street options for occasion tailoring and beautifully constructed dresses. If you love Wales Bonner's formal, polished edge, LK Bennett delivers it with great consistency.
Claudie Pierlot — French brand with a beautifully precise approach to elevated separates, relaxed tailoring, and considered knitwear. Very much in the same cultural lane as Wales Bonner in terms of artful, intelligent dressing.

Premium

A.P.C. — Parisian brand built on an identical devotion to precise construction and quality fabric. Marginally more accessible than Wales Bonner but with the same intellectual rigour in its approach to dressing. The tailoring is exceptional.
Margaret Howell — quintessentially British, impeccably made, and quietly radical in its commitment to craft and heritage. If Wales Bonner's ethos resonates with you, Margaret Howell will feel like a natural extension of that wardrobe thinking.

Luxury & Designer

Toteme — the Swedish luxury label that fashion editors reach for when they want considered, beautifully constructed tailoring in a minimal register. Consistently praised for outerwear and structured separates at the top of the market.
Lemaire — French luxury at its most thoughtful. The soft tailoring and relaxed precision of Lemaire shares a genuine design intelligence with Wales Bonner; a natural complement or alternative at a comparable price tier.

Two Independent Brands You Should Know About

Labrum London — a British-Sierra Leonean label doing extraordinary, culturally rooted tailoring. Founder Foday Dumbuya brings the same depth of research and cultural storytelling to his craft as Grace Wales Bonner herself. A genuinely important brand — and still relatively under the radar.
Ahluwalia — British designer Priya Ahluwalia makes richly researched, layered clothing from deadstock and surplus fabrics. The cultural intelligence, the craft, and the ethos align perfectly with the Wales Bonner customer. One of the most exciting names working in London right now.

Never Guess Your Size in Wales Bonner Again

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