What Is Sizing Like at We Are We Wear?

By Ella Blake – Senior fashion stylist & Founder | Tellar — Always honest, unbiased, & unsponsored post

We Are We Wear runs true to UK high-street sizing across both their swim and lingerie, with bikinis sold as separates so you can pair a different cup size with your band — which, honestly, is one of the kindest things a swimwear brand can do for the rest of us. Sizes generally run XS to XXL (roughly UK 6 to UK 22), and the bra-cup range stretches from A to G on most styles. After dressing hundreds of clients for everything from beach holidays to honeymoon shoots, I'll happily say it: We Are We Wear is one of the easier UK brands to fit, and a quiet hero for anyone who's spent too many summers shoving themselves into a bikini top that doesn't actually fit.

How the sizing actually fits

The swim is cut slightly streamlined but with proper, recoverable stretch — they use a recycled nylon-elastane blend that holds you in without that vacuum-pack feeling. The lingerie sits softer and less structured, more boudoir than boardroom.

A few things worth knowing from my own wardrobe and from fittings:

True to size on bust and hips — if you're a UK 12, you're an M.
Triangle and bralette tops are a touch snugger than the moulded or underwired styles — size your cup up if you're caught between.
Bottoms sit mid-rise on most styles and genuinely don't dig in.
The lingerie is gentler than an M&S or Calvin Klein bra — pretty and soft, not heavy-lifted.

A personal one: I bought their classic black moulded top last summer in my usual cup size and it gave me lifted, polished shape under a slip dress at a wedding in Mallorca — and I'm a 32E, which is usually the kiss of death for high-street cup sizing. Genuinely impressed.

The mix-and-match magic

This is the bit I rave about to clients. Most of us aren't proportional in swim — I'm a 10 on the bottom and a 12 on top — and We Are We Wear lets you buy every piece separately. No more shelling out for a "set" that only fits one half of you. Pair a full-cup top with a smaller brief, swap a moulded cup for a tie-side bottom, or pair plain black bottoms with a printed top. It's how stylists shop for shoots, and it's how the rest of us should shop for holiday.

My fit tips before you click "buy"

Measure your underbust and bust properly before ordering — their size guide is one of the more accurate ones on the UK market, but you need real numbers, not guesses.
Between cup sizes? Size up if you're full on top, down if you're shallower.
Side-tie bottoms can sit very high-leg — size up if you'd rather more coverage.
Hand-wash and dry flat — chlorine and tumble dryers wreck recycled swim fabric, and you'll lose all the recovery fast.

Best high-street alternatives if you can't decide

If your colour or print is out of stock at We Are We Wear, or you fancy a fit comparison, these are the high-street brands I steer clients towards:

M&S — the most reliable inclusive swim on the UK high street, with properly cup-sized bikinis up to G cup and tummy-control swimsuits that genuinely do what they promise.
Boden — the best place for prints, classic shapes and a slightly longer body length if you're taller. Their swim runs marginally generous on the bust.
Seasalt Cornwall — beautiful textured fabrics and proper coverage for real bodies, with Cornish-print swimsuits that look painted on (in a good way).
Asos — where I send clients hunting trend-led swim under £30, plus their own-label mix-and-match. They also stock We Are We Wear, which makes it a useful one-stop fit-checker.
Lands' End — outstanding body-shaping swim, separates by cup size, and chlorine-resistant fabric that lasts three holidays, not three swims.
Hush — soft, understated swim in flattering shapes if you'd rather elegance than high-street trend.
Sweaty Betty — for anyone who actually swims rather than poses; their sporty cuts hold everything in place for proper lengths.

Two independents worth knowing

Youswim — a London-based brand making genuinely brilliant one-size stretch swimwear that fits UK 4 to UK 16. A category-shifting independent and one of my honest favourites.
Stay Wild Swim — a sustainable UK indie crafted from recycled ocean plastic, with clean architectural shapes and the kind of grown-up palette that photographs beautifully on a beach.

Premium pick

Hunza G — the cult crinkle-fabric swimsuit Princess Diana made famous. One-size stretch, instantly flattering, and one of the few swim purchases that genuinely lasts a decade.

Luxury pick

Eres — the French swim house every fashion editor quietly owns. Beautifully tailored, no logos, no fuss. Their black maillot is the closest thing to a forever investment in swim.

Final word from me

If you've been burned by swimwear that doesn't fit — and most of us have — We Are We Wear is one of the kindest, most flexible UK brands to start with, especially if you sit between standard sizes or carry a bigger cup. Buy your separates by cup and hip, treat the fabric carefully, and you'll get years out of it.

Stop guessing your size — let Tellar do it for you

Tellar.co.uk is the UK's leading sizing tool — your body measured once, then instantly matched across 1,500+ brands so you never have to read a size guide again.

Measure once using bust, waist, hip, or your existing size in a brand you trust.
Use the Store Size Lookup tool to get your precise size in any brand — We Are We Wear, COS, Reiss, Boden, Everlane, Arket and more.
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