What Size Am I in Undercover? A UK Fit Guide to Jun Takahashi's Cult Japanese Label

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

Undercover uses Japanese sizing, which means the label runs noticeably narrower and shorter through the body than standard UK or European sizing — as a rule of thumb, size up by one from your usual UK size when buying tops, trousers, or outerwear. It's one of those brands that genuinely rewards a bit of homework before you click 'buy', and I say that from personal experience of an Undercover jacket arriving that I could barely get over my shoulders. Gorgeous piece, completely wrong size, devastatingly expensive mistake.

Who Is Undercover?

If you're new to the brand, a quick introduction: Undercover is the Tokyo-based label founded by Jun Takahashi in 1990. It is essentially Japanese punk filtered through high-concept fashion — asymmetric tailoring, cryptic slogans, dark graphics, and silhouettes that feel like they've been dreamed up in a very good art school. Takahashi famously launched his label out of a stall in Harajuku alongside his school friend Nigo (yes, the same Nigo who founded Bape), and went on to show at Paris Fashion Week, sending out some of the most talked-about collections of the 2000s.

The brand sits in the designer bracket in terms of price and prestige, but the aesthetic is raw, anti-establishment, and genuinely surprising every season. There is nothing quite like it, which is also what makes getting the size right so important. These are not pieces you want to return.

Understanding Japanese Sizing — The Key Facts

Undercover sizes its womenswear using the Japanese system, numbered 1 through 4 (occasionally you'll also see XS–XL on specific pieces or collaborations). Japanese clothing sizes are calibrated to a slimmer, shorter frame than UK sizing — expect the cut to be narrower through the torso, upper arm, and hip than a same-numbered European equivalent.

Undercover (JP)UK SizeEU SizeUS SizeBust (cm)Waist (cm)Hips (cm)1836484679121038688719531240892759941442109679103

Use this as your starting point — but read on, because Undercover's fit story is more nuanced than any single table can capture.

How Undercover Fits by Garment Type

Jun Takahashi does not design with sizing consistency in mind — he designs with intent. Some pieces are deliberately oversized to create volume and drama. Others are precisely cropped or cut close to the body. The season matters enormously. Here's how to approach each category:

T-shirts and tops: Expect a boxy or slightly cropped fit. Most styles run true to Japanese size, but the body length can be short and the chest area will feel snug if you have a fuller bust. Always check the product measurements before buying if shopping online.
Outerwear and parkas: Many of Undercover's most iconic outer pieces — the graphic parkas, the layered coats, the deconstructed bombers — are intentionally oversized. Sticking to your converted Japanese size (or even going down a size) is perfectly fine here and gives you the intended voluminous silhouette that makes these pieces so distinctive.
Jackets and blazers: These tend to be shorter in the torso and structured quite tightly across the chest and shoulders. Sizing up is frequently necessary — particularly if you have broader shoulders or a fuller bust. My expensive lesson involved exactly this category. I should have sized up to a 3 from my usual 2. The jacket was exquisite; the fit was not.
Trousers: Cut slim through the thigh with a tendency towards a shorter leg length than UK brands. If you have curvy hips, size up. The waistband usually has some flexibility, but the seat and thigh will not.
Dresses and skirts: Often layered and asymmetric, making them more forgiving. True to size or one up depending on your bust measurement. These are often the easiest Undercover pieces to size confidently.

My Honest Fit Verdict

Undercover is not a simple brand to size in, and anyone who tells you otherwise hasn't bought enough of it. The Japanese origin sizing runs slim and short by UK standards, and the intentional design variation across seasons means a size 2 in one collection may feel entirely different to a size 2 in another. If you can try before you buy — at a stockist like Dover Street Market or Selfridges — brilliant. If you're shopping online, always check the individual garment measurements rather than relying on the size label alone.

My personal approach: I know I'm a UK 10–12, which puts me in the size 2–3 territory. For anything with structure through the shoulders, I go 3. For outerwear I want to look voluminous in, I stick to 2. For anything else, I check the chest measurement first, always.

Alternatives to Undercover — Every Budget

Let's be honest: Undercover is expensive. Pieces regularly sit in the £300–£1,000+ range, and archival pieces command considerably more. The good news is that the dark, deconstructed, graphic aesthetic Takahashi pioneered has genuinely influenced a huge range of the market. Here are my picks for capturing the spirit of Undercover at every price point.

High street alternatives worth genuinely considering:

All Saints — probably the best high street match for Undercover's energy. Dark palettes, leather details, asymmetric layering. Solid quality for the price and the aesthetic feels intentional rather than trend-chasing.
COS — impeccable for clean experimental silhouettes and architectural cuts. The sizing runs slim (EU-based), so size up, but the quality is genuinely excellent and the design ethos is considered.
Urban Outfitters — consistently stocks graphic, oversized pieces with a streetwear-meets-fashion DNA that clearly borrows from the same Japanese influences Takahashi helped pioneer.
Topshop — back online and still strong on avant-garde-leaning shapes, asymmetric hems, and dark seasonal palettes. Good for trend-led pieces at accessible prices.
Whistles — delivers consistently sharp tailoring with interesting textural details. More polished than Undercover's aesthetic, but the quality and considered approach to cut overlap nicely.
Massimo Dutti — for elevated, cleanly designed pieces with a nod towards minimalist dressing. Their outerwear punches well above its price point and the dark seasonal colours translate well.
Mango — frequently produces genuinely fashion-forward pieces: structured jackets, oversized coats, graphic tees with real editorial quality. Good for Undercover-adjacent dressing without the price tag.
Zara — always worth checking for runway-influenced outerwear and statement pieces. Quality is inconsistent but when they get it right, they really get it right, and the turnaround on trend references is very fast.

Premium alternatives:

Acne Studios — the closest in spirit at the premium end. Swedish minimalism with a dark emotional edge, similarly obsessive about silhouette and fabric. Sizing is more consistent and runs European/slim.
Maison Margiela — deconstruction, cryptic branding, anti-fashion fashion. If you love what Undercover does conceptually, Margiela is the natural next step.
Sacai — another Japanese label with a similar obsession with unexpected construction and hybrid silhouettes. The sizing, like Undercover, runs narrow. Size up.

Luxury and designer:

Comme des Garçons — the mother ship. Rei Kawakubo was one of Takahashi's key mentors and supporters, and the DNA is visible in every Undercover collection. If you love Undercover, CDG is essential.
Yohji Yamamoto — the other great pillar of Japanese avant-garde fashion. Darker, more poetic, extraordinarily constructed, and a natural companion to Undercover in any serious wardrobe.

Two independent labels worth discovering:

Aries — a London-based cult label with serious Undercover energy. Graphic-heavy, punk-influenced, and genuinely worn by people who know their fashion. Find them at Dover Street Market and independent boutiques across London.
Mame Kurogouchi — a beautiful Japanese independent label with a quieter, more feminine take on experimental Japanese design. Less dark than Undercover but equally thoughtful in construction and entirely worth seeking out if you love Japanese fashion's softer side.

Never Guess Your Undercover Size Again

Japanese sizing, intentionally varied silhouettes, and cuts that change every season — Undercover is genuinely one of the trickier labels to size online. Tellar.co.uk takes the guesswork out of it entirely.

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