Which Brands Get Sizing So Right?

The brands that get sizing right are the ones that publish actual garment measurements, keep the same fit block for years rather than quietly redrawing it each season, and cut proper petite and tall ranges instead of just chopping a hem. On the UK high street that means Boden, Uniqlo, Next, COS, Seasalt Cornwall and Levi's. Further up, Me+Em, Baukjen and Max Mara are the reliable ones.

What "getting sizing right" actually means

It isn't about running true to size. Plenty of brands run small and are still brilliant, because they run small consistently — you learn the rule once and you're sorted forever. The brands that fail are the ones where a 12 fits in one dress and gapes in the next, in the same collection.

After twenty years of dressing clients, here's what separates the good from the maddening:

One block, held for years. The pattern block is the master template. Brands that keep theirs stable are the ones you can shop blind.
Garment measurements, not just body measurements. A size chart telling you a 12 has a 92cm bust is useless — that's your body. Tell me what the actual garment measures and I can tell you how it will sit.
Proportional length ranges. A real petite is redrawn from the shoulder down: shorter rise, higher waist seam, shallower armhole. A shortened hem is not a petite.
No vanity drift. If last year's 10 is this year's 8, they've flattered you at the cost of every returns label you'll now be printing.

The high street brands that get it right

Boden — the most consistent mainstream brand in Britain, and it isn't close. Same block year after year, and genuinely re-proportioned petite, tall and long options rather than token ones. If you're a Boden 12, you'll be a Boden 12 in five years' time.

Uniqlo — runs roughly a size smaller than the UK norm, and I count that as a win, because it does it everywhere. Japanese block, minimal seasonal drift, and full garment specs on every listing. Learn your Uniqlo size once and you never check again.

Next — deeply underrated for fit. Tailoring, jersey and denim all sit on the same logic, and the petite range is properly drafted. My most reliable brand for a client who can't get to a fitting.

COS — architectural rather than body-conscious, so people assume it's inconsistent. It isn't. The ease is designed in and it's the same ease every season. If a COS medium swamped you last year, it will swamp you identically this year.

Seasalt Cornwall — cut for real British bodies, with a slightly roomier waist that doesn't shift. A 14 is a 14, and it accommodates a thicker middle without pretending it hasn't.

Levi's — numerical waist and inseam sizing means you're buying a measurement, not a marketing size. Different styles have different rises, but the numbers hold across the range.

Sweaty Betty — the most dependable activewear on the high street. True to size, with a compression fit that's intentional rather than accidental. If it feels snug at first, that's the design, not a size error.

M&S — consistent in principle, variable in practice. Reliable within a sub-brand, less so across them. Learn your Autograph size and your Per Una size separately and you'll be fine.

Where premium brands earn their money

Me+Em — the standout. Real length ranges for tall and petite, and fit notes on every product that actually mean something. You're paying partly for the fitting rooms behind the collection.

Baukjen — quiet, unshowy consistency in workwear. The tailoring is drafted for a defined waist and stays that way.

Whistles — reliable across dresses and tailoring, cut slightly narrow through the shoulder. Consistent enough that you can shop it online without flinching.

Sézane — runs small and always has. I'd still put it in this list, because it's predictably small. Size up once, apply the rule permanently.

Luxury: the labels worth learning

Max Mara — Italian sizing, unchanged for decades. The coats in particular are drafted with such stability that a vintage one fits like a current one.

Joseph — precise, narrow, uncompromising. Not generous, but never surprising.

Totême — Scandinavian volume that reads oversized, but sits on a stable block. What you learn in the shirts applies to the coats.

Two independents doing it beautifully

Albaray — a small British label with an unusually steady block and honest product photography on multiple bodies. Fit notes written by someone who clearly does the fittings themselves.

Aligne — modern, slightly relaxed tailoring with a fit that holds across their whole range. The only brand I've recommended to three clients in one week without a single return.

My most expensive lesson

Years ago I bought four pieces from a single collection at a brand I won't name — same size, same season, same shoot. Two fitted, one was a tent, one wouldn't do up over my ribcage. That was the day I stopped trusting the number on the label and started reading garment measurements instead. My best fashion win came from the opposite habit: a Max Mara coat bought secondhand, unseen, based purely on the fact that their block hadn't moved in fifteen years. It fitted perfectly.

What to do when a brand doesn't get it right

Buy to your largest measurement, then have it taken in. Letting out is far harder.
Check the reviews for the phrase "sized up" — that's your real size chart.
Structured fabric needs your true size. Anything with stretch will forgive you.
Never buy two sizes "to compare" in a brand you already know. That's a returns habit, not a fitting strategy.

How Tellar takes the guesswork out

This is exactly the problem Tellar.co.uk was built to solve. It's the UK's leading sizing tool: your body matched exactly to 1,500-plus brands instantly, so you never have to open a size guide again.

Measure once — bust, waist and hip, or simply enter your existing size in a brand you already know.
Use the Store Size Lookup tool to get your precise size in any brand — COS, Reiss, Everlane, Arket and hundreds more: tellar.co.uk/store-size-lookup
Always free, no downloads, works straight in your browser.

There's also the Tellar Fashion Hub — a library stacked with free posts from our top stylists covering every fashion query going. Style advice, top picks, best brands. Honest, unbiased, independent and always free.

Find your size in 1,500+ brands — free

Stop guessing and stop returning. Measure once and let Tellar tell you your exact size in every brand in this post.

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