Size Converter

Clothing sizes are built on three body measurements. Take them over thin underwear with a soft tape, standing relaxed, and keep the tape level all the way around.

1. Bust: Around the fullest part of your chest, with the tape straight across your back.
2. Waist: Around the narrowest part of your torso, usually just above the belly button. Do not suck in.
3. Hips: Around the fullest part of your bottom, with your feet together.

These numbers anchor you to a base size. From there the conversion chart below translates that base into every country label, so you can shop German, British, American, Italian or French stores with confidence.

This table is the one to bookmark. Read across the row to switch any size into another country's system.

One thing to notice straight away: the German EU and Italian numbers look similar but are six apart, and the French numbers are two below the EU. It is easy to grab an Italian 44 thinking it equals an EU 44, when it is actually closer to an EU 38.

Say you usually wear a German 38. Find 38 in the first column and read across. You are a UK 12, a US 8, an Italian 44 and a French 40.

Now flip it. You see a beautiful dress labelled US 6 in an American shop. Find 6 in the US column, slide left and across: that is a German 36, a UK 10, an Italian 42, a French 38. No guessing, no maths in your head.

These conversions are the standard reference, but they describe label numbers, not bodies. Vanity sizing means an American 8 in one brand can fit like a 6 in another. Cut matters even more: a fitted Italian blazer and a relaxed German knit can both say your size and feel a world apart.

Treat the chart as your translation, then let your three measurements break the tie. If your bust says one size and your hips another, choose the size that fits the part of you that is hardest to alter, usually the shoulders and bust for tops, the hips for trousers and skirts.

• Trusting the label number across borders. An IT 44 is not an EU 44. Always convert through the chart.
• Measuring over thick clothing. It adds centimetres and pushes you a size up. Measure over thin underwear.
• Holding the tape too tight or too loose. It should sit flat against the skin, snug enough to stay put, loose enough to slip a finger under.
• Picking one size for the whole body. Many of us are different sizes top and bottom. Buy for the larger area and tailor the rest.

Keep your three measurements saved on your phone in centimetres. Most international size guides on a brand's own page are given in centimetres, not just label numbers, so your raw figures are the most reliable key you own. When a brand offers its own size chart, use that one over any generic conversion, because it reflects how that label actually cuts its clothes. The conversion table here gets you in the right zone fast, and your measurements get you the rest of the way.