US, UK or EU Sizing? The Only Conversion Guide You'll Need

You've found the dress. It ships to your country. And then the size dropdown says EU 38, and you have absolutely no idea whether that's you.

This is the single most common reason people abandon an international order — not price, not shipping, but the quiet fear of ordering the wrong size and dealing with a return across a border. Here are the conversions you need, and — more usefully — the reasons the charts sometimes lie.

Women's clothing

The reliable rule of thumb: UK = US + 4, and EU = US + 30. So a US 6 is a UK 10 and an EU 36.

Women's shoes

Shoes are where conversion charts are least trustworthy, because EU shoe sizing doesn't map cleanly onto US or UK increments. Treat this as a starting point, not gospel.

Men's clothing

Men have it easier: US and UK jacket/suit sizes are identical, and EU is simply US + 10. Shirts are sized by collar measurement, which is refreshingly honest.

Browse men's and shoes — and check what's popular before you size up:

Why the chart is only half the answer

Here's the uncomfortable truth that sizing guides rarely admit: there is no legally enforced sizing standard. "US 8" means whatever each brand decides it means. Two dresses, same size label, same country — and a full inch of difference in the waist.

Three things distort a size beyond the chart:

• Vanity sizing. Many Western brands quietly enlarge garments while keeping the label the same, because a smaller number sells. A US 8 today is roomier than a US 8 from twenty years ago — and brands vary in how far they've drifted.
• Asian sizing runs smaller. If you're buying from a store that sizes to an Asian fit, expect to go up one or often two sizes from your usual. This is the single most common cause of a disappointing international order.
• Cut beats size. A tailored blazer and an oversized one in the same nominal size fit completely differently. The size tells you the block; it doesn't tell you the shape.

The size on the label is a suggestion. The measurements in centimetres are the fact.

Measure yourself once. Use it forever.

Ten minutes with a soft tape measure will save you more failed orders than any conversion chart. Write these down and keep them in your phone:

1. Bust / chest — around the fullest part, tape level, arms down.
2. Waist — the narrowest point, usually just above the navel. Don't hold your breath in; you'll have to wear it.
3. Hips — around the fullest part, usually about 20cm below the waist.
4. Inseam — from crotch to ankle, along the inside of the leg. Measure a pair of trousers that already fit rather than yourself; it's easier and more accurate.
5. Foot length — heel to longest toe, standing, in the evening.

Ordering internationally with confidence

Sizing is only nerve-wracking when a return is expensive. A few habits make the whole thing low-risk:

• Always open the store's own size chart. Not a generic one — theirs. Every reputable retailer publishes garment measurements in cm. That chart beats any conversion table on the internet, including this one.
• Check the returns policy before you buy, not after. Specifically: do they accept returns from your country, and who pays the return shipping? For a fit-sensitive item, that answer should decide whether you order at all.
• Read reviews for fit, not stars. "Runs small, order a size up" from three different buyers is worth more than the entire chart above.
• When you're between sizes, size up — for anything structured (blazers, shoes, tailoring). Size down only for knitwear and anything with real stretch.
• Buy one first. If you love a brand, order a single item to learn their fit before committing to a bigger basket.

Every store we feature ships worldwide, and prices are shown in your own currency — so the only thing left to get right is the size. Start with women's, men's, or see what's discounted right now: