How to Read a Size Chart Without Guessing

Most returns come down to one number being measured in the wrong place. Here is how to take the three that matter, and what our chart is telling you once you have them.

Take three measurements

Wear whatever underwear you would normally wear with the dress, because a different bra moves the bust measurement by an inch or more.

Bust. Around the fullest part, tape level all the way round and flat against your back. Breathe out.

Waist. The narrowest part of your torso, usually just above the navel. If you cannot find it, bend sideways and the crease that forms is your waist.

Hip. Around the fullest part, generally seven to nine inches below the waist. Keep your feet together.

Our numbers are body measurements, not garment measurements

This matters more than it sounds. A garment measurement tells you how wide the dress is when it lies flat, and you then have to work out how much room you want on top. A body measurement tells you which size was cut for a body like yours, with the ease already built in.

So compare your tape numbers directly to the chart. Do not add anything.

When you land between sizes

Take the larger of the two if the numbers disagree. Your bust nearly always decides it, because a bodice that is tight across the chest cannot be fixed, while a waist with an inch to spare disappears the moment you move.

The exception is when you want a closer line. If you are between sizes and want a more fitted look, size down. That is the only situation where we would tell you to.

Two things the chart cannot tell you

Height is one. A floor-length dress cut for someone at five foot seven will pool on someone at five foot two, and no size change fixes a hem. Where a style runs long we say so in the product details.

Stretch is the other. A ponte knit and a non-stretch crepe in the same size do not fit the same way, which is why the fabric is the first line of every product's details rather than the last.

The chart sits behind the Size guide link on every product page, next to the size buttons. Children's styles get their own chart, measured by height and chest rather than bust and hip.