Size & fit

Two numbers decide whether a garment fits: your body measurements, and the garment's flat measurements. We publish both, on every product page, for every size.

How to measure yourself

BUST — FULLEST PARTWAIST — NARROWEST PARTHIP — ABOUT 20CM BELOWINSEAMTO THE HEM YOU WANT
  • Bust — around the fullest part, tape level, arms down.
  • Waist — the narrowest part of your torso, usually just above the navel.
  • Hip — around the fullest part, roughly 20 cm below the waist.
  • Inseam — from crotch seam to where you want the hem to sit, measured on trousers you already own and like.

Measure over underwear, not over clothes, and don't pull the tape tight.

The trick that actually works

Don't measure yourself and hope. Take a garment you already own and love the fit of, lay it flat, and measure it edge to edge across the chest, the waist and the hip. Then compare those numbers to our flat measurements for the same style. You are matching a fit you already know against a fit you can't try on, which is far more reliable than guessing from a size letter.

Garment measurements

Every product page carries a flat measurement table for that style in every size. Flat measurements are the garment laid down and measured edge to edge — so a 50 cm chest measurement is a 100 cm garment circumference.

The Rosie tiered midi dress laid flat, as garment measurements are taken
Laid flat, edge to edge — the way every measurement on a Sewn product page is taken.

Fit intent

Each style says how it is meant to sit, because “true to size” means nothing on its own.

  • 01Relaxed

    Deliberate ease through the body. Sizing down reads as fitted, not as your usual size.
  • 02True

    Sits close to the body measurements above.
  • 03Oversized

    Cut well beyond the body. Take your usual size unless you want it enormous.

Fabric changes the fit

The same pattern in two fabrics does not wear the same. Ramie and un-washed linen have no give and feel more exact. Cotton gauze relaxes noticeably within an hour of wearing. Merino has mechanical stretch from the knit structure and will accommodate a half size either way.

Whether a fabric was garment washed before it was made up also matters, and it matters most at the moment you pick a size: a pre-washed fabric has already done its shrinking, so what you measure is what you keep. One that hasn't will move a little on its first cold wash. Which is which is on our fabrics.

Still unsure

Email us your measurements and the style you're looking at and we'll tell you which size we'd cut. Because every piece is made to order, getting the size right the first time saves you the whole production wait a second time — so we would much rather spend five minutes on this than process an exchange. See returns and exchanges if we get it wrong.