Size Guide
The size you
already wear.
Everything is cut to one set of measurements, so a Small stays a Small across the collection. The figures here describe the body, not the garment — find yourself in the chart and the piece will follow.
Body measurements
- XS
- Bust82–85 cm
- Waist64–66 cm
- Hip89–91 cm
- Shoulder35–36.5 cm
- S
- Bust88–90 cm
- Waist69–71 cm
- Hip94–96 cm
- Shoulder36.5–38 cm
- M
- Bust93–95 cm
- Waist74–76 cm
- Hip99–102 cm
- Shoulder38–39.5 cm
- L
- Bust99–104 cm
- Waist80–85 cm
- Hip105–110 cm
- Shoulder39.5–41 cm
| Size | Bust | Waist | Hip | Shoulder |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XS | 82–85 | 64–66 | 89–91 | 35–36.5 |
| S | 88–90 | 69–71 | 94–96 | 36.5–38 |
| M | 93–95 | 74–76 | 99–102 | 38–39.5 |
| L | 99–104 | 80–85 | 105–110 | 39.5–41 |
Measurements are of the body, in centimetres. The garment is cut larger than this — how much larger depends on the piece.
International
We cut to US sizing. These are the nearest equivalents elsewhere — near enough to start from, though every house grades a little differently. Where a label and a measurement disagree, trust the measurement.
| Size | US | UK | EU | JP | KR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XS | 0–2 | 4–6 | 32–34 | 5–7 | 44 |
| S | 4–6 | 8–10 | 36–38 | 9–11 | 55 |
| M | 8–10 | 12–14 | 40–42 | 13–15 | 66 |
| L | 12–14 | 16–18 | 44–46 | 17–19 | 77 |
French sizes run two numbers above EU — a 36 EU is a 38 FR. Italian sizes run six above: the same piece is a 42 IT.
How to measure
Measure over bare skin or thin underwear, standing relaxed with your arms down. Keep the tape level the whole way round and snug against you, but never pulled tight enough to press in.
- Bust
- Around the fullest part, tape level under the arms and flat across the back. Wear the bra you would wear with the piece — it moves the number by a full size in some cases.
- Waist
- Around the natural waist: the narrowest point, above the navel and below the ribs. Bend to one side and the crease that forms is the line you want. Breathe normally.
- Hip
- Heels together, around the fullest part — usually 20 cm / 8 in below the waist. Include the seat, not just the hip bone.
- Shoulder
- Across the back, from the bony point of one shoulder to the other. Easiest with help, or taken flat from a jacket that already fits you well.
- Sleeve
- From the shoulder point, over a slightly bent elbow, to the wrist bone. Worth knowing when a piece is described as having an extended or dropped sleeve.
- Inseam
- From the crotch seam straight down to where you want the hem to sit, in the shoes you intend to wear with it. Our trouser pages list the inseam we cut.
No tape measure? Lay a piece you already own flat, measure straight across the chest and double it. That is a garment measurement rather than a body one, so expect it to read larger than the chart — what it tells you is how much room you actually like.
Fit by category
One measurement decides the size in most cases. This is the one to trust for each part of the collection.
- Outerwear
- Cut for layering, with the shoulder built up and the body left generous. Go by your bust measurement and stay with your usual size — going up mainly lengthens the sleeve. Size up once only if a heavy knit underneath is the plan every time you wear it.
- Top & Shirt
- Go by bust. Shirts are drafted with room through the chest and a curved hem meant to be half tucked; anything described as slim follows the body and has little ease to give.
- Knit
- Go by bust, and take the smaller size when you fall between two — fine gauge relaxes with wear and settles about half a size after the first day.
- Pants
- Go by hip first, waist second: a waistband is a simple alteration and a seat is not. High-rise styles sit at the natural waist, so measure there rather than where you usually wear jeans.
- Skirt & Dress
- Go by the largest of your three measurements. Bias-cut pieces skim rather than hold, so they forgive half a size in either direction; a straight column does not.
Fit words
What the lines under Details on each product page actually mean.
- Slim
- Follows the body with little ease. Take your true size.
- Straight
- Skims from the shoulder or the waist without tapering. Reads relaxed without adding volume.
- Relaxed
- Deliberate room through the body — roughly a size of ease already drafted in, so there is no need to go up.
- Unstructured
- No shoulder pad, no lining, no interfacing. It falls with the fabric instead of holding a shape.
- Dropped shoulder
- The shoulder seam sits below your own shoulder point on purpose. Go by bust and ignore the shoulder line.
- High rise
- The waistband sits at the natural waist, above the navel — measure there, not at the hip.
- Bias cut
- Cut across the grain so the cloth moves and gives diagonally. Forgiving through the waist and hip.
Between sizes
Most pieces are drafted with room through the shoulder and body, so the garment measures well above the body measurements in the chart. Where a piece runs closer or fuller than usual, its product page says so under Details.
- Take the smaller size
- In knits and anything ribbed, and in pieces described as relaxed — the ease is already drafted in, and going up reads as borrowed rather than intended.
- Take the larger size
- In outerwear and tailoring you mean to layer under, in anything described as slim, and when your bust or hip sits at the very top of a range.
- When two measurements disagree
- Buy for the larger one and have the smaller taken in. A waist is a straightforward alteration; a bust or a seat is not.
- Still unsure
- Send us your bust, waist and hip with the piece you are looking at, and we will tell you which size we would cut for you.
Questions about a particular piece — care@wooahe.com, Monday to Friday. Returns are free within 30 days on unworn pieces with tags attached, so ordering two sizes to compare is entirely fine — see shipping and returns.