Finding Your Fit in Relaxed Clothing

Fit

Relaxed clothing is harder to size than fitted clothing, which sounds backwards until you think about it. A fitted garment either closes or it does not. A relaxed one can be too small, correct, or three sizes too big and still fasten, so the label alone tells you very little.

Measure Something You Already Own

The most useful reference point is not your body but a piece in your own wardrobe that fits the way you want. Lay it flat, smooth out the wrinkles, and measure it. Comparing those numbers to a size chart means matching a known result rather than estimating one.

The Four Numbers That Matter

• Chest or bust, measured flat across. Double it for the full circumference. This decides whether a top drapes or pulls.
• Shoulder seam to shoulder seam. On a relaxed cut the seam is meant to sit past your shoulder point. How far past is the difference between deliberate and accidental.
• Total length from the high shoulder point. This sets where a top ends relative to your waistband, which changes the proportion of the whole outfit.
• Waist and rise on trousers. Rise governs where the waistband sits, and two inches of difference there changes the look more than a size does.

Fabric Changes the Reading

The same measurements behave differently in different cloth. A structured cotton holds its shape and keeps the volume the pattern intended. A soft viscose or a fine knit collapses toward the body and reads a size smaller than the numbers suggest. Where a fabric has stretch, the measurement is usually taken unstretched, so a small amount of negative ease is normal.

When You Are Between Sizes

For tops and dresses, take the larger size when you want the relaxed line the piece was cut for, and the smaller one when you plan to tuck or belt it. For trousers, go by the waist rather than the hip, since a waistband sitting wrong cannot be fixed by anything else in the outfit.

Check It Indoors, Tags Still On

Try things on at home before removing anything. Sit down in trousers, raise your arms in a top, walk across the room. A garment that fits standing still in front of a mirror does not always fit through a normal day, and those three movements tell you inside a minute.

If the answer turns out to be no, the prepaid label is already in the box and no explanation is required, which our Return & Refund Policy sets out in full. Sizing questions on a specific piece are answered by email, and the ground people ask about most is covered on our FAQs page.

If anything on this page is unclear, write to us before you order and we will answer in full.