Italian to UK clothing sizes

Italian to UK size chart

The Nordstrom column applies Nordstrom’s published offset (two higher) to UK 6 to 20, the range where it holds.

Each Italian size in UK sizes

• IT 38 is a UK 6 on the John Lewis and Veronica Beard charts.
• IT 40 is a UK 8 on the John Lewis and Veronica Beard charts.
• IT 42 is a UK 10 on the John Lewis and Veronica Beard charts.
• IT 44 is a UK 12 on the John Lewis and Veronica Beard charts.
• IT 46 is a UK 14 on the John Lewis and Veronica Beard charts.
• IT 48 is a UK 16 on the John Lewis and Veronica Beard charts.
• IT 50 is a UK 18 on the John Lewis and Veronica Beard charts.
• IT 52 is a UK 20 on the John Lewis and Veronica Beard charts.
• IT 54 is a UK 22 on the John Lewis and Veronica Beard charts.
• IT 56 is a UK 24 on the John Lewis and Veronica Beard charts.
• IT 58 is a UK 26 on the John Lewis and Veronica Beard charts.

On Nordstrom’s chart the same UK sizes sit two Italian sizes higher, for example UK 12 as IT 46.

Where the charts disagree

• John Lewis and Veronica Beard list Italian sizes as the UK size plus 32.
• Nordstrom and Joe’s Jeans list them two higher for UK 4 to 16 (UK 12 as IT 46). Nordstrom keeps that offset up to UK 20, while Joe’s Jeans agrees with John Lewis from UK 20.
• No consistent Italian figure is published for UK 4 or UK 28.

Where a brand publishes its own centimetre chart, the centimetres matter more than either version of the label.

Why brands still vary

A conversion maps one label to another. It cannot know how a particular brand has cut and graded its sizes.

• Labels drift. Vanity sizing means the same number can describe a larger garment than it did years ago, and brands do not drift at the same pace.
• Body and garment measurements differ. A body chart says which body a size is meant for; a garment chart measures the finished item.
• Cut and fabric change the answer. A slim shirt, a relaxed coat and a stretch trouser can carry the same label and leave very different room.

Here is a worked example from the converter. Marks & Spencer lists a UK 12 at a 92 cm bust, 75 cm waist and 100 cm hips. Nordstrom’s designer conversion chart lists a US 8, which converts to UK 12, at about 89 cm bust, 69 cm waist and 95 cm hips. The labels convert cleanly, yet the waist differs by about 6 cm.

How to measure yourself

A conversion only shortlists a size. Your own measurements in centimetres, checked against the brand's size chart, decide it.

1. Bust: measure around the fullest part, keeping the tape level under your arms.
2. Waist: measure around the narrowest part of your natural waist, usually just above the belly button.
3. Hips: stand with your feet together and measure around the fullest part of your hips and seat.

Keep the tape snug but not tight, and wear light clothing. Then look for whether the brand's chart shows body measurements or garment measurements; a garment measurement includes the room the item is cut with. Our explainer on what "true to size" means covers how to read fit notes such as "runs small" or "relaxed fit".

A note for merchants

Shoppers search for conversions because a single size label does not tell them how a garment will fit. If you sell clothes online, publish a size chart in centimetres for each product, say whether it shows body or garment measurements, and add a short fit note. A free size chart template is a quick place to start. On Shopify, Rendered Fits recommends a size for each product from your own size chart, so shoppers do not need a converter; there is a Free plan.

Other size conversions

• UK to US women’s clothing sizes
• US to UK women’s clothing and jeans sizes
• EU and French to UK women’s sizes
• German to UK clothing sizes
• UK to EU men’s suits, trousers and shirts
• UK and US shoe sizes, both ways

Every table in one place: the clothing size converter, or the size conversion guides index.