Many voyagers like to shop for clothes abroad. Some types of clothes might be significantly cheaper in another country, and often you can find things that you're unable to find in your home country.
When buying clothes abroad (or from a foreign online store) you may however run into a number of different systems for clothing sizes. In some stores (let alone in open-air markets and similar places) there are not facilities available for trying clothes, so having a reference of the local size system at hand can be useful.
In some cases clothes are marked by letters like S(mall), M(edium), L(arge), XL (extra large) and so on — souvenir t-shirts are often marked this way. However these do in practice vary — for example clothes of a certain size sold on the Asian market are often a bit smaller than American equivalents. Finally, clothing markings may be faulty or entirely missing.
Women
Comparison tables
Women's dresses and suits
United States
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
UK
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
26
28
Germany
30
32
34
36
38
40
42
44
46
48
50
52
54
France
32
34
36
38
40
42
44
46
48
50
52
54
56
Italy
36
38
40
42
44
46
48
50
52
54
56
58
60
Korea
44
44
55
55
66
66
77
77
88
88
Women's clothing sizes
USA
4
6
8
10
12
UK
8
10
12
14
16
France
36
38
40
42
44
Japanese
7
11
15
17
21
Bust
32"
34"
36"
38"
40"
81cm
86cm
91cm
97cm
102cm
Waist
24"
26.5"
29"
31"
33"
61cm
67cm
74cm
79cm
84cm
Hip
35"
37"
39"
41"
43"
89cm
94cm
99cm
104cm
109cm
Women’s blouses and sweaters
EU
40
42
44
46
48
50
UK
34
36
38
40
42
44
US
32
34
36
38
40
42
Children’s junior misses dresses and coats
EU
28
30
32
34
36
38
40
42
UK
3
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
US
1
3
5
7
9
11
13
15
Korean casual / underwear (KS 051 - 2009)
Dress size
3XS
XXS
XS
S
M
L
XL
XXL
3XL
4XL
Bust (cm)
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
105
110-115
120-125
Japanese dresses sizes (JIS L 4005 - 2001)
Dress size
3
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
21
23
25
27
29
31
Bust (cm)
74
77
80
83
86
89
92
96
100
104
108
112
116
120
124
Japanese dresses length modifiers
Modifier
PP (double-petite)
P (petite)
R (regular)
T (tall)
Subject Height (cm)
142
150
158
166
Additional hip girth (cm)
0
0
2
4
Japanese dresses fit modifiers
Modifier
Y
A
AB
B
Additional hip girth (cm)
0
4
8
12
e.g. a dress marked 13-Y-PP or 13-Y-P would be designed for someone with an 89cm bust and 89cm hips, while a dress marked 13-B-T would be targeted at a taller individual with 105cm hips, but the same 89cm bust. The B fitting adds 12cm and the T height modifier 4cm to the base hip measurement 89 + 16 = 105cm. Additionally there are a set of age based waist adjustments, such that a dress marketed at someone in their 60s may allow for a waist 9cm larger than a dress, of the same size, marketed at someone in their 20s. The age based adjustments allow for up to a 3cm increase in girth, per decade of life.
Italian sizes (ITA)
Dress sizes are calculated as follows:
Standard dress size = (Bust Circumference cm / 2)
French sizes (FRA/BEL)
Dress sizes are calculated as follows:
Standard dress size = (Bust Circumference cm / 2) - 4
Germanic sizes (DE/AT/NL/SE/DK)
Dress sizes are calculated as follows:
Standard dress size (Height 164–170cm) = (Bust Circumference cm / 2 ) - 6
Short dress sizes (Height <164cm) = Standard dress size / 2
The nominal UK/US size for men's trousers is the garment's waist measured in inches minus three inches of 'ease', so the waistband of a pair of "size 30" trousers measures 33 inches around. By contrast, a medium-sized ladies' garment is no more than a "size 12" due to differences in the US size charts - so a lady "size 30" would be huge.
Men's underwear
EU
1
2
3
4
5
UK / US
S
M
L
XL
XXL
French sizes (FRA/BEL)
Chest / Suit sizes are calculated as follows:
Standard Size Code = ( Chest Circumference cm + 1) / 2
Germanic sizes (AT/DE/NL/DK/SE/FI)
Chest / Suit sizes are calculated as follows:
Standard Size Code (Normale) = ( Chest Circumference cm – 1) / 2
Short / Stocky (Kurz / Untersetzt) = Standard Size Code / 2
