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The Different Sizing Metrics
Australian (AUS)/United Kingdom (UK)
Australia and the UK have similar sizes. Sizes for women’s clothes usually range from a size 6 up to a size 14 for most women. But there are also “plus-sized” clothing ranging from size 14-18 and above and petite clothing in sizes 2 to 4. Interestingly enough, the average Australian woman is a size 14-16.
Europe (Eur)
European clothes’ sizes are wildly different from those in the UK and in the US. Their sizes start in the 30s, with most ranges starting at a size 32 or 34. It gets a little bit more confusing because the European standard doesn’t apply to all of Europe – it’s mostly in effect in the Scandinavian countries and Germany. Italy and France, for example, have their own women’s size charts.
United States (US)
Women’s sizes in the US start at 0 for a slim, modelesque body type and goes up to 14 or 16 before hitting “plus-sized” – even though research has pegged the average American woman’s clothing size to be a 16 to 18, and almost 70% of women in America wear a size 14 or larger.
Vanity Sizing: A Disclaimer About Clothing Sizes
We will get into our sizing charts in a bit, but it’s important to tackle one thing before we do: vanity sizing and the lack of standardised measurements in the fashion industry.
Have you ever worn a pair of jeans that fit well, but then found that another pair from another brand in the same size doesn’t? That’s because sizing between brands (and sometimes even within the brand) are inconsistent and pretty much arbitrary – there’s no one standard for what constitutes a size 6 versus a size 8.
Also, there’s the issue of vanity sizing. Vanity sizing is when a set of measurements that used to be one size (e.g. a size 8) is adjusted to be a smaller size (e.g. a size 2) to make the wearers feel more confident.
So when looking at our size chart below, you need to remember that this is just one way of sizing jeans. Your size could – and probably will – vary depending on the brand.
How To Measure Your Jeans Size: A Guide
Measure Your Favourite Pair Of Jeans
- Take your best-fitting pair of pants and lay it out on a flat surface.
- Use a measuring tape to get the width of the waistband and the length of the inner seam.
Measure Your Waist, Hips, And Thighs
- Wear something comfortable but not too loose-fitting.
- Use a measuring tape to get the following measurements:
- Waist - the narrowest point of your body
- Hips - the widest part of your hips, usually right above the butt
- Length - measure the “inseam”, or from the inside of your leg from top to bottom.
Women’s Jeans Size Chart
If you’re ever confused about your jeans size in different countries, you can refer to this handy size chart.
Size |
Waist |
Jeans Brand* |
AUS/UK |
EUR |
US |
|
Inches |
Centimetres |
|||||
XXS |
22 inches |
55 to 56 cm |
Size 22 |
Size 4 |
Size 32 |
Size 0 |
23 inches |
58 to 59 cm |
Size 23 |
Size 5 |
|||
XS |
24 inches |
60 to 61 cm |
Size 24 |
Size 6 |
Size 34 |
Size 2 |
25 inches |
63 to 64 cm |
Size 25 |
Size 7 |
|||
S |
26 inches |
66 to 67 cm |
Size 26 |
Size 8 |
Size 36 |
Size 4 |
27 inches |
68 to 69 cm |
Size 27 |
Size 9 |
|||
S/M |
28 inches |
71 to 72 cm |
Size 28 |
Size 10 |
Size 38 |
Size 6 |
29 inches |
73 to 74 cm |
Size 29 |
Size 11 |
|||
M |
30 inches |
76 to 77 cm |
Size 30 |
Size 12 |
Size 40 |
Size 8 |
31 inches |
78 to 79 cm |
Size 31 |
Size 13 |
|||
M/L |
32 inches |
81 to 82 cm |
Size 32 |
Size 14 |
Size 42 |
Size 10 |
33 inches |
83 to 84 cm |
Size 33 |
Size 15 |
|||
L |
34 inches |
86 to 87 cm |
Size 34 |
Size 16 |
Size 44 |
Size 12 |
35 inches |
88 to 89 cm |
Size 35 |
Size 17 |
|||
XL |
36 inches |
91 to 92 cm |
Size 36 |
Size 18 |
Size 46 |
Size 14 |
*some jeans brands don’t use AUS/UK, US, or European sizes. Instead, they will use your waist measurement in inches to size your jeans.
Conclusion
The differences in jeans sizing across the world can be confusing, especially when your sizing seems to change depending on what kind of clothes you wear. When in doubt, always check the manufacturer’s own size charts. And always go by fit and not numbers. Be open to trying a few sizes above or below your “usual” size to find the right pair.
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