what size do i order? eu sizes

[mercurymaze]

i am a 14 and want these but what do i order ? 40-42? size guide not much help \link{https://www.esprit.co.uk/womens-leggings/leggings-with-timeless-houndstooth-pattern-18047_300?camp=UK_IC_AA_RG_40_00010\here}

I'm a size 10 (or 12 in old money) and wear a 38. For a 14 I'd assume a 42.

perhaps i should get the 42-44 then

In some countries the 10 is a 36, others a 38.

10 is 38, 12 is 40, 14 is 42

H&M get that wrong though and call 36 a 10. It's not. It's an 8.

Oh and friend from Sweden agrees with me.

MissWimpy that would explain why everything I try on in H&M is far too small!

Just to make it more confusing, in Italy a 38 - 6, 40 - 8, 42 is a 10 etc

The EU sizing varies according to country. Italy is definitely on the small side! Size 14 should be 42 or 40 if s generous cut. Web site should have a size conversion chart.

I would say 40-42 is 12-14 so it will be size 14.

When people talk about "European" sizing they often mean French which is quite widely used, but it does vary country to country. Italian 42 is a 10. Net a Porter have a good guide on their site. I have worked in few womens retail stores and thought it seemed accurate.

www.net-a-porter.com/am/sizechart.nap

Strangely, I usually find a 38 fits me, but may need either 8 or 10 here in the UK.

"10 is 38, 12 is 40, 14 is 42

H&M get that wrong though and call 36 a 10. It's not. It's an 8."

No, they're right. A 38 is supposed to be a 12, but size inflation here has changed that. If you're a 14 under size inflation, then yes a 42 is right. If you're a 14 from a few years ago or from a shop that still has smaller sizes such as a teenage shop, it would be different.

Isn’t H&M Swedish? And if they follow Swedish/Danish sizing in that case then a 36 IS a size 10. See also Cos. There is no standard EU size, is there?

I wear a lot of Esprit. It's German sizing, not French, so go for 40-42, or you could probably also fit in 38-40.

All I can say about H&M is that their 40, which they call a 12, is comparable to what nearly all other shops call a 10 or a 38.

It doesn't matter whether anyone is technically "correct", it matters whether they are effectively communicating with their customers, and they are not.

"All I can say about H&M is that their 40, which they call a 12, is comparable to what nearly all other shops call a 10 or a 38."

I disagree with 'nearly all'. Yes, they have smaller sizes than middle aged shops, but not necessarily than young shops like Top Shop. Many of their customers are young so I suppose they are communicating with their customers. Their customers' idea of small, medium and large is going to be very different to the one of 60 year old M&S customers where the sizes are very large.

I mis-wrote that there. I meant that their 12 is a 38, and a 38 is usually a 10, as @Gwenhwyfar says.

If we compare the size guides, and we look at TopShop to be sure we're not looking at "Middle-aged" shops.

Topshop size guide for dresses

UK 10 = EU 38 = bust 34.3, waist 27.2, hips 36.8
UK12 = EU 40 = bust 36.2, waits 29.2, hips 38.8

H&M size guide for dresses

UK 12 = EU 38 = bust 34 1/2, waist 28 1/2, hips 37 3/4

A H&M 12 is smaller than a Topshop 12 in all measurements.
A H&M 12 is the same size around the bust as a Topshop 10.

If you read the UK sizes, H&M don't come up small compared to middle-aged shops, they come up small compared to Topshop.

Ugh, trying to rectify a mistake and making a new mistake., Gwen was quoting someone and disagreeing with them.
Who was saying it?
@MIssWimplyDimple - I agree with you that H&M are being silly in making a 38 and calling it a 12. They would do better to call it a 10.
Or just write in the EU sizes and let us figure things out for ourselves.