Sizes

 

Jess holding a tape measure wearing a black corselette

 

Our core sizes at Kiss Me Deadly are from a UK 8-18 and 32-36 B-D but we try to incorporate extra sizes in certain styles and from guest brands.

28 - 44 A-G and UK 8-24 are all often here, sometimes more. You can search by size (which should only show in stock items, assuming I remembered to update it) using the main menu.

Size is always difficult when making clothes; style, fabric, dye batches and which factory makes a pattern all affect fit!  Don't forget we do accept returns on most items and we do update sizing information on garments as and when we've collected feedback, so it's always worth reading the description.

As a general guideline, if you are buying a garment that isn't bra sized, I'd recommend fitting to the waist, as usually we try and keep the hips stretchy.

 All measurements are approximate - your garments are made by human beings, and we're rarely perfect.

 



Size
Waist (in)
Hips (in)
Waist (cm)
Hips (cm)
Small (S)
24-26
34-36
61-68
87-93
Medium (M)
27-29
37-39
69-75
94-100
Large (L)
30-32
40-42
76-82
101-108
Extra Large (XL)
33-35
43-45
83-89
109-114
X X Large (2XL)
36-38 46-48 90-96 115-121







S/M sized garments tend to have far more stretch and sizing tends to be very flexible.

KMD Size Dress size Waist (in) Hips (in) Waist (cm) Hips (cm)
S/M UK8-10/ EU32-34/ US6-8 25-27 35-37 64-69 89-93
M/L UK12-14/ EU34-36/ US10-12 28-30 37-39 72-76 95-100
XL UK16-18/ EU38-40/ US14-16 31-34 41-43 80-86 104-108

 

Hosiery:

S/M - people who are under 5'5/165cm

M/L - people from 5'5 to 5'11 (165cm to 180 cm)

XL - people over 5'11

 International Bra Size Conversion (definitely a guesstimate!)

 

UK
US FR EU AU
28DD 28DD/E 75E 60E 6DD
28E 28DDD/F 75F 60F 6E
28F 28G 75G 60G 6F
28FF 28H 75H 60H 6FF
28G 28I 75J 60J 6G
30DD 30DD/E 80E 65E 8DD
30E 30DDD/F 80F 65F 8E
30F 30G 80G 65G 8F
30FF 30H 80H 65H 8FF
30G 30I 80J 65J 8G
32A 32A 85A 70A 10A
32B 32B 85B 70B 10B
32C 32C 85C 70C 10C
32D 32D 85D 70D 10D
32DD 32DD/E 85E 70E 10DD
32E 32DDD/F 85EF 70F 10E
32F 32G 85G 70G 10F
32FF 32H 85H 70H 10FF
32G 32I 85J 70J 10G
34A 34A 90A 75A 12A
34B 34B 90B 75B 12B
34C 34C 90C 75C 12C
34D 34D 90D 75D 12D
34DD 34DD/E 90E 75E 12DD
34E 34DDD/F 90F 75F 12E
34F 34G 90G 75G 12F
34FF 34H 90H 75H 12FF
34G 34I 90J 75J 12G
36A 36A 95A 80A 14A
36B 36B 95B 80B 14B
36C 36C 95C 80C 14C
36D 36D 95D 80D 14D
36DD 36DD/E 95E 80E 14DD
36E 36DDD/F 95F 80F 14E
36F 36G 95G 80G 14F
36FF 36H 95H 80H 14FF
36G 36I 95J 80J 14G
38B 38B 100B 85B 16B
38C 38C 100C 85C 16C
38D 38D 100D 85D 16D
38DD 38DD/E 100E 85E 16DD
38E 38DDD/F 100F 85F 16E
38F 38G 100G 85G 16F
38FF 38H 100H 85H 16FF
38G 38I 100J 85J 16G
40C 40C 105C 90C 18C
40D 40D 105D 90D 18D
40DD 40DD/E 105E 90E 18DD
40E 40DDD/F 105F 90F 18E
40F 40G 105G 90G 18F
40FF 40H 105H 90H 18FF
40G 40I 105J 90J 18G
42C 42C 110C 95C 20C
42D 42D 110D 95D 20D
42DD 42DD/E 110E 95E 20DD
42E 42DDD/E 110F 95F 20E
42F 42G 110G 95G 20F
42FF 42H 110H 95H 20FF
42G 42I 110J 95J 20G

  

1: Take your measurements

Your natural waist is the narrowest part of your torso, somewhere between the base of your ribcage and your belly button.

Your hip measurement is the wide part of your lower hip, slightly above the top of your legs and below your belly button.

Use a soft tape measure to take these measurements, and either wear nothing, or wear your usual knickers. Make sure you don't wear shapewear, and measure horizontally, so that the measurements are accurate. You may like to use a mirror or ask a friend for help to make sure the tape measure doesn't ride up or down, especially over your hips.

A drawing of a model with marks around the smallest part of the waist and the largest part of the hip to help with where to measure.

2: Find your clothing or swimwear size using the chart

3: Find your corset size

Waist (in) Waist (cm) Size
24-26 61-67 22"
26-28 67-71 24"
28-30 71-76 26"
30-32 76-81 28"
32-34 81-87 30"

 

Tips and tricks

Choosing the correct size for corsets and shapewear

Corsets and shapewear can be sized in one of two ways. Either they'll come in sizes S/M/L/XL, or they'll come in sizes 22/24/26/28/30.

If you're interested in a corset that's sized 22-30, you should measure your waist and buy the size that's 2-4 inches smaller than your waist measurement. The sizes listed (22-30) are the actual size your waist will be if you wear the corset, and a waist reduction of 2-4 inches should look good and still be comfortable. Some people can reduce more, others less, depending on how squishy you are in the middle.

If you're interested in an item that's sized S-XL, you should buy the correct size based on the sizing chart above. We don't advise buying smaller sizes, because shapewear that isn't sized like a corset won't act like a corset. A corset busk (front fastening) is very strong, and specially designed to cope with the force that acts on it when you reduce your waist. Our other shapewear uses more delicate fastenings like hooks and eyes or zips, and although they're perfectly strong enough to cope with every day use, they're just not designed to work effectively if you choose a size that's too small for you.

Choosing between two sizes

Sometimes, you may find that you could choose more than one size. For example, your waist and hips might fall into different size ranges - your waist might be a size L and your hips size XL. Or one measurement might be in between two sizes, so that you could take a size S or a size M around the waist. Both of these situations are common.

If your waist and hips fall into different size ranges, consider the garment you're interested in. Does it fasten around the waist, the hips, or both? If it fastens around the waist, use your waist measurement to choose your size. If it fastens around the hips, like any of our briefs, use your hip measurement to choose your size. If it covers both areas, like you should choose the larger of your sizes.

 If one of your measurements is between sizes, check the product description. If it's very stretchy, or cut smaller than usual, we'll say so. It it's very stretchy, choose your smaller size; if it's cut small, choose your larger size. If the description doesn't give any sizing information, then the item follows our sizing chart. In this case, it's up to you which size you choose. Have a think about whether your size fluctuates, and if so, whether it's likely to go up or down, and choose the size you'll be most comfortable in. There's little point in buying a size that you can only fit into for one week out of four!

 

Bra sizes

 

A drawing showing to measure under the bust and round the fullest part of the bust.

1: Take your measurements

Your underbust measurement is the distance around your ribcage, just underneath your breasts.

Your bust measurement is the distance around your chest at the fullest point of your breasts.

Use a soft tape measure to take these measurements, and don't wear anything. Make sure you measure horizontally - don't let the tape measure ride up or down your back, as this will make the measurements larger than they should be. You may like to use a mirror or ask a friend for help with this.

 

2: Find your bra band size and bralet size

Underbust (in) Underbust (cm) Band Size Bralet Size
27-29 69-74 32 S
29-31 74-79 34 M
31-33 79-83 36 L
33-35 83-89 38 XL


3: Find your bra cup size

Compare your bust measurement to your band size. A bust measurement that is 1 inch (2.5 cm) larger than your band size is a B cup, 2 inches (5cm) larger is a C cup, 3 inches (7.5cm) larger a D cup and 4 inches (10cm) larger a DD cup.

 

Tips and tricks

 

Sizing methods vary

It's frustrating, we know. Some companies, like Kiss Me Deadly, use an older sizing method, in which your underbust measurement is smaller than your band size. Other companies, especially some that focus on fuller cup bras, may use a newer sizing method, which says that your underbust measurement is equal to your band size.

Both sizing methods are equally "correct" - after all, as long as your bras fit, you're doing fine! - but it's worth being careful. As the size chart above shows, your cup size is not an absolute measurement. Instead, it depends on the bra band that you're wearing. If you choose a smaller band size, you'll need a larger cup size, and that's where things start to get complicated.

Because the newer sizing method says that your band size is smaller, that means that your cup size is automatically larger. This might mean that you could be wearing a bra from another brand that's labelled 32F - but if your underbust measurement is roughly 32 inches, that means that in Kiss Me Deadly bras you'd be more likely to wear a 36C or 36D.

 

Your current bras can be a good starting point for choosing a size

As long as you're aware that sizing methods vary, there's no harm in using a current, well-fitting bra as a starting point for choosing your size. If your favourite, most comfortable bra is a 34C, and your underbust measurement is around 30 inches, then it's worth starting by choosing a 34C, even if our sizing chart gives you a cup size that's slightly larger or smaller.

That's because bra fitting is more of an art than a science, and our chart can't take into account things like how high your breasts are on your chest, whether they tend to sit more centrally on your ribcage or further apart, and a whole host of other things that make you unique!

 

A well fitted bra should feel comfortable

It might sound silly, but we think it's worth saying. When you're wearing a bra that fits, you should find that:

- Your breasts completely fill the bra cups without spilling over
- The shoulder straps do not dig in
- The band stays horizontally across your back, without riding up
- Any underwire remains flat against your chest, without digging into your breasts

But ultimately, wear what you like - there's no evidence that anything dreadful will happen if you get your bra size "wrong", and they're not compulsory!