How to Convert Women's Sizes - Europeon & U.S.?

Answer 1

The Internet has made the world a much smaller place. That means living in the global community gives you access to an incredible variety of things from other nations and cultures. This includes fashion items like dresses and shoes. Since not everyone uses the same system of sizing, it can be a confusing task to understand which size will be appropriate for you. Let this be a general guide to help you shop when traveling, in designer boutiques and online stores and on sites like eBay.

Shoes are among the most frequent items that an online shopper, for example, will run into sizing trouble with. This is, in part, due to the fact it's very popular and common for Americans to buy Europeon label shoes. Italy is known to make some of the highest quality leather goods and, accordingly, shoes made in the country are highly prized. To convert an Italian shoe size into American sizes simple subtract the number 30. So an Italian size 37 is a U.S. size 7. Unfortunately, it doesn't stop there. For a shoe made in the United Kingdom, the conversion is to add 2 to the size. So a U.K. size 5 is a U.S. size 7. Travel a bit more on the European continent and you'll have to do even more converting. For French shoes the conversion is to subtract 31. So a size 38 in France is a U.S. 7.

If you think shoes are confusing, you'll be even more perplexed by dresses. Luckily the conversion are simple - it's just that there are so many versions! To convert to U.K. sizes add 2 to the U.S. size. So an American size 6 is an 8 in the U.K., for example. For Italian sizes (which are common, again, because of the many designer brands like Prada and Versace that are based there), you'll need to add 34. So an American size 6 is an Italian 40. Beligium, Spain, France, and Portugal require you to add 30, which means are U.S. is a 36 in these countries. Meanwhile, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, and Sweden have a conversion factor of 28. So the American 6 is a 34 in these places.

In most cases sizes for tops, and their corresponding conversions will be the same as those for dresses. Pants, however, are very different. For example, Italian pants sizes require you to add 38 to your U.S. size to arrive at the correct size. So an American 6 is an Italian 44 in pants. It's a lot to remember! One wonders if the continued globalization of the world will spur a standardization of it all. It would certainly be easier, but until then use this guide to help you. And in the end, your best bets will be trying things on, flexible return polices, and a very good tailor.