Sizes
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!)
| 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.
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
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!
