Japanese Sizing

Lady's Dress Sizing

Women's sizing is done both in numerical sizing and in letter names. A Japanese lady's dress size of 9 is generally equal to a Japanese lady's size Medium.

While other counties use "Extra Large" or "Extra Small", Japanese brands will use SS for the size smaller than a 'Small' (S) and LL for the size larger than a 'Large' (L). LL (Extra Large) can also be written as 2L. Where an American garment might be labeled as XXL / 2X, a Japanese garment would be labeled as 3L because it's 2L (LL) with another L added.

Lady's dress sizes (both numerical and small / medium / large) are not standardized between counties. Rely on the garment's measurement charts for accurate fit. A garment should be 3-4cm larger than your body measurement for a good fit.

Shoe Sizing

Japanese shoes are sized in CM, with letter sizes (SS/S/M/L/LL) used to cover a range of CM sizes in some instances. Letter sizes are not standardized, so refer to the individual item's sizing chart, or the brand's sizing chart to identify which letter size corresponds to your Japanese shoe size.

Japanese shoe sizes also do not line up with American sizes or other sizes which are measured in inches. Because the shoes are physically different sizes, a person who fits perfectly in a shoe from one country may be between two sizes in the other. Due to this, it's generally recommended that you measure your feet and go by the CM sizing, not by any sort of conversion chart when shopping for Japanese shoes.

Children's Sizing

The 150cm in a 150cm size does not refer to the bust, waist or length of the garment. Children's sizing is based on the height of the child that will wear the clothing. A child's size 100cm is for a child that is 100cm tall (3'2") and of average build for a Japanese child. A 150cm garment, for example is aimed at a child that is 150cm tall (4'9"), while a 160cm garment is aimed at a child 160cm tall (5'2").

Much like with American sizing where a child's size 14 might fit a small adult or small teenager, size 160cm children's clothing also fits some smaller adult women who find a Japanese lady's size medium to be too large. Additionally, not all children will fit perfectly into the size of their height, just like how American children do not always fit in the size of their age. Rely on measurement charts for accurate fit.

Shirley Temple is well known as a maker of lolita styled pieces in Children's sizes.