Three ways to read a size
Listed size. The size on a listing is the seller's assessment of the garment, not the tag sewn inside it. Tags from different decades were cut differently, so the seller sizes each piece by hand. We show that first, as "Listed S".
Measures like, Real Vintage sizing. Every listing carries two measurements taken with the garment laid flat: chest (pit to pit) and body length (collar seam to hem). We compare the chest to the chest of every other Real Vintage piece listed in each size. Most pieces measure in line with their listed size; the ones that do not are flagged, for example "Listed S but measures like Real Vintage M pieces". The Measures like filter in the shop uses these bands.
Standard chart size. Most new tees and hoodies are cut to the Gildan blank charts, so we also show the nearest size on that chart, as "On a standard hoodie chart that is an M". Real Vintage sizing runs about one size small against that chart for fleece, so if you know the size you buy today this is the line to read.
How the guide translates your size
Tell the guide the tee or hoodie size you usually buy. It reads that size on the standard chart, adds an inch either way, and searches the shop by that chest range rather than by any label. Tell it a chest measurement from a shirt you own and it searches an inch either side of that instead.
Real Vintage sizing, measured (inches, laid flat)
Each band is the chest range of the pieces Real Vintage lists in that size. It is built from the median chest of every listed piece per size, with the edges halfway between neighbouring sizes, so "measures like a Real Vintage M" means the chest sits where the listed M pieces sit. Tops are tees, long sleeves, tanks and polos. Fleece is crewnecks, hoodies, zip hoodies and quarter zips; jackets use the fleece columns. The length columns are the median body length for that size.
| RV size | Top chest | Fleece / jacket chest | Top length (median) | Fleece length (median) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XS | 17 to 18.75 | 19.25 to 21 | 25 | 24.5 |
| S | 18.75 to 20.25 | 21 to 22.75 | 27 | 26 |
| M | 20.25 to 21.75 | 22.75 to 24.25 | 28 | 27 |
| L | 21.75 to 23.25 | 24.25 to 25.75 | 29.5 | 27.5 |
| XL | 23.25 to 24.75 | 25.75 to 27.25 | 29.5 | 28 |
| 2XL | 24.75 to 26.25 | 27.25 to 28.75 | 30 | 29 |
| 3XL | 26.25 to 28 | 28.75 to 30.25 | 31 | 29.5 |
| 4XL | 28 to 30 | 30.25 to 32 | 31.5 | 30 |
Below the XS band is an XXS or youth size. Above the 4XL band is 5XL. A body length more than 2 in under the median is marked short in the body; more than 2 in over is marked long. Bands come from the catalog as of September 2026 and move as the assortment does.
Standard chart (inches, laid flat)
The blank charts most new garments are cut to: the Gildan 5000 tee and the Gildan 18500 hooded sweatshirt. Every piece page shows the nearest size on this chart next to the listed size, so if you know the size you buy today this is the line to read. Oversized cuts such as Champion Reverse Weave (S 22.75, M 24.75, L 26.75) run bigger than this chart.
| Size | Tee width (Gildan 5000) | Hoodie width (Gildan 18500) |
|---|---|---|
| XS | 16.5 | 18 |
| S | 18 | 20 |
| M | 20 | 22 |
| L | 22 | 24 |
| XL | 24 | 26 |
| 2XL | 26 | 28 |
| 3XL | 28 | 30 |
| 4XL | 30 | 32 |
Real Vintage sizing sits about one size small against this chart for fleece: a listed S hoodie has a median chest of 22 in, which this chart calls an M. That is why a piece page can read "Listed S" and "On a standard hoodie chart that is an M" at the same time. Neither line is wrong; they are two different charts.
How to measure a shirt you own
- Pick a shirt that fits you the way you like and lay it flat on a table, smoothed out, buttons or zip closed.
- Chest: measure straight across the front just under the armholes, seam to seam. Do not double it; our chest numbers are laid flat too.
- Body length: measure from the seam where the collar meets the body straight down to the bottom hem.
- Tell the guide those numbers, or just the tee or hoodie size you usually buy. It reads your size on the standard chart above, adds an inch either way, and searches the shop by that chest range rather than by any label.