H&M and Banana Republic serve different wardrobes — fast-fashion volume on one side, tailored work-and-weekend pieces on the other — and their sizing personalities match. Banana Republic is the most tailored of the GAP family and runs reliably true to size, with charts that map cleanly to US numerics. H&M runs small overall, worst in bottoms, with consistency that drifts item to item.
Both brands publish US numeric equivalents, which makes the conversion unusually clean: H&M's EU sizes and BR's alpha sizes can be lined up through the same US numbers, and the body measurements behind them agree closely. The differences that matter are in the garments — and in a few BR-specific quirks worth knowing before you assume true-to-size means no thinking required.
The short answer
H&M runs smaller — Banana Republic is reliably true to size
Through the US numbers, the charts barely disagree: at a US 8, H&M expects a 90–94 cm bust and Banana Republic a 36–37" (91.5–94 cm) one. So the conversion itself is easy — keep your US size, and note that the letters agree too, since H&M's M (EU 40–42) and BR's M (US 8–10) cover the same numbers. What differs is how the garments deliver on the chart: BR's mostly do, while H&M's run close-cut and small, with bottoms one to two sizes under the label.
Banana Republic's own adjustments run in the opposite direction from H&M's. Its flowy blouses, knits, and cotton shirts are cut roomy — stylists often size down for a tailored look — and its blazer shoulders run generous, while structured non-stretch trousers can pinch at the waist. So switching between the brands isn't just a label conversion; it's flipping your instincts from "size up for safety" to "true size, occasionally down."
H&M vs Banana Republic at a glance
| H&M | Banana Republic | |
|---|---|---|
| Sizing system | EU numeric with letters; M spans EU 40–42 | US numeric with letters; M covers US 8–10 |
| Overall fit | Runs small — bottoms worst, by one to two sizes | True to size, tailored cut |
| Tops | Closer to true to size; flowy styles run generous | Blouses, knits, and cotton shirts cut roomy — many size down |
| Bottoms | Jeans, trousers, fitted skirts run one to two sizes small | True to size; non-stretch tailored trousers snug at the waist |
| Consistency | Loose item to item | Charts detailed and garments mostly deliver on them |
Size labels mapped through US numbers
Both brands publish US numeric equivalents, so the labels align cleanly through them — and the letters agree, since each brand's letters span two numeric sizes. BR's XS additionally covers 00 and its published chart ends at XL (US 16).
| US size | H&M label (EU) | Banana Republic label |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | XS (EU 34) | XS |
| 4 | S (EU 36) | S |
| 6 | S (EU 38) | S |
| 8 | M (EU 40) | M |
| 10 | M (EU 42) | M |
| 12 | L (EU 44) | L |
Women's bust and waist side by side
Body measurements aligned by US numeric size. BR's ranges each cover two numeric sizes, so they repeat across paired rows. The charts agree closely — the fit difference lives in the garments, not the numbers.
| US size | H&M bust | BR bust | H&M waist | BR waist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 78–82 cm · 30.7–32.3" | 31–33" · 78.5–84 cm | 62–66 cm · 24.4–26" | 24–26" · 61–66 cm |
| 4 | 82–86 cm · 32.3–33.9" | 34–35" · 86.5–89 cm | 66–70 cm · 26–27.6" | 27–28" · 68.5–71 cm |
| 6 | 86–90 cm · 33.9–35.4" | 34–35" · 86.5–89 cm | 70–74 cm · 27.6–29.1" | 27–28" · 68.5–71 cm |
| 8 | 90–94 cm · 35.4–37" | 36–37" · 91.5–94 cm | 74–78 cm · 29.1–30.7" | 29–30" · 73.5–76 cm |
| 10 | 94–98 cm · 37–38.6" | 36–37" · 91.5–94 cm | 78–82.5 cm · 30.7–32.5" | 29–30" · 73.5–76 cm |
| 12 | 98–102 cm · 38.6–40.2" | 38.5–40" · 98–101.5 cm | 82.5–87.5 cm · 32.5–34.4" | 31.5–33" · 80–84 cm |
Men's tops aligned by chest
Body chest measurements, rows matched by chest rather than letter. BR's letters cover smaller chests than H&M's at the S/M boundary — a BR S body sits at the bottom of H&M's S–M range.
| BR size | BR chest | Closest H&M size | H&M chest |
|---|---|---|---|
| S | 36–37" · 91.5–94 cm | EU 46 (S) | 90–94 cm · 35.4–37" |
| M | 38–40" · 96.5–101.5 cm | EU 50 (M) | 98–102 cm · 38.6–40.2" |
| L | 41–44" · 104–112 cm | EU 54 (L) | 106–110 cm · 41.7–43.3" |
Switching between H&M and Banana Republic
- Convert through the US number — an H&M EU 40 is a US 8, which is a BR M. The charts agree well enough that the number itself rarely needs adjusting; the garment type does.
- Coming from H&M to BR: drop the size-up habit. Take your true size in suiting, dresses, and most pants; size down in flowy blouses and knits if you want a tailored line, and go down when between sizes in a blazer.
- Coming from BR to H&M: your size will feel closer-cut everywhere, and H&M bottoms need one to two sizes up — there's no BR equivalent to that correction.
- Watch each brand's waistbands: BR's non-stretch tailored trousers run snug at the waist (check the measurement, not your usual size), and H&M's trousers run small outright.
Measurements are based on each brand's published size charts and may vary by garment, fabric, and region. For the full charts and fit notes, see the H&M size guide and the Banana Republic size guide.
H&M vs Banana Republic sizing FAQs
Which runs smaller, H&M or Banana Republic?
H&M. Banana Republic runs true to size with a tailored cut and charts its garments mostly honor. H&M runs small overall — its jeans, trousers, and fitted skirts commonly fit one to two sizes under the label — and its consistency between items is looser.
Is an H&M medium the same as a Banana Republic medium?
On the chart, essentially yes: both brands' M covers US 8–10, and the bust and waist figures behind them are nearly identical. On the body, the BR medium fits as promised while the H&M medium runs closer-cut — and in bottoms, smaller than the chart suggests.
I size up at H&M — should I size up at Banana Republic?
No. BR is true to size, and several of its categories actually reward the opposite: stylists often size down in its roomy blouses, knits, and cotton shirts, and going down a size gives a cleaner line in blazers when you're between sizes.
How do the trousers compare?
Differently snug. H&M trousers run small outright — one to two sizes under the label is common. BR trousers are true to size except for structured non-stretch styles, which run snug specifically at the waist; check BR's waist measurement rather than defaulting to your usual size.
Do the men's letter sizes match?
Not quite. Aligned by chest, BR's S (36–37") matches H&M's EU 46, which H&M also labels S — but BR's M (38–40") lines up with H&M's EU 50, the upper half of H&M's M. The drift is small; check the chest figure when you're near a size boundary.
