How to Size Modal Cloud: Stretch, Drape and the UK 6–28 Range

Sizing questions are the most common thing in our inbox, and Modal Cloud is the fabric people ask about most — because it stretches, and stretch makes the decision feel less obvious than it is.

The rule, first: take your usual size, and if you are between two, take the larger one. Everything below is why.

What the 5% elastane actually does

Our Modal Cloud sets are typically 95% modal and 5% elastane. That small percentage is not there to make the garment fit tightly — it is there for recovery, the fabric's ability to return to shape after being stretched. Elastane made its name in sport before it reached sleepwear, and we traced its Olympic history separately.

The practical consequence is that a Modal Cloud set forgives a lot. It will accommodate a size either way without looking wrong, and it will not bag out at the knees and elbows the way a knit without elastane does. What it will not do is make a set that is genuinely too small look intentional.

Sleepwear is the one place roomy is correct

In daywear a close fit is usually the goal. In sleepwear it is actively wrong, for two reasons.

The first is movement. You change position dozens of times a night without waking. A set that pulls at the shoulder or the hip when you roll is a set that will wake you, and you will blame the mattress.

The second is temperature. A relaxed set holds a thin layer of air that moves as you move, which is a large part of how sleepwear regulates heat. A clingy set removes that layer and traps moisture against the skin. Sizing up is a genuine cooling strategy, not just a comfort preference.

When to take your usual size

• You normally wear clothes close-fitting and you dislike excess fabric.
• You are buying a short set — there is less fabric to pool anywhere.
• You are between sizes and the smaller one is your usual in most brands.

When to go up

• You are genuinely between two sizes. Take the larger.
• You are buying it as a gift and guessing. Roomy sleepwear has never offended anyone; the reverse is a difficult conversation. A gift card removes the problem entirely.
• You are tall. Length runs out before width does, so the larger size buys you sleeve and leg — or take the tall cut where it exists.
• You lounge in it as well as sleep in it. A slightly generous long set reads as loungewear rather than pyjamas.
• You are pregnant, postpartum, or your size is currently moving — the maternity cut is drafted for it.

Measure the thing you own

The most reliable method is not measuring yourself. Take a set you already like the fit of, lay it flat, and measure it across the chest, across the hip, and from shoulder to hem. Compare those three numbers with the size guide. It removes the guesswork about how a brand cuts.

If you only measure one thing, measure the hip on a long set. That is where a size decision most often goes wrong.

The range, plainly

Our women's Modal Cloud sets run UK 6 to UK 28 in the same styles — not a separate line, the same set. If you want the range filtered to the larger end, the Curve & Plus-Size collection does that. There are also maternity, tall and petite cuts on selected styles.

If you get it wrong

Unworn items with the tags still attached can be returned within 30 days, so a size swap is a straightforward exchange rather than an expensive mistake. Keep the tags on until you have tried it — that is the only thing that makes the difference.

Start with a long set in a solid colour if it is your first, or browse all long pyjama sets.