Advice on online buying and female to male size conversions

[Efferus33]

Hi,

I need some advice on female to male size conversion. For the backstory the only mink coat I've bought was in a shop and it is L/XL. In terms of body it looks very big and and I still have plenty of space in the shoulders but it's hard to assess how much.

I've seen some very interesting offers on the internet but I'm a bit unsure about women to men size conversion I should apply, so here I am seeking for advice. To give you an idea, my chest measurement is 90cm and I measure 185cm (for those who don't visualise I have a tall/thin build). I mostly wear male M sized clothes, male S is too small on shoulders and length for me.

Do you think I could risk buying women M-L sized fur coats? I'm looking for a long coat so total length shouldn't be an issue. I'm not sure if the worst would be the sleeves or the shoulders.

If I find a vintage shop with women M-L sized coat could I try them to check even if they are not fur coats? I don't have any second hand fur shop nearby to experiment unfortunately.

I'm looking forward to see your advice!

 

[Chrisfurlover]

Kind of straight forward but if you find one you like, ask for the measurements. Like you were giving examples of, chest bust, shoulder to shoulder, sleeve length, etc. If they can’t accommodate your request, move on. It is also important to get properly sized yourself. Any tailor or furrier would be happy to help in that regard. 
 

I’m sorry if this isn’t as helpful as you may expect but that is just what has worked best for me. Besides of course trying it on in person.

[Efferus33]

Sometimes the best answers are the simplest ones! Now it sounds really obvious to me but it wasn't when I asked, so believe it or not you helped me a lot, cheers!

Edited March 7 by Efferus33
Grammar

[Chrisfurlover]

8 hours ago, Efferus33 said:

Sometimes the best answers are the simplest ones! Now it sounds really obvious to me but it wasn't when I asked, so believe it or not you helped me a lot, cheers!

Glad I could help, even just a little bit.

[LeComte]

Measurements are the one and only truth. If the seller doesn't answer, she/he is not worth the money. 

I'm about your size and match female XL/XXL (46-50). Sometimes that helps to refine a search. 

If you're asking anyhow, ask for smells, shedding, shear (at the edges & cuffs), etc. Maybe additional pictures, if necessary. 

 

[WinnipegFur]

Im about 185cm and 173lbs in winter from doing outdoor sports, so carry some muscle in the shoulder/chest/lat area all winter... depending on the style of the coat, I find sometimes a womens size 12 will fit... 14-16 is usually a gaurantee.. and if I can find an 18 which is rare that will definately fit.. 

Length wise 50 inches for me is perfect... its just above mid shin for me which is good for walking.. I find anything longer and Im literally kicking the coat while I walk.. I have one coyote/whitefox trim coat that has 5 clasps.. I usually do up the top 4 for sure, the 5th  I don't use.. Im sure by now I would have ripped the hook out from walking in it.. Usually what gets me is the arm length.. I have long arms, so I get the perfect body length for the coat, but then the sleeves are 1-2 inches shy of my wrist.. my full length lynx is like that.. its prob 52 inches long, but the sleeves are kind of short on me.. I usually fill the gap with my coyote mitts though...

[Efferus33]

On 3/9/2026 at 12:58 PM, LeComte said:

If you're asking anyhow, ask for smells, shedding, shear (at the edges & cuffs), etc. Maybe additional pictures, if necessary. 

 

Good advice! I find that additional pictures are most of the time necessary because its often hard to really see how the collar/hood looks when the pictures don't show the coat being worn.

[Panther10]

Usually fur shops will have a measurement chart on their websites for both men’s and ladies garments. It’s pretty straightforward. Also each individual sizing chart should have measurements in inches, followed by centimeters and then European sizes and even sizes in Asia or something. Like I said this is usually very straightforward stuff. It’s obviously important to also measure yourself for comparisons sake so if you see a ladies 12 or 16, those are usually in the L-XL range for a woman and when converted to a men’s size that’s roughly a size 40 and up to a 44” which is around a M-L for a men’s size. Also another thing to keep in mind that when you’re looking at ladies furs off the rack, most of the models you’ll see in stock will have very slender shoulders and a tapered sleeve length until you get into the larger plus sizes like 24 or a 26. Men’s sizes however will almost always have a larger shoulder profile and a longer sleeve so that’s something to keep in mind. Men’s garments are usually longer too. Ladies furs at their full length ranger are somewhere between 51” - 54” long while men’s can be anywhere from 56” - over 60” long.

[minkme]

21 hours ago, Panther10 said:

Usually fur shops will have a measurement chart on their websites for both men’s and ladies garments. It’s pretty straightforward. Also each individual sizing chart should have measurements in inches, followed by centimeters and then European sizes and even sizes in Asia or something. Like I said this is usually very straightforward stuff. It’s obviously important to also measure yourself for comparisons sake so if you see a ladies 12 or 16, those are usually in the L-XL range for a woman and when converted to a men’s size that’s roughly a size 40 and up to a 44” which is around a M-L for a men’s size. Also another thing to keep in mind that when you’re looking at ladies furs off the rack, most of the models you’ll see in stock will have very slender shoulders and a tapered sleeve length until you get into the larger plus sizes like 24 or a 26. Men’s sizes however will almost always have a larger shoulder profile and a longer sleeve so that’s something to keep in mind. Men’s garments are usually longer too. Ladies furs at their full length ranger are somewhere between 51” - 54” long while men’s can be anywhere from 56” - over 60” long.

Thank you Panther10,  

Interesting about the very slender shoulders in a lady's coat vs a men's coat.  This would be a big deal for guys thinking a larger coat is all they need to look for.  Guys need to look at the shoulder and sleeve measurements.  Something I never thought of.  

A guy that wears a size 44-46 would be XXL or size 18 or 20 in ladies?

[Panther10]

Not necessarily. Most us shops will place a ladies size 20 at roughly 50”-52” while a men’s 44-46 is exactly that. 44”-46”. That’s more in the same range as a ladies 2x or a size 16. Once you get into the bigger sizes like a ladies 3x or a size 24 that’s about the equivalent of a men’s 54” chest

[fox4me]

I have had good luck with my furs. Being over 6 feet tall is an issue , but I have a very good furrier to make adjustments. When in doubt buy a bigger fur than your size and have it altered to fit you exactly. It also opens your choices to more possibilities.

[WinnipegFur]

All depends on your build.. Im athletic doing endurance sports, so in winter I tend to gain a few extra pounds of muscle in the should/chest/lat area.. it doesnt effect me alot, but I can definately feel right now my raccoon feels snug around the armpit area... it hasnt really changed the arm length.. Id agree with the should/arm comment.. generally unless it a power 1980s fox or coyote coat, the sleeves on womens coats are more tapers, while mens coats you do get a bulkier shoulder and arm...  Come late october next year when I can hopefully wear my coats on daily basis again, they'll all be big in the shoulders again for a few months lol