Plus Size Magic Trousers: How Our 16 to 20 Fit Really Works
Our plus size magic trousers fit approximately a UK 16 to 20, and they are cut from their own pattern rather than graded up from the smaller one. That distinction is the entire point of them, and it is why they hang properly at a 20 instead of pulling across the hip.
One size clothing has a habit of going vague at exactly the point you need it to be precise. We would rather be blunt about what fits what, including when the honest answer is that a piece stops at an 18.
- Plus size magic trousers: approximately UK 16 to 20, own pattern
- Standard magic trousers: approximately UK 8 to 16
- The rest of Curves: varies by style, most commonly up to an 18
- What to trust: the fit range written on each product page, not the collection name
- Sizes in the shop: UK 8 to 20
- How plus size magic trousers are cut
- Why the ranges differ across Curves
- If you sit between a 16 and an 18
- What to check on any product page
- Frequently asked questions
How plus size magic trousers are cut
Scaling a pattern up is the cheap way to make a bigger garment. Everything grows by the same percentage, which sounds fair and produces trousers that are too long in the body and too tight across the bum, because bodies do not get larger evenly.
The plus size cut is drafted separately. Same fabric, same elasticated waist with a drawstring, same two pockets, same 29 inch inside leg. What changes is the room through the hip and thigh, which is where the standard pair runs out of give at the top of its range.
They come in a proper spread of colours rather than the usual black and navy afterthought. Stone, charcoal grey, white, mocha brown, teal green, denim blue and khaki green have all been in this year. Colour is not a small thing when a range has spent years offering you two.
Why the ranges differ across Curves
Here is the part most shops leave unsaid. Curves is not one size range. It is a rail of generously cut pieces, and what each one goes up to depends on the cut and on how much stretch is in the fabric.
A fine knit with a 62 inch bust measurement and modal in the yarn will cover a size 18 comfortably. A woven jacket with no stretch in it might stop at a 16. The trousers reach a 20 because the fabric has spandex through it and the pattern was drawn for that range.
So the collection name tells you the intent and the product page tells you the fact. We would rather you trusted the second one. Browse the full Curves Collection and read the fit line on anything you like the look of.
If you sit between a 16 and an 18
A 16 is the overlap point, which means both the standard and the plus size trousers will physically fit you. They will not look the same.
- The standard pair sits closer through the hip and reads as a slimmer trouser. Good if you want definition.
- The plus size pair hangs looser and lets the fabric drape. Good if you want the leg to fall rather than follow your shape.
- At an 18, take the plus size cut. The standard pair will fasten and it will lose the drape, which is the thing you are buying.
Neither answer is the correct one in the abstract. It depends what you want the trousers to do, and five minutes in a fitting room settles it faster than any size chart.
What to check on any product page
Three things tell you almost everything before you order.
- The stated fit range. Written on every product, for example "one size, fits approx. size 16 to 20". This is the number that matters.
- The flat measurement. Bust or waist in inches. Compare it against something you already own and like, laid flat, rather than against your own measurements.
- The fabric. Look for elastane, spandex or a knit structure. Stretch is what lets a piece work across a range, and a woven cotton with none will be far less forgiving.
If a page does not make it clear, ring us on 01252 544618 and we will measure the item for you. There is more across trousers and jumpsuits and the wider clothing collection.
Frequently asked questions
What size are plus size magic trousers?
They fit approximately a UK 16 to 20. The inside leg is around 29 inches and the waist is elasticated with a drawstring, so there is adjustment built in at the top. They are drafted as their own pattern rather than scaled up from the standard pair, which is why the room sits where you need it through the hip and thigh. If you are a 16 you have a genuine choice between this cut and the standard one.
Does the whole Curves Collection go up to a size 20?
No, and we would rather say so plainly. The trousers reach a 20. Other Curves styles vary depending on the cut and the stretch in the fabric, and a good number of them stop at an 18. Every product page carries its own stated fit range, and that line is the one to trust rather than the collection name. If you are shopping at the top of the range, read the fit line before you order or give us a ring and we will check it.
What is the largest size Sugarplum stocks?
UK 20. We stock from an 8 up to a 20 across the shop, and we are honest about that rather than implying a range we do not carry. A lot of our clothing is one size with stretch, cut to cover several sizes rather than one, so the practical answer for any given piece is whatever its stated fit range says. If you need beyond a 20, we would rather tell you now than take an order we cannot serve properly.
Will one size clothing look tent-like on a smaller frame?
Not if you pick the right end of the range. One size pieces are drafted around a middle point and work outwards from there, so a piece that fits an 8 to 18 is really built for something around a 14. At the lower end you get volume, which some people want and some do not. A drawstring waist or an elasticated hem gives you a way to take that volume in, and tucking a top changes the shape completely.
Can I try Curves pieces on in the shop?
Yes, and with one size clothing it is genuinely worth the trip. Two pieces carrying an identical fit range can feel nothing alike once they are on, because the cut and the fabric do as much work as the measurement. We are at 154 Fleet Road in Fleet and the whole range is out on the shop floor. Come and try a few things together rather than ordering blind and posting half of it back.
Written by Gina Paskins
Gina co-owns Sugarplum Boutique & Home on Fleet Road in Hampshire. She helps choose everything that comes into the shop, and cares most that you leave feeling like yourself in it.
