What does curvy fit actually mean?

Faza Atelier champagne high waisted trousers with a belt, curvy fit on a defined figure

Curvy fit means a block drafted to a larger difference between waist and hip than the same brand's standard block. The term is not protected and not defined. How much larger the difference actually is, very few brands will say. At some it is five centimetres more. At others it is nothing at all.

What curvy fit does not mean

Not bigger. Curvy fit is not a size. It describes shape, not volume. A defined figure exists at a size 36 as readily as at a size 50.

Not automatically cut differently. Some curvy lines are the same blocks with more stretch in the fabric. The waistband still gapes, it simply gives.

Not the same as plus size. Plus size describes a size range. Curvy describes the relationship between waist and hip. The two get confused constantly.

Faza Atelier Hourglass Trousers in grey, curvy fit trousers with a high waist and wide leg, front view
Curvy describes the shape, not the size. In grey. The Hourglass Trousers

The one question that answers it

Ask for the finished measurements. Waist and hip in centimetres, then the difference. That number cannot be marketed. It is either there or it is missing.

If it is missing from the product description, that is an answer in itself. A brand that drafts for defined figures can state its ratio.

Faza Atelier Hourglass Trousers in champagne, tailored wide leg trousers with a high waist
The same trouser, the same difference, in champagne. The Hourglass Trousers

Faza's number

Faza trousers are cut with a waist-to-hip difference of 32 to 43 cm. Faza pleated skirts run between 48 and 54 cm. Finished garment measurements.

Size Waist (cm) Hip (cm) Difference (cm)
S · 36 66 109 43
M · 38 71 112 41
L · 40 76 114 38
XL · 42 81 117 36
2XL · 44 87 119 32

Every size chart is published on Find Your Fit, for every piece, before you buy.

The trousers this describes

The Hourglass Trousers are cut to exactly these numbers: a high waistband on the natural waist, flat stitched darts at the hip, and a wide straight leg to the floor. In navy, grey and champagne, sizes S to 2XL. Shop the Hourglass Trousers

Worn as a suit, they pair with a blazer in the same fabric and colour, such as The Amara Suit or The Celeste Suit.

Questions we get asked

What difference counts as curvy?

From around 30 cm between waist and hip. Above that, standard blocks generally stop fitting without alteration.

How can I tell whether a curvy line is genuinely cut differently?

Compare the curvy line's size chart against the same brand's standard chart. If the difference between waist and hip is identical, only the name has changed.

Why do so few brands state their difference?

Because most base blocks are scaled from a straight figure and the difference stays the same across every size. Naming a number would make that visible.