About Curve File

Curve File is a guide site about plus-size fashion: finding clothes that fit, keeping them fitting, and understanding why the size on the label so rarely matches the body it is meant for. It is written for people who are tired of ordering two sizes and returning both, and for anyone who would rather alter the clothes they own than shop again.

What we cover

Every guide starts from a measurement, a fabric or a piece of construction, not from a brand. The questions we keep coming back to:

• How does a brand grade its patterns above the standard range, and what does that mean for the number you order?
• How do you measure yourself at home accurately, and which of those measurements actually predicts fit?
• What can a tailor change in a plus-size garment, what can they not, and what should it cost relative to the garment?
• Which fabrics and constructions hold a shape, and which collapse at the shoulder, bust or hip?
• What should you check before buying online, when you cannot try the garment on?
• How do you wash, dry and store clothes so they keep their fit?

How we work

We read published size charts, garment specifications, fabric composition data and care labelling, and we compare them against the accounts of people who wear the clothes daily — reviews that name measurements rather than reactions. Where a claim cannot be checked, we say so rather than repeating it as fact. We do not publish a measurement we have not seen.

We do not rank brands. Grading changes between seasons and between factories, so a ranking can be wrong before it is a year old. Teaching you to read a size chart in five minutes is more useful than telling you which label to trust this year, and it keeps working after we stop updating the page.

Nothing on this site is medical advice. If a garment is causing you pain, or you have a condition that affects how clothes sit on your body, a clinician or an experienced fitter is the right person to ask, not a guide.

Corrections

Size charts change, brands revise patterns without notice, and retailers discontinue styles. If something here no longer matches what you are seeing, tell us and we will correct it and note that the guide has been updated. Corrections are treated as an improvement, not an embarrassment.

Funding

Curve File is funded by advertising and by affiliate links to retailers. If you follow an affiliate link and buy something, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Commission never decides what a guide says, and it never decides whether a guide gets written. We do not publish sponsored reviews, paid placements or advertorials. Where a guide argues against buying something, or against a way of shopping, that argument stands whether or not a link could earn us anything. Advertising is served by a network and is not chosen by us, so an advert appearing next to a guide is not a recommendation.

Contact

Questions, corrections and guide requests are welcome at editor@curvefile.com. We read everything and answer as much as we can, but we cannot tell you which size to order in a specific garment: that decision needs your measurements and the garment in front of you.