Size reviews · Specialty · Plus
What is a plus size?When it's the room, not the length. That's a plus size.
Plus sizes are made for girls who fit a regular size in height but need more room through the waist and hips. They usually keep the regular size's length while adding space through the middle and seat. Because both waist and hip measurements matter, checking both can help you find a better fit. This page compares how the brands on Little & Youth define plus sizes and how their measurements differ.
Find her plus size
A plus is about the waist and the hips together, so all three measurements are needed before we'll name a size.
When the room and the length don't agree
A plus solves one specific mismatch: the length is right but the waist and hips need more room. Plenty of girls don't fall neatly into that. Here's the move in each case:
| Length works, waist/hips snug | A plus is exactly this — same length, more room in both. Use the answer above, or compare brands below. |
| Length works, only the waist is snug | Check a slim's opposite isn't what you need — if it's just the waist, a regular with an adjustable waistband may do; if waist and seat are both full, go plus. |
| Length works, waist is loose | Plus is the wrong direction — a slim takes the waist in instead. |
| Waist & hips right, needs more length | Sizing up adds length but also more room she may not need — compare actual waist, hips and length across nearby sizes. |
| No single size fits all three | Get the length right first, then the roomiest option at that size — a plus, or a regular with an adjustable waist. If it's still snug, size up and hem the length. |
Sizing up vs going plus
Adds room through the waist and hips — but adds length with it, so the legs and sleeves hang long. The usual mistake.
Keeps the length of her size and adds room where she needs it — the waist and the hips together.
How much room each brand adds
Want it done for every brand at once?
Enter her measurements once and Little & Youth shows her size — plus or regular — at every brand we can measure.
Find her fit at every brand →Common questions about plus sizes
What's the difference between a plus size and just sizing up?
Sizing up makes everything bigger — including the length, chest and shoulders. A plus keeps her regular size's length and adds room only where she needs it, through the waist and hips. So a plus fits the middle without the pants hanging long.
Why do you need her hips, not just her waist?
Because plus is defined by the waist and the hips together — brands add different amounts to each. A waist-only guess can send you to a size that's right at the waist but tight through the seat, so we ask for both.
Does a plus size change the length?
No — the height guidance stays the same as the regular size; only the waist and hips grow. (A few brands nudge the rise; we note it when they do.)
How is a plus size labelled?
It varies more than other cuts — some brands write “12 Plus” or “12½”, others use “1”, “L Plus”, or letter sizes. We show each brand's own label so you can match it on their site.
Is plus the same as husky?
Nearly. Both keep the length and add room through the middle instead of sizing up. The difference is mostly the label: brands call it husky on the boys' side and plus on the girls' side. Shopping boys'? See husky.
Which brands add the most room?
It varies by brand, and each adds a different amount to the waist and to the hips. Pick a size in the compare section and it shows exactly how much each brand adds to each — waist and hips listed separately — so you can see which one gives her the most room where she needs it.
Every figure on this page is transcribed from that brand's own published size chart — each brand's plus and regular girls' measurements at the same size, from 7 brands, with no estimates and no averaged-out “standard”. Room added is a brand's plus size measured against its own regular size, never against another brand's. Brands update their charts, so confirm against the live chart before you buy. Little & Youth is independent and not affiliated with any brand listed.