Plus Size Underwear: 7 Picks by Rise, Fabric and Hip Size

The waistband has rolled down under your belly by lunchtime, or the leg elastic has left a red line where it dug in all day. Buying the next size up to stop the digging can trade it for a baggy seat and a waistband that still folds over. Below are seven pairs with the size range each listing actually sells, what the top size maps to on the brand’s own chart, the rise, the fabric and the price, so you can order by your tape measure rather than by the letter on the tag.

The quick answer

Pair	Sizes sold	Top size maps to	Price (reference)	Rise
Universal Standard UltimateS Full Coverage High Rise Brief	4XS to 4XL	4XL = size 38–40	$24	High, extra-wide waistband
TomboyX Iconic Briefs	3XS to 6X	6X = 61–64 in hip	$26	Low
TomboyX 9” Boxer Briefs	XS to 6X	6X = 61–64 in hip	$34	Mid, 9 in leg
Girlfriend Collective Sport Brief	XXS to 6XL	6XL = 60½–64 in hip	$28	Classic, 12.625 in on XXL
ThirdLove Organic Cloud Cotton Brief	XS to 3X	3X = 54.5–56.5 in hip	$24	High
Harper Wilde Bliss Highwaist Brief	XS to 3XL	3XL = 52–54 in hip	$16	High waist
SKIMS Fits Everybody Lace Boy Short	XXS to 4X	4X = US 26–28	$20	Mid

Prices are for a single pair, in US dollars.

Measure first, then read the chart

Where a brand prints inches, the hip at its fullest point is the number to match, so take it before you look at a single letter. The steps are in how to measure bust, waist and hip; TomboyX’s chart adds to keep your feet together and the tape parallel to the floor. Then use the chart of the pair you are buying, because the same hip lands on different letters: 53 inches is a 2X on ThirdLove’s chart, a 3X on TomboyX’s, an XXXL on Girlfriend Collective’s and a 3XL on Harper Wilde’s.

The seven

Universal Standard UltimateS Full Coverage High Rise Brief

$24 Price for reference only · 4XS to 4XL · View it on the brand’s site →

Each letter on the listing carries a numeric size, from 4XS (00–0) to 4XL (38–40), which makes this the easiest pair here to order if you know your US numeric size. It is cut to sit at the natural waist, and the listing says “The extra-wide waistband sits flat and feels comfortably secure.” It is a cotton jersey and modal blend, with leg openings described as sitting “flush without digging”. It suits anyone whose main problem is a waistband that folds under the belly.

The drawback is the returns rule, printed on the listing: “UltimateS underwear are final sale for quality assurance purposes.” Get the size right first time.

TomboyX Iconic Briefs

$26 Price for reference only · 3XS to 6X · View it on the brand’s site →

TomboyX prints hip ranges for every letter, and 6X runs to a 61–64-inch hip, with 3X at 52–55. The fabric is 95 percent cotton with 5 percent spandex, with flatlock seams and a “Signature stay-put silky soft waistband”. It suits cotton wearers who want a full-coverage brief well past 3X.

The drawback is the rise: it is listed as a low rise fit, so if rolling down is your problem, pick a high rise instead.

TomboyX 9” Boxer Briefs

$34 Price for reference only · XS to 6X · View it on the brand’s site →

The same chart and the same cotton blend, cut with a 9-inch inseam that TomboyX calls “our longest cut” and sells for staying covered and for chafing. This is the pick if the leg edge of a brief digs in or rides up and you would rather have a short leg.

The drawbacks: it is mid rise, and at $34 it is the highest single-pair price of the seven.

Girlfriend Collective Sport Brief

$28 Price for reference only · XXS to 6XL · View it on the brand’s site →

The size chart on the listing runs to a 60½–64-inch hip at 6XL, with XXXL at 50–53½. It has a bonded waistband “to keep it in place” and raw-cut leg openings, in 80 percent recycled water bottles (RPET) and 20 percent spandex, with a moisture-wicking liner at the gusset. The listing gives the rise as 12.625 inches on size XXL. It suits anyone who wants a synthetic brief for workouts, which is what the listing sells it for.

The drawback is the fabric if you want cotton, and the care note warns colours may bleed at first. The Boy Short in the same fabric and size run is $38 if you want leg coverage.

ThirdLove Organic Cloud Cotton Brief

$24 Price for reference only · XS to 3X · View it on the brand’s site →

High rise and maximum coverage on the listing, in 93 percent organic cotton and 7 percent spandex, and “Free from bulky elastic binding”, which is what you want if elastic edges are what dig in. ThirdLove’s underwear chart maps 1X to a 47.5–49.5-inch hip, 2X to 51–53 and 3X to 54.5–56.5, or dress size 24. It suits cotton wearers up to that 3X row.

The drawback is that the run stops there.

Harper Wilde Bliss Highwaist Brief

$16 Price for reference only · XS to 3XL · View it on the brand’s site →

The lowest single-pair price of the seven, a high-waisted full-coverage brief in 77 percent nylon and 23 percent elastane with a cotton gusset. Harper Wilde’s underwear chart maps 3XL to a 52–54-inch hip and 2XL to 48–50. It suits anyone buying several pairs at once on a budget.

The drawbacks: the body is synthetic rather than cotton, and although the brand’s underwear chart lists rows to 6XL, this brief is sold only to 3XL.

SKIMS Fits Everybody Lace Boy Short

$20 Price for reference only · XXS to 4X · View it on the brand’s site →

A mid-rise boy short with “maximum back coverage”, lace trim at the leg openings and a cotton gusset. The SKIMS underwear guide maps 3X to US 22–24 and 4X to US 26–28. It suits anyone who wants a boy-short cut with a little more coverage than a brief at a lower price than the boxer above.

The drawbacks: mid rise, so it sits below the waist, and 4X is where the size run ends.

How to choose

• The waistband rolls down: a high rise that sits at the natural waist. Universal Standard for the wide, flat band, ThirdLove for cotton sold as “Free from bulky elastic binding”, Harper Wilde for price.
• The leg edges dig in or ride up: move the edge down onto the thigh. The TomboyX 9” Boxer Briefs or the SKIMS boy short.
• Your hip is over 56.5 inches: that is past the ThirdLove chart’s top row. TomboyX and Girlfriend Collective both print rows to 64 inches.
• Cotton or synthetic: TomboyX and ThirdLove are cotton-led; Girlfriend Collective and Harper Wilde are synthetic with cotton or lined gussets.

Before you order

• Check whether you can send underwear back. Universal Standard sells UltimateS as final sale, and ThirdLove accepts underwear only unworn, with tags, in its unopened polybag. Read each store’s returns page before you order more than one pair.
• Between sizes: TomboyX says to size up; Girlfriend Collective says down for a more compressive fit, up for a more relaxed one.
• Multipacks: the TomboyX Iconic Briefs 3-pack and 5-pack, the TomboyX 9” Boxer Briefs 3-pack and Harper Wilde’s Bliss Highwaist 5-pack were priced at $66.30, $104, $86.70 and $60 respectively, read on 1 October 2026. At the single-pair prices above, five pairs cost from $80 at Harper Wilde to $170 for the TomboyX boxer (our arithmetic).

The bra side of the drawer is in plus size sports bras, the top size each brand carries across the rest of the wardrobe is in plus size clothing, and the other fit guides are in clothing and fit.

Where these numbers come from

Sizes, single-pair prices, fabric, rise and quoted descriptions are copied from each brand’s product listing, and the hip and size mappings from each brand’s size chart, all read on 27 September 2026 in US dollars. TomboyX publishes its chart as an image, which we transcribed. Which pair suits which problem is our reading of those specs.

Frequently asked questions

What size plus size underwear should I buy?

Measure your hips at the fullest point and match the number to the brand's own chart, not to the letter you usually buy. The letters do not line up between brands: a 53-inch hip is a 2X at ThirdLove, a 3X at TomboyX, an XXXL at Girlfriend Collective and a 3XL at Harper Wilde. Universal Standard and SKIMS map their letters to numeric sizes instead, with 4XL at Universal Standard covering sizes 38 to 40 and 4X at SKIMS covering 26 to 28.

Which plus size underwear is least likely to roll down?

On the specs, the three of these seven sold as high rise or high waist: Universal Standard's UltimateS Full Coverage High Rise Brief, which sits at the natural waist on an extra-wide waistband, ThirdLove's Organic Cloud Cotton Brief, and Harper Wilde's Bliss Highwaist Brief. The TomboyX Iconic Brief is low rise and the TomboyX boxer brief and SKIMS boy short are mid rise, so they sit lower.

Should I size up in underwear if I am between sizes?

TomboyX's fit guide says to size up if you fall between sizes. Girlfriend Collective's guide says to size down for a more compressive fit and up for a more relaxed one. Neither rule carries over to another brand, so check the chart of the pair you are buying.