I got a size larger than I normally would in the hopes that they would be longer and give me more coverage closer to my knees, which they sorta do.  I would have liked them to be a couple of inches longer still (I have fat knees!), but even though they aren't as tight as they would have been in a smaller size, they still smooth my tummy and thighs pretty well and have held up through about 15 washes so far. I like the wide waistband too.