I felt like a very unhappy sausage in these. I wear a size 14 and, depending on the item, that can be a little big on me. So I felt confident buying these in large, which equates to a 12-14. Put them on once, wore them a while as I tried on with some tops I'd bought. Thank heavens I didn't sit down - I was ready to pop after walking and bending a bit. The reason they get more than one star is because the fabric felt very nice and was discreetly thick. Unfortunately, nobody appears to have black in an XL.