Plus-size goth swimwear fits when you choose it from your measurements instead of the letter on the label: bust, underbust, waist and hips, plus the torso loop for a one-piece. Black lace, mesh panels and heart-shaped hardware change how a swimsuit looks. They do not change where it has to meet you.
We should say where we stand before giving advice. Our own swimwear is four bikini sets, three sold in S, M and L and one in a single size. We sell no one-piece, and nothing in swimwear above L. What we do sell further up are layers to wear over a swimsuit, and each is listed below with the sizes and figures its own listing prints.
So this is a fit guide first, and it works for a goth swimsuit bought anywhere. It covers how to measure, how to read a swim size chart, what high-waisted and skirted bottoms change, what mesh and long sleeves really cover, and how much stretch will forgive.
Key Takeaways
- Our swimwear stops at L: three bikini sets in S, M and L, one in a single size, and no one-piece.
- Take bust, underbust, waist and hips for a two-piece, and add the torso loop for a one-piece. A one-piece can match you everywhere else and still be too short in the body.
- A bikini sold as a set puts one letter on two garments. If your top and bottom land in different sizes, look for ties on both halves or buy separates.
- Sheer mesh covers the eye more than the skin. The Skin Cancer Foundation rates sheer or loosely woven cloth below densely woven cloth for sun protection.
- The letter is not the measurement, on our listings too: our mesh beach sweater lists a 108 cm bust in XL, while our mesh blouse lists 80 to 96 cm across S to XXL.
Does The Cursed Closet sell plus-size goth swimwear?
No. On 1 October 2026, every swim piece we sell stops at L. That is four bikini sets, read off our live listings:
| Bikini set | Sizes on sale | Price | What the listing says about fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Siren Bikini Set | S, M, L | $40.50 | Model is 5'4" and wears S. No measurements, no fabric named. |
| Wicked Waters 3-Piece Bikini Set | S, M, L | $42.24 | Model is 5'4" and wears S. No measurements, no fabric named. |
| Holy Sin Two-Piece Bikini Set | One size, sold as S | $34.30 | Model is 5'4". The listing calls it a one size piece. |
| Gothic Punk Bikini | S, M, L, in seven prints | $42.04 (the green print in S is $32.89) | No model note, no measurements, no fabric named. |
None of the four prints a bust, underbust or hip figure. On our own swimwear you are choosing by the letter and by how the set fastens, so here is what the photographs show.
- Dark Siren is a black triangle top that ties at the neck and back, with a heart-shaped rhinestone ring at the centre. The bottoms join at each hip on the same heart ring, so there is no tie to let out. A sheer, long-sleeved cropped shrug with a collar and buttons comes with it.
- Wicked Waters has a triangle top with a heart ring and long ties that wrap the ribs, bottoms that tie at the hips, and a short cover-up skirt that ties at one side.
- Holy Sin is a black triangle top with white crosses, tied at the neck and back, with bottoms tied at both hips.
- Gothic Punk is seven prints and, going by its photos, more than one cut. Most have triangle or bralette tops with low-rise bottoms, one pairs a bandeau with a high-cut brief, and the Sin-ful print has a high-waisted bottom.
Ties give a set some range. They do not turn an L into a plus size, and we will not pretend otherwise. If you need plus-size goth swimwear past an L, our guide to goth swimwear and alt bathing suits names the labels that go further and the largest size each one sells. You can see the three collection sets together in our goth swimwear collection.
How to measure for a plus-size goth swimsuit
Measure in your underwear or an unpadded bra, standing straight, with the tape level and resting on the skin without pressing in. This is how we take the five measurements a swim chart can ask for.
- Bust: Level across the fullest point of your chest.
- Underbust: Round the ribcage just below the bust, where a bikini band sits.
- Waist: Where your body creases when you lean to one side.
- Hips: Around the fullest part of your hips and seat.
- Torso loop: From the top of one shoulder, down the front of your body, between your legs and up your back to the same shoulder. This is the one-piece measurement.
The first three are the same numbers a corset asks for, and our plus-size corsets guide walks through those tape positions in more detail. Write everything down in both centimetres and inches. Swim charts use either, and converting at the checkout is where mistakes creep in.
How do you read a swimsuit size chart?
Open the chart on the listing you are buying, match your measurements to it, and ignore the letter you usually wear. U.S. Masters Swimming, in its guide to finding the right swimsuit fit, says there is little standardisation in sizing across manufacturers, and that one company's size can fit like a different size from another. Four checks are specific to swimwear.
Which measurements the chart gives: A chart with only bust and hips is sizing the width of the garment. For a one-piece, look for a torso figure as well. Without one, the length is left to chance.
Whether the figures are yours or the garment's: A stretch piece measured flat reads smaller than the body it is cut for, so a small number is not proof of a small fit. The listing should say which kind it prints. Our piece on plus-size goth clothing brands and their size charts shows how to tell the two apart.
How many garments the letter covers: A bikini set carries one letter for a top and a bottom. That works only if both halves of you sit in the same row of the chart.
Which sizing system it uses: Letters, dress numbers and bra sizes all appear on swimwear. A top sold by band and cup is sized like a bra, so choose it from your bra size and confirm that both your band and your cup are on sale.
One-piece or bikini: which is easier to fit?
A two-piece is easier when your top and bottom fall in different sizes, because each half can be sized alone. A one-piece has to match your bust, your hips and your torso length in a single size, and the length is the part a letter never states.
You can read torso length in the mirror. A one-piece that is too short pulls down at the neckline, digs in at the shoulders and rides up at the leg. One that is too long gathers at the waist or the small of the back.
Adjustable straps and a halter tie give you some length back. A fixed strap gives none.
We sell no one-piece, so treat this section as advice for a swimsuit bought elsewhere. Look for a chart that prints the torso loop, and for listings that offer a long-torso cut in your size.
What to check on a plus-size bikini top
The underbust decides whether a bikini top stays put, and the bust decides whether the cups hold you. Check both against the chart, then look at how the top is built.
- Triangle tops on ties: The ties set the band and the neck to you, which gives real range. A halter tie hangs the top from the back of your neck, so wear it tied for a few minutes before you decide.
- Tops with a fixed band and cups: These fit like a bra and only work in your band and cup. A letter size is a guess at both.
- Bandeaus: A bandeau stays up by the tension of its band alone, so the underbust figure matters most here.
None of our four sets is sold by cup. All of them come in letter sizes.
High-waisted, skirted or tie-side bottoms: what each one changes
Each style moves the point where the bottom has to match you. Choose by which measurement you want the garment to hold.
High-waisted bottoms sit at the waist, so they need your waist and your hips to agree with the chart. The rise matters as much: if the bottom is too short between leg and waistband, it rolls down when you sit.
Skirted bottoms are a brief with a skirt over it, and they are sized at the brief. Check that the skirt is attached and that the brief underneath is listed in your hip size. A separate cover-up skirt, like the one in our Wicked Waters set, is a different thing: it ties on over the bottoms and comes off before you swim.
Tie-side bottoms let you set the hip yourself, and they are the most forgiving cut between sizes. The knot is the weak point in moving water, so tie it twice.
Leg height changes where the edge crosses your hip. A high-cut leg sits above the hip bone and a lower leg crosses the top of the thigh, and neither is fixed by the size letter.
Do mesh and long sleeves give real coverage?
They cover how much of you is seen, and less of you from the sun than they appear to. The Skin Cancer Foundation's guide to sun-protective clothing says densely woven cloth protects more than sheer, thin or loosely woven cloth, and that clothing loses some of its protection once it is stretched or wet.
The same guide says dark colours protect better than light ones, and that the more skin a garment covers, the better. So black is on your side and open mesh is not. Wear a mesh layer for how it looks, and put sunscreen on under it.
For fit, a long-sleeved swim top has to match you at the bust, the shoulder and the upper arm, and a sleeve has no tie to adjust. Mesh with spandex in it will give at the arm. Lace without stretch will not, so read the fabric line before you trust the letter.
What stretch forgives in swimwear, and what it does not
Stretch forgives a small gap around the body. It does not forgive length, cup volume or anything fixed.
- It forgives: a little either way at the bust, waist and hips when you sit between two sizes.
- It does not forgive: a torso that is too short, a cup that is too small, a ring or clasp that joins two panels at a fixed width, or trims without stretch such as lace edging.
Water changes the answer again. U.S. Masters Swimming notes that a suit can fit when dry and stretch out once it is wet, which is why some swimmers size down. Its guide adds that polyester blends last longer in chlorine but are less stretchy than nylon and Lycra blends, so the harder-wearing suit is also the less forgiving one.
Our advice between two sizes: for a swimsuit you will swim in, take the snugger one only if every measurement still sits inside that size's range. For a set you will mostly wear dry, take the one that is comfortable standing still.
Cover-ups and sheer layers we sell in larger sizes
None of these is swimwear, and none is made for the water. They are the pieces we sell that go over a swimsuit between the water and everything else, with the figures each listing prints, read on 1 October 2026.
- Mesh Blouse, S to XXL: A long-sleeved sheer mesh shirt with a glossy collar, cuffs and button placket, in black or purple. Its listing gives a bust of 80 to 96 cm, a waist of 86 to 102 cm and a length of 59 to 68 cm across the five sizes, and calls them garment measurements. $33.06, or $30.44 for black in XXL.
- Black Fishnet Fringe Skirt, S to XXL: A wrap-front skirt in polyester and spandex on an elastic waistband, part fishnet and part long fringe. The listing gives a waist of 54 to 78 cm in S, rising to 62 to 98 cm in XXL, and a hip of 70 cm in S and 90 cm in XXL. $31.37 in S, $36.71 from M to XXL.
- Rebel Black Mesh Beach Sweater, S to XL: A cropped, open-knit pullover in polyester with long flared sleeves. The listing gives a bust of 94 cm in S, 98 cm in M, 103 cm in L and 108 cm in XL, with a length of 40 to 44.5 cm. $29.71 in S, $32.76 from M to XL.
- Horror-inspired Ruffle Skirt, XS to 6XL: Tiers of black lace ruffle over a sheer hem that falls longer at the back, on an elastic waistband, in polyester and spandex. It runs further up the size range than anything else on this list, and its listing prints no measurement for any size. $31.37 in XS, $36.71 from S to 6XL.
Read those figures before the letters. The beach sweater's XL lists a wider bust than any size of the blouse, and a 90 cm hip on an XXL skirt is a number to hold against your own tape. The fishnet skirt's listing does not say whether its figures are taken flat or stretched.
For everything else we sell in larger sizes, start with our plus-size collection.
How to check the fit when your swimsuit arrives
Try it on dry, in front of a mirror, and move before you decide. Check the seller's returns terms before you order as well: U.S. Masters Swimming points out that some swimwear cannot be returned for hygiene reasons, and that some sales are final.
- Raise both arms: The band of the top should stay level and under the bust. If it climbs, the band is too loose or the cups are too small.
- Sit down: A high-waisted bottom should stay at the waist, and a one-piece should not pull at the shoulders.
- Bend forward: Everything should stay inside the cups and the neckline.
- Walk a few steps: Leg openings should lie flat without cutting in or gaping.
- Check every fixed point: Rings, clasps and lace edges will not give later, so they need to be comfortable now.
- Re-tie the ties: If a set only fits with the ties at their very end, you have no room left once it is wet.
Frequently asked questions
Does The Cursed Closet sell goth swimwear in plus sizes?
Not at present. We carry four bikini sets, and the largest size among them is L. No one-piece is on sale. The larger pieces in our range are layers for wearing over a swimsuit: a mesh shirt and a fishnet fringe skirt to XXL, and a lace ruffle skirt to 6XL.
How do I measure my torso for a one-piece swimsuit?
Hold the tape at the top of one shoulder, run it down your front, pass it between your legs and bring it up your back to where you started. Keep it close to the body without pulling. Compare that loop with the torso figure on the chart, if the chart prints one.
Should I size up or down in a swimsuit?
Start from your measurements on that seller's chart, not from a habit. If you sit between two sizes and plan to swim, the smaller one is the safer choice in case the fabric loosens when wet, provided your bust, hips and torso all still fall within it. Never size down past your own numbers.
What does a high-waisted bikini bottom change about the fit?
It adds a second measurement. A low bottom only has to match your hips, while a high-waisted one has to match your hips and your waist, and be long enough in the rise to stay up when you sit. Check all three before you buy.
Is a mesh cover-up enough protection from the sun?
No. Open mesh lets light through, and the Skin Cancer Foundation ranks sheer and loosely woven fabric below dense fabric for protection. A dark colour helps and so does covering more skin, but treat a mesh layer as clothing and use sunscreen beneath it.
