I love maxi dresses in the summer. They’re easy, comfortable and I don’t have to think about things like how white my legs are or (okay, I’ll admit it) if I bothered to shave my legs. While I’m not a plus size woman, 62% of women in this country wear a size 14 or greater. So, today, I decided to feature some plus size maxi dresses from retailers who not only cater to this large part of the population, but who embrace this customer with respect and great fashion choices.
If you’re a plus sized woman, you know that there are slim pickings out there and few manufacturers truly understand your needs. However, check out these summer plus size maxi dresses and familiarize yourself with these companies who aren’t just offering maxis for the summer, but fashionable options all year round.
My Favorite Plus Size Maxi Dresses
Lee Lee’s Valise
Plus Size Maxi Dresses by bridgetteraes
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know that I am a huge fan of Lee Lee’s Valise, a small but powerful world-renowned Brooklyn Boutique that caters to women sizes 10-28. Everything is designed in-house by owner and designer Lisa Dolan and manufactured in the USA. Being a plus size 18, herself, Lisa designs everything with her own body as the fit standard, and after years of dressing thousands of women understands the subtle nuances necessary in dressing the larger customer. If you’re looking for an intimate, personalized shopping experience, you have to check out Lee Lee’s. And, don’t let the neighborhood boutique vibe fool you, Lee Lee’s Valise was featured on TLC’s What Not to Wear over 25 times and the store had its own TLC show last year called Big Brooklyn Style. If you can’t get to the store, Lee Lee’s Valise ships to customer’s worldwide through their website.
Here, I am featuring Lee Lee’s Valise’s Stephanie maxi dress. I love this dress because not only does the fit flatter the plus size figure, but there are a lot of things about the print that also works for a larger women. First, the deep v-neck is a figure flattering as are the diagonal lines across the bust and vertical lines down the bottom half. Lastly, the flutter sleeve offers coverage while still keeping you cool. With a simple sandal or wedge and gold accessories, this outfit is polished and ready for vacation, a party or for an easy day around town.
Catherines
Plus Size Maxi Dresses by bridgetteraes
I’m a fan of Catherines, who caters to sizes 16W to 34W, not just because my dear old friend Kate McKee heads up the direction of the company’s product as their VP of Design, but because I have a great respect for how they cater to their customer. Fit is a crucial part of their approach with something called their Real Fit program, in which they took highly detailed measurements of almost three thousand women and used them to design a totally new fit. They then began to offer clothing that more closely approximates the plus-size figure.
I chose this plus size maxi dress from Catherines for its versatility as well as they way it was designed. Diagonal lines having a slimming effect, the bold diagonal stripe in this dress is figure flattering. In addition, contrary to all the brands out there who don’t care to understand the plus size figure, not all plus size women gain weight the same. While some gain weight in their tummies, others benefit from waist definition. If you’re a plus size woman with curves and a waist, don’t be afraid of a belt, like you are seeing here.
ModCloth
Plus Size Maxi Dresses by bridgetteraes
Known for their quirky, retro styles Modcloth, unlike Lee Lee’s Valise and Catherines, is only recently pushing into the plus size market, yet, it’s something they’re pushing into with full force. Modcloth, being a company whose direction is very customer driven, got a lot of feedback from their customers that they wanted to see more plus size options. Now, here is the interesting part: despite the fact that the plus size woman has a majority of the buying power, according to Business Week, when Modcloth reached out to the company’s 1,500 vendors about doing plus size with them, only 35 agreed to it. Needless to say, Modcloth was surprised that so many of their vendor’s rejected the offer to cater to this underserved and neglected majority. Yet, they went ahead with their plan. Since then, 100 vendors have gotten on-board, yet that number is still paltry in comparison. Since then, the website hired in-house designers who are focused on making flattering and comfortable clothing as part of its private label.
I chose this plus size maxi dress from Modcloth because of it’s flattering design and the different ways it can be worn. While the dress alone is a bit bland, the subtle color lends itself to pairing any color with it as a complement. Here I chose bold red, denim and teal, but any color would work. Like the other two dresses featured from Catherines and Lee Lee’s Valise, the diagonal lines and cut of the dress have slimming, figure flattering effects.
