Fashion Blog by Jen Anderson

For the longest time, my signature look was It Fits. If something fit both my body and whatever arbitrary work or school dress code I was dealing with at the time, I wore it. Once we started getting actual options in the plus size world, I was able to discover my...

When you wear classic styles with enduring appeal you don't have to add new pieces to your wardrobe all the time. But that doesn't mean you can't. Even if your closet is brimming with the most perfectly, timelessly fabulous pieces, every wardrobe could use a breath of fresh air every now and...

We've all been told not to wear bright colors. Which is ridiculous. The thinking behind this lousy advice is that subtle colors like black and gray make us look slimmer than bright colors that stand out. Which, no. That's not how that works. Sure, wearing some drab shade that makes you...

We might as well admit it - we dress to please ourselves, but part of that pleasure comes from being admired by our friends. We're oh-so fabulous and love when people notice that. It's only mean-spirited if you don't tell them where they can get awesome clothes for themselves. But...

Yes. Class dismissed. Just kidding.  So many plus sized women think that dressing outside of their comfort zone is great - for other women. We'll cheer on our friends when they're considering baring their arms, or wearing a print for the first time in years. But when they return the...

Some plus size women make style choices that revolve around making ourselves look smaller. We wear black because it's allegedly slimming. (It isn't.) We don't want to risk showing off a single lump or bump, so we wear clothes that hide our bodies. We avoid bright colors and prints that would...

Neutral colors should be so easy to wear. They go with pretty much every color you can think of. And each other. Yet many of us have a fraught relationship with neutrals. The problem is that not all neutrals are created equal. I can't stand beige. Don't know why. I...

 If you're hesitant to wear prints, I get it. I used to be the same. I cringe whenever I think back to some of the prints that were in plus size clothing stores back in the 80s and 90s. Add to that all the nonsense advice about dressing to blend...

Some people like to plan out their outfits before they go to bed and set everything out so they can get dressed in the morning quickly and easily. I am not one of those people. I consider myself organized if I manage to lay out my clothes before I get...

I've gone on and on about how you shouldn't buy clothes that you could only wear on a special occasion. In most instances, it's better to invest in well-made, versatile pieces. But that doesn't mean I think you should show up at parties wearing the same exact outfit you wear to...

We all need little pick-me-ups to help us get through the day. If you're like me, most of your mood boosters are in your phone or on your desk. From where I'm sitting, I can see a Tina Fey action figure, a calculator shaped like a friendly robot, and a photo...

Some fashion emergencies are really wardrobe malfunctions - a lost button, a broken strap, a loose hem. But sometimes you really need to look a lot more stylish with no warning. Remember - fashion is armor and sometimes you need to suit up and go into battle on the spur of the...

I used to think that buying a dress that I'd probably never wear again was a requirement for attending a wedding. How else will the bride know how happy I am for her? It would be rude to show up in a dress I'd worn before. It's one of those...

I used to worry that layering clothes on my plus size body just wasn't a good look. I was haunted by the ill-fitting clothes of my youth. Of course wearing a too-snug blazer over anything was bound to make me look and feel like a child so bundled up to play in...

A while back, Allegra was at a 60th birthday party - a real fancy 'do with a professional photographer. She noticed that some women kept running away from the photographer. Not because they're in the witness protection program, but because they hate how they look in pictures. You'll be unsurprised...