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Wondering where to find designer plus-size clothing for professional women?
As readers have noted in the past, trendy, fast-fashion spots abound for plus-size work attire — so finding quality fabrics and classic styles for polished looks can be difficult. We wanted to do a roundup of high-end brands and websites that include investment pieces made of high-quality fabrics to add to your everyday workwear collection.
We’ll also note a few options if you’re in the market for a date-night outfit or special occasion.
We’ve rounded up the best plus-size suits for interviews and beyond, and we’ve done roundups in the past for the best workwear for plus sizes as well as workwear in size 16 and up — for more plus-size content, please sign up for for CorporettePlus, our newsletter! Signing up helps us gauge interest in the project, and we promise not to blast your email more than once a week at most. (Right now it’s more like once a month.)
We also want to hear from you: What are your go-to brands or fashion sites when seeking out designer plus-size clothing for professional women that’ll last, in terms of style and substance? Here are some of the interesting companies we know of in this space — we’d love to hear if you know of any others!
The Best Places to Shop for Designer Plus-Size Work Clothes
These are some of the best spots for designer plus-size work clothes as of 2024… admittedly, a fairly broad interpretation because this category is such a narrow one! Our favorite spots for work outfit shopping are in bold!
Plus-Size Designer Brands to Thrift
These brands aren’t being made anymore, but you may still see them on the resale sites or in thrift stores:
- 11 Honore
- Anna Scholz
- Alice Alexander
- HENNING (sold to Universal Standard)
- M.M.LaFleur (used to be available up to size 4X, now only 00-20)
- Marée Pour Toi
- Navabi
- Of Mercer
- Simone Aviv
- White House | Black Market (not quite designer, but they briefly made plus sizes)
- Violetta by Mango – Mango still makes plus sizes but they’ve closed the
Further Notes on Where to Find Designer Plus-Size Clothing for Professional Women
Gravitas: Founded in 2012, Gravitas offers workwear basics in classic styles; many have a hidden shapewear component. Dresses are around $275.
Jibri: With sizes from 10–28, Jibri offers off the rack pieces as well as pieces that are handmade-to-order. Celebrities who’ve worn this line include Jill Scott, Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes, Tess Holiday, and Gabourey Sidibe.
Kiyonna: Since 1996, American-made Kiyonna has been offering multiple colors, fabrics, and styles for plus-size fashions size 10–32, particularly their popular and flattering wrap dresses and cocktail dresses. (The brand also shows up in some of the high-end style stores like Nordstrom, as well as on Amazon!)
Lafayette 148 New York: Available online and in some department stores and at their own locations around the U.S., the high-end retailer sells blouses, suits, skirts, dresses, and other must-haves made from the finest European fabrics, up to size 24.
Marina Rinaldi / Persona by Marina Rinaldi: Part of the Max Mara family, the brand has more traditional dresses and more whimsical, casual options as well. You can find the brand at designer stores; prices range from around $210–$1000+.
Nic + Zoe: This brand is guilty of some… bold patterns, shall we say — but if that isn’t quite your style, some of their solids are great for workwear, including their popular Twirl dress and skirt, their four-way cardigan, the riding jacket, and the “Perfect” line of pants. You can find them at a bunch of retailers, including Nordstrom and Amazon.
PLVSH Style: With this retailer, you can either opt for a style box, or shop online for a range of high-end items size 14 and up. Prices range from $80–$280+.
Rita Phil Custom Fashion: Like the name suggests, this skirt designer can do custom orders, and the site’s FAQ page states there is “no size limit.” (BuzzFeed’s Kristin Chirico also gave it her seal of approval.)
Universal Standard: This line has been receiving high praise from fashion mags, blogs, and our own readers for its workwear options. They are offering an executive workwear kit that includes eight pieces where you can choose the color and size for each piece, and they do the rest.
Other Possibilities for Designer Plus Size Clothing for Professional Women
Subscription Boxes for Plus Sizes
There are a number of style box options for high-end, plus-size items: You tell them what you want, and they will make it so: Gwynnie Bee, Plvsh, Dia & Co, and Stitch Fix.
Made to Measure Clothes
Another option is bespoke professional clothing — check out our previous roundups of where to get custom blouses, blazers, dresses and suiting!
Hunting for the best made-to-measure work clothes? As of 2024, the best options we know of are Brooks Brothers, Sumissura, Etsy sellers Heart My Closet, VigilanteLabs, and CelesteLilou, as well as smaller brands like Loud Bodies, Sharpe Suiting, IGIGI, and Rita Phil (pencil skirts only), plus eShakti.
Some of our favorite stores that offer free alterations for members include Nordstrom, J.Crew, Banana Republic, and Uniqlo (select styles). If you’re crafty, you may also want to check out our roundup of sewing patterns for workwear outfits.
Readers, have you tried any nicer options for plus-size designer clothes workwear lately? What’s the number one thing you look for when you seek out investment pieces from plus-size labels? Fit? Fabric? Style? Do tell…
More Reader Favorites for Plus-Sized Work Clothes
The Best Plus-Size Pants for Work Outfits
Plus-Size Sweater Jackets
Sweater jackets are a great third piece — they elevate more casual outfits and make more tailored outfits feel “friendlier” and more accessible.
Where to Find Stylish Plus-Size Suits
The Best Plus-Size Dresses for Work
The Most Comfortable Wide Heels for Work
These are some of our Hall of Famer heels that come in wide widths… see our latest roundup of the best black heels for business attire here!
Where to Find Plus-Size Maternity Workwear
Social media image credit: Deposit Photos / @ gregorylee.