Felicitously, Torrid is having a 50% off clearance sale today. They carry a wide stock, so it’s well worth jumping in and seeing what they have to offer.

Torrid has attempted great strides away from its perceived inception as the “plus size Hot Topic, a store intended to cater to the “alternative” kiddies who like to wear black and listen to music that their parents will, most likely, complain about. This separation has gone further with Hot Topic’s introduction of its extended sizes section, although they may have more success in a total separation of they included more items besides their T-shirts in Hot Topic plus options, despite the lower age range of their base customers.

Even though their branding issues frustrate those plussers who prefer to dress goth-round-the-clock, Torrid’s more inclusive approach has been a welcome relief to the often uncreative landscape of plus size design. With sizes ranging from 12 to a generous 26, it’s clear that they understand the market they serve, and actively support that market. All models on their website are real, plus size women. While some of the designs are too extreme and revealing for me, all of them are consistently designed to flatter a curvaceous figure. The only complaint I’ve heard past their departure from gothic devotion is that their lingerie, designed to stay on for only a few minutes, can actually hurt the women who try to wear it during the day. Since I’ve never tried their lingerie, all I can go with is my experience with high quality construction that has lasted for years, and my desire to speak in depth with a designer about why animal prints don’t belong on plus women given the self-esteem issues we already have.

Because the fashion item of the season is the dress, I’d like to point you to a few of my personal favorites. If I had the budget and my druthers, my summer wardrobe would have at least three dresses from Torrid, complemented by fancy sandals from Zappos. Rather than the shapeless and unflattering “floaty dress” supported in fashion magazines, these more structured dresses still go with the overall trend of “dress” but allow a plus woman to look her most attractive.
 While it’s misleading to say any design is universally flattering, given the many variations in curves and size among plus women, for most plus women, the Kimono dress is likely the safest pick. Sleeves cover the usually looser part of the upper warm, and the higher cut at the waist disguises tummy flaws while drawing generous but classy attention to the bust.

While I personally shy away from polka dots after a bad judgement call once led me to be photographed in pink polka dot taffeta, here is one of the rare examples of dots done well. Be careful of your foundations, in this dress, though - for it to look flattering, you’ll need a really good supporting and uplifting bra beneath it, and about a 1 1/2 inch heel to put all your assets at their best advantage.

As a contrast to my criticism of Lane Bryant’s shirt dress, I point to this Torrid style as a shirt dress done right. It defines the waist, and the cut and fabric beautifuly sidesteps my typical aversion to stripes on plus size women.
While I again believe the design could benefit from some tailoring around the bust and arms,
unaltered it’s still a very effective, simple, and flattering design.