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Lena Dinham is well known for her acting, writing, producing, and directing—most recently her television hit “Girls” acquired several Emmy Award nominations and two Golden Globes. Her current endeavor that is making waves is her new plus-size clothing line collaboration with 11 Honoré. This line consists of five pieces: a patterned dress, a scalloped mini skirt and blazer, a flowy blouse, and a simple white tank. The sizes range from twelve to twenty-six and the prices from $100 to $300. Needless to say, there has been much talk surrounding this new line.
According to her Instagram, Dunham’s goal in diving into the industry is to provide more high fashion options for the plus-sized consumer. She was inspired by the stylish working women that surrounded her growing up and seek to provide the same for women today—women who aren’t always considered society’s definition of fashionable.
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Dunham aspires to help grant peace of mind to the plus-sized woman looking to expand into a high-end wardrobe. She recognizes that while those body types all too often don’t find themselves on the cover of a fashion magazine, they still desire and deserve high fashion. She aims to combat the stigma that plus-sized women do not want a chic wardrobe and banish the fear of shopping only to find that nothing fits. In response, the line was created.
Unfortunately, amidst the excitement, criticism bubbled to the surface. Comments were made by the Huffington Post and NBC stating Dunham’s line excluded those larger than a size twenty-six and those whose budgets could not afford the higher prices. This prompted an adverse response from some media and consumers, those who felt Dunham’s collection did not support her claims.
While there have been negative comments surrounding the inclusivity of Dunham’s collection, her goal was met by targeting a specific audience. As well, in a way, the criticism does not seem to hold up. The size range of Dunham’s collection aligns with 11 Honoré’s website. In addition, the prices of Dunham’s pieces fall on the lower end of others found on the site, a handful of which rise into the $600 range.
Given this, Lena’s line hits her target, providing high-end clothing for less-represented body types and allowing them to feel comfortable in these fashionable styles. She sought to begin providing the clothing she found was lacking in the plus-sized wardrobe.
Lena Dunham has never shied away from expressing herself, as is evident from her Instagram and many press photos. Her new collaboration with 11 Honoré is no different. Dunham has been vocal about feeling comfortable in her own body and embracing a fashionable expression of this. Instead of condemning her body type, she seeks confidence in her skin and acts on this through her new clothing line. Not only is she promoting a positive body image for herself but aiming to do the same for others.