1. Simply Be

Great for: Basics, swim, occassionwear, wide fit shoes and boots, lingerie

Size range: 10-32

Price range: £-££

Simply Be has come on leaps and bounds in the past couple of years. Gone are the days when they used to sell the dreaded cold shoulder tops with butterflies on. They now stock a range of on-trend clothes and pride themselves on the fit. I do work with Simply Be but I was a customer before that and still buy a lot of my clothes from there.

They’re great for basics but also stock some beautiful occasionwear too. Check out the brands Hope & Ivy and Maya Deluxe on their website if you have something fancy to go to.

I’m also a big fan of the Nobody’s Child range (most stop at a 24 but some go up to a 28).

Simply Be has a great range of lingerie on the website for by bigger busted babes (my favourite being Elomi…see below).

standard delivery is fairly speedy but I have the premier one which is £10.99 a year for unlimited next day delivery.

Top tips:

1. In terms of sizing, I normally size up

2. They often have 20% and sometimes 25% off across the site. Check the homepage banner.

2. Tu (Sainsbury’s)

Great for: Seasonal styles, pyjamas

Size range: 6-28

Price range: £

I love popping into Sainsbury’s to see what clothes they have on offer. I really rate the quality and think the pricing is really fair.

To be honest their online offering isn’t that vast so it’s better to shop in-store. A lot of the bigger stores tock up to a size 26/28 which is fantastic

As well as their seasonal staples, I love Tu pyjamas for the quality and price point.

3. Phase Eight

Great for: Occassionwear

Size range: 6-26

Price range: ££-£££

I’ve always loved Phase Eight clothes, so I was really pleased to see they recently integrated their plus size range (Studio 8) into their main range. The clothes are beautifully made and perfect for occasions like weddings and christenings. They’re also true to size.

I just wish all of their clothes went up to a size 26 instead of some. Again, worth using the filter by size feature on their site so you don’t end up disappointed.

Easy ordering and returns via Royal Mail.

4. Next

Great for: Workwear

Size range: 6-32

Price range: £-££

It might surprise you to know Next stocks up to a size 32. A search result for size 28 clothes returned over 3,000 items which I think is brilliant. I used to buy a lot of my workwear from Next when I had my office job. I once got a beautiful suit dress in a size 26 for just £7.50 in their sale (I don’t think many people know they sell bigger sizes so worth checking their sale).

The great thing about Next is that next day delivery is standard.

They also stock other inclusive brands too, like Live Unlimited London, Yours and Joules.

5. Fat Face

Great for: Top quality, casual outfits, dresses with pockets

Size range: 8-24

Price range: ££

I absolutely love Fat Face and have so many beautiful pieces from there in my wardrobe at the moment. I find their sizing very generous and can fit into a 24 in most things, unless very tailored.

They’re really good for casual clothes and dresses with pockets. The quality is exceptional and the online experience is great.

6. ASOS Curve

Great for: On-trend basics, swimwear, going ‘out-out’ outfits (and not forgetting shoes up to a size 13)

Size range: 16-30

Price range: £-££

ASOS was always my go-to as they’ve made their online shopping experience really seamless. I do go through phases with them as sometimes I find them a bit too trendy for me, but I’ve bought some gorgeous pieces from there in the past. I especially like their swimwear and a brand they stock called ‘Forever New Curve’ (beautiful, feminine clothes made really well).

I really rate their premier delivery (£10 a year) and how easy the returns process is. Most things are also true to size.

Top tip: Sign up for alerts as they often have flash 20% sales for two hours only

7. Snag Tights

Great for: Tights, chub rub shorts

Size range: 4-36

Price range: £

Honestly, when I first discovered Snag Tights around five/six years ago, they changed my life for the better.

Throughout my entire school life and even as a young adult, I could never find tights that fit. And if by some miracle I did, they would never stay up and were really uncomfortable.

Snag Tights are as comfortable as leggings (yes, really), are amazing quality, and don’t fall down.

l also can’t rave enough about their chub rub shorts! I won’t leave the house without them in the summer. They’re lightweight shorts that don’t fall down and keep chub rub completely at bay. 10/10 recommend.

In my experience the tights and chub rub shorts are true to size.

8. River Island Curve

Great for: Denim, seasonal staples

Size range: 18-28

Price range: £-££

Without a shadow of a doubt, River Island has the best denim on the highstreet. Their Molly jeans in particular are bloody brilliant (although I haven’t seen any on their website in their plus size range for a while…sorry!).

I also really like their dresses. I tend to size up on most of them depending on the cut and style.

They also have a range of wide fit shoes up to a size 9 if like me you have big/wide feet. My only wish is they would have more in their plus size range as it’s not particularly vast.

Ordering and returns process pretty slick. No complaints from me.

9. Monsoon

Great for: Gorgeous prints, occassionwear

Size range: 6-24

Price range: ££

I’m a huge fan of Monsoon clothes. I love their bright prints and the quality of everything. They’re a tad pricey but great for occasionwear. I find them quite generous in terms of sizing (depending on the fabric and cut) and can normally fit in a size 24.

Again, I really wish all of their clothes went up to a size 24 instead of just some. Very frustrating. Come on Monsoon, please extend your size range and be more consistent!

Delivery is quick (1-2 days if you’re a reward member) and the returns process is very easy.

13. H&M Curve

Great for: Budget-friendly basics

Size range: 20-34 (XL-4XL)

Price range: £

I really like H&M for their basics and staples. And everything is very reasonably priced. They tend to do a lot of pretty prints in the spring/summer so worth watching out for those. I used to find the quality was a bit hit and miss but have bought a few new dresses from them recently and been really impressed with the quality.

The sizing isn’t great so I would size up personally. I sometimes size up twice. A 3XL normally fits me and I’m a size 26, 5ft 9in for reference.

Would love to see their plus size range in store instead of just online. Delivery and returns process slick and easy.

14. Never Fully Dressed

Great for: Fun, quirky prints

Size range: 16-24

Price range: ££-£££

If you’re looking to stand out from the crowd in fun, quirky prints, look no further than Never Dut Dressed. The clothes are gorgeous and very on-trend. I have a few of their pieces and really rate the quality. They’re also quite generous in terms of sizing. I have two dresses in a size 24 and am normally a 26.

Hot tip: if you like something, don’t hang about as stock seems to go very quickly.

15. Marks & Spencer

Great for: Staples, dresses, swim, underwear

Size range: 6-24

Price range: £-££

You’ve got to love M&S for their quality and fair pricing. They’ve come on massively in recent years and I now have loads of their clothes hanging up in my wardrobe.

It’s just a real shame they stop at a size 24. I’m a size 26 and while some of their clothes are cut generously, I can’t always find what I want in my size which is very frustrating.

As well as clothes, M&S do great footwear and have a range of wide fit shoes and boots. I particularly love their wedges/espadrilles as they’re not too high and comfortable to walk in.

Shopping and returns are easy (you also have the option to return to store).

16. In The Style

Great for: Budget friendly, on-trend, staples

Size range: 6-30

Price range: £

I like how inclusive In The Style is. Their founder Adam is passionate about catering for women of all shapes and sizes, and that’s something I can really get behind.

Look out for Jess Millichamp’s dedicated plus size range as there are some lovely bits in there.

The quality of the clothes has come on in recent months and they are now focusing more on fit. I have had to size up on most things I’ve bought from there though just FYI.

Hot tip: It’s worth watching out for their sales as they often have 40% off everything.

17. Elomi Lingerie

Great for: Bras, swimwear

Size range: Band size 32 to 48, cup size D – K

Price range: £-££

I cannot tell you how much I love Elomi bras!! They’re the only ones I’ve found that offer full support for my bigger boobs AND they come in gorgeous, modern prints. My favourite is the Matilda (shown below). They also do the best strapless bra on the market (linked here).

Top tip: When buying a strapless bra, go down a cup size. This will give you more support

18. New Look Curve

Great for: Budget friendly staples, seasonal basics

Size range: 18-32

Price range: £

I like New Look for their seasonal staples and their pricing. I just with they integrated their plus size range into their standard one as some of the styles are quite frumpy.

They used to have an ‘Inspire’ range aka plus size range in a lot of their larger stores but sadly I don’t think that’s the case any more.

19. Dorothy Perkins

Great for: Staples

Size range: 18-28

Price range: £-££

Way before the days of online shopping I used to shop pretty much exclusively in Dorothy Perkins. I am eternally grateful to them for stocking trendy clothes up to a size 22 when I was younger or I would have been shopping in Bon Marche alongside my Nan (nothing wrong with Bon Marche but not when you’re 15).

It’s a shame all of the physical stores have gone but after a period of selling a very limited number of frumpy clothes online, I’m pleased to report Dorothy Perkins now has a pretty decent plus size range on their website. Worth watching out for a discount code and/or their sales as they’re quite frequent!

20. Mølby

Great for: Cute, fun prints

Size range: 6-24 (custom sizes also available up to a 34)

Price range: ££

Mølby is an independent, British, slow-fashion brand. Each garment is handmade to order and you can even add your custom size/measurements to the 'notes' section at check-out and for a custom fit.

I have a few of their dresses now and absolutely adore them. 10/10 recommend if you’re thinking of buying investment pieces and want to support a small business.

21. Shein Curve

Great for: Budget friendly holiday outfits

Size range: 16-26

Price range: £

I haven’t ordered loads of clothes from Shein (mainly because I’m inpatient and don’t like waiting longer than three days for my order to arrive), but what I have bought I’ve been really impressed with.

Yes it’s fast fashion, but buying sustainable clothes when you’re plus size is difficult if not impossible so don’t beat yourself up for it.

The clothes are actually pretty good quality for the price. Delivery takes between 1-2 weeks and the returns process is a bit arduous. But on the whole it’s not a bad place to shop if you’re on a budget and not in a rush.

Another feature I like is that customers are able to (and do) upload photos, so you can see what it looks like on different body types.