Summer is finally on our doorstep and we are here for it! With sunny skies comes summer fashion, and there’s no better place to discover dresses for all sizes than PENN. Formerly known as Penningtons, this beloved Canadian retailer is your one-stop shop, dressing you from head to toe in dresses, workwear, activewear, footwear and accessories for all occasions.
For its new Get Dress’d with Meredith campaign, PENN. has teamed up with none other than Meredith Shaw, media personality and style icon and a co-host of Breakfast Television, on a curated collection of plus-size pieces from PENN.’s summer dress shop. Available in sizes 14+, each of Meredith’s 10 picks embodies her signature style—think: bright colours, playful silhouettes and bold styling.
We caught up with Meredith to learn more about her exciting new partnership with PENN., why summer dress season is her favourite and her top styling tips and tricks.
Congratulations on this exciting new collaboration! Please tell us why you wanted to partner with PENN. on sharing your fave picks from their summer dress shop?
PENN. is a brand that I have had a long partnership with, starting as a customer. They have been proudly dressing plus-size bodies in this country for years—before it was a headline or marketing campaign. I have a lot of respect for the team and was so thrilled to be asked to curate this delicious, candy-coloured summer edit with them of dresses in sizes 14+!
Finding cute styles in plus sizes that actually fit properly hasn’t always been easy. Can you share what some of your previous shopping experience has been like and how PENN. closes that gap?
The challenge with plus sizes is always a lack of choice and a lack of accessibility. We don’t all want to wear the same thing just because we have a similar body size and we’d kind of like to try on our clothes before we buy them—you know, like everyone else. PENN. is available in store and online and the variety in silhouettes of these 10 dresses, along with the entire summer PENN. collection, allows everybody to pick up something that speaks to who they are and how they feel best showing up in the world.
OK Meredith, it’s time to spill the tea: What are some of your favourite pieces from the edit?
It’s very hard to choose—there are so many beautiful and colourful pieces! But I think the floral Fit and Flare Midi Dress with Short Flutter Sleeves is a real standout along with the yellow Fit and Flare Square-Neck Dress with Short Flutter Sleeves. What I love about all 10 dresses in the drop is how easy to wear they are. A lot of the fabrics are roll-and-go, making them the perfect companions for your best summer yet.
So convenient! In addition to the travel-friendly fabrics, are there any details that really speak to you in terms of fit?
Fit is everything when it comes to having great style and one of the impressive things about PENN. is how much experience they have fitting their pieces to plus-size bodies, not just sizing up from straight sizes—yes, there’s a difference. That attention to detail allows for confidence while shopping. I love the tiered swing shape of the green and purple Sleeveless Tiered Swing Dresses with Crew Necklines from Addition Elle and—I’m not here to gatekeep—if you’ve been looking for a cute summer romper, you will feel fab in the V-Neck Romper with Short Flutter Sleeves.
We love your bright and sunny vibes. Will you please share your top summer styling tips with us?
As always, my biggest styling tip is to wear what you love. We have been raised with a lot of style rules that are really comparative to a thin aesthetic. Part of what I hope for with this edit is for all women to feel ready to jump into summer, to show their bare arms, to move, to travel, to dance—to live their best season yet. A great addition to any summer wardrobe is a stacked sandal, a clutch, a cropped denim jacket, a crossbody bag and a pair of fresh white kicks. Those accessories will allow you to dress up or dress down each piece in this collab effortlessly.
What do you love most about wearing a cute summer dress after a long Canadian winter?
It’s one piece over my head and I’m done. Easy, quick, stylish. I like to describe these dresses as stand-up-sit-down dresses. You can do both with ease. You don’t have to work to wear these dresses. Instead, they are working for you.
And please tell us where you’ll be wearing your favourite PENN. pieces this summer.
If you see me and I’m not wearing them, feel free to ask me why! I can’t wait to jump into summer in these dresses, from a friend’s wedding I have coming up, to a trip to Ireland, to watching the Jays, to my job on Breakfast Television, there is nowhere these dresses can’t take me. I hope you feel the same way and I can’t wait to see you twirl through summer.
This content was created by The Kit; PENN. funded and approved it.
