About Emily
Hi, I’m Emily. Pull up a chair.
Her Good Side is where I share the plus size outfits that actually work in my life, and I hope they work in yours too.
I’m Emily Dawson, a plus size woman who loves clothes and spent far too long pretending she didn’t. Here you’ll find outfit ideas for every season, what to wear to weddings, holidays and trips, and plain talk about fit, fabric and where to shop when the regular size chart stops at XL.
If you’ve ever stood in front of a full closet and felt like nothing in it was made for you, you’re in the right place.
See my latest outfits
Where it all started
The fitting room that changed my mind
A few years ago I was shopping for my best friend’s wedding. I carried a pile of dresses into the fitting room and not one of them zipped past my ribs. I sat on that tiny stool with my phone and texted her that I’d probably just wear black pants and a cardigan. Again.
“You always pick the outfit that hides you.”
My best friend, who was completely right
For most of my twenties I dressed to take up less space. Dark colors, long layers, anything baggy. I honestly thought that was what women my size were supposed to do. I left that store empty handed, went home and started saving every plus size outfit I loved on Pinterest. Bright colors. Defined waists. Women who looked genuinely happy in their clothes. That board was the first little seed of this blog.
My favorite people
Life outside the outfits
This is my crew. My husband, who has patiently taken about a thousand outfit photos for me, and our two kids, who think “Mom’s blog” mostly means extra trips to the park for good lighting.
Being a mom changed the way I get dressed. I need clothes that handle school runs, sticky hands and last minute plans, and I still want to feel like myself when we snap a family photo. So a lot of what I share is exactly that: real outfits for busy days that still look put together.
Why I started Her Good Side
I wanted the friend I never had in the fitting room
The more I looked, the more I noticed the same problem. Most fashion advice was written for straight sizes and then stretched to fit the rest of us, if we got a mention at all. The plus size tips I did find were mostly rules. Don’t wear stripes. Stick to black. Always cover your arms.
I wanted something different. A place that shows real outfits on real curves, tells you honestly how a piece fits and makes getting dressed feel fun again. So one evening, curled up on the couch with my laptop and a big mug of coffee, I bought a domain, named it Her Good Side and posted my first outfit with very shaky hands.
The name comes from something my grandma used to say whenever someone fussed about a photo: “Honey, every side is your good side.” It took me years to believe her. This blog is my way of passing that on to you.
Ask me a styling questionWhat you’ll find here
Outfits for real plans
Weekday outfits, wedding guest looks, holiday parties, family photos, vacations and all the ordinary days in between. Every idea is something you can actually put together.
Honest fit notes
I’ll tell you when a brand runs small, when a fabric clings and when something is worth the money. No sugarcoating and no pretending a waist gap isn’t there.
Zero hiding rules
Wear the color. Show your arms if you feel like it. Tuck the shirt. You get ideas and options here, never a list of things you’re not allowed to wear.
Come say hi
Follow along for new outfit ideas every week, or send me a note. I read every message myself, and a lot of posts on this blog started as a reader’s question.