7 Ways To Wear Patterns When You're Plus Size And Wanna Spice Up Your Workwear

As a freelance writer and small business owner, I am lucky enough that I can go to my office wearing a 2 Chainz concert t-shirt and on some days, I totally do. But many women who look like me have corporate jobs that require plus size professional wear. And while I definitely got called in by HR at one of my past corporate jobs because I wore too much “loud jewelry,” I love the challenge of maintaining personal style while fitting into company dress standards.
My best friend, Kristen, snagged her first corporate job last year that actually required her to dress up to work. Kristen and I are the kind of co-dependent friends who consult each other before we make any purchase — online or in-store. So when Kristen landed this job, I was already mentally going through her closet in my head and putting together outfits. We made very few new purchases and still managed to put together a month’s worth of outfits that earned her daily compliments from her new co-workers.
In the six months since Kristen started in corporate, I’ve realized how important it is as a plus-size woman to not get stuck in the black blazer, black pencil skirt, black sleeveless shell, and black pants rut. Mixing fun patterns with her go-to basics is one of Kristen’s favorite corporate style hacks.
As a size 18 on a budget, she does a lot of her shopping at JCPenney, Old Navy, Cat’s Closet and, of course, Ready to Stare for her accessories. Even though she really hates having her picture taken, I pulled the best friend card and asked Kristen to let me take her photo in seven of our favorite pattern-mixing professional looks.
These gradient print pants are one of the few purchases Kristen made without my knowledge and when I first saw her in them, I was so impressed! The cut of the Old Navypixie ankle pants is so perfect to wear with heels or flats and all of the fun patterns make it super easy to pair with a plain top like Kristen’s go-to style from JCPenney. These pants only go up to a size 20 at Old Navy but Eloquii offers a similar style up to a size 28.
3. Cheetah Print Pencil Skirt
Kristen grabbed this skirt from indie business, Cat’s Closet, that sells second-hand plus-size garments that are usually all under $20. Kristen has alerts on her phone for when Cat’s Closet posts its new items because there’s always only one of each item available. She paired the look with a single chain belt from my line Ready to Stare for a little gaudy, corporate realness.
4. Tropical Trousers
Kristen and I affectionately call these her “Olivia Pope pants” because they remind us of a silhouette that Kerry Washington might wear on Scandal when she’s being a total boss. Kristen initially didn’t see my vision with these pants when I made her try them on at JCPenney, but paired with a sleek bun and bow blouse, this look is totally chic and professional and a far cry from that suit your mom made you buy when you interviewed for your first internship in college.
5. ’80s Print Peplum
I’m usually anti-peplum but this dress is another one of Kristen’s second-hand finds from Cat’s Closet and it’s pretty much adorable on her. The simplicity of the black and white pattern pairs nicely with a fun coral colored shoe and gold chain necklace. The high-cut neckline makes it work appropriate for someone like Kristen who is bigger-chested.
6. Architecture Tank
This tank was a score from the JCPenney sale rack and the graphic pattern, which reminds me of the Chrysler building, makes a bold statement and pairs easily with black basics. Kristen wears this tank tucked into a high-waisted pencil skirt or underneath a blazer with trousers.
7. Red Polka Dot Pants
Kristen really loves the Old Navy pixie ankle pants so she has a few pairs including this red polka dot pair. The color alone stands out so the polka dot pattern is perfectly subtle. Kristen added her favorite black basic top and a layered chain bracelet from my line.

Spotlight: High Line Car House

Angela Petro had a decision to make. It was January 2013 and, after 16 years in business, her company, Two Caterers, had outgrown its tiny Westerville office. She could keep it simple and just find a larger space with a kitchen and offices. But the historic Brewery District building at 550 S. High St. was calling her name.
“When I walked in and saw this building, it smelled like sewer gas and it was moldy and gross,” Petro says. “But I live in German Village, so I knew of this building. And I was intrigued. I mean, it spoke to me. The bones were good. You could see the brick walls; you could see the exposed ceiling.”
Sure, it needed work—a lot of work. And it would put her over budget. But when Petro stood inside the former trolley barn, she saw the potential to transform it into a stunning venue space on the cusp of Downtown. So she took the plunge. “It was the best decision we could have made,” she says.
Built in 1873, the building first served as a southern stop for horse-drawn trolleys, which were eventually electrified. “When we excavated to put in the new sanitary and water lines, they found all the tracks are still underneath the foundation,” Petro says.
Now, after a complete renovation and a second-floor addition, the building houses Two Caterers’ offices and commercial kitchen in addition to High Line Car House, the venue arm of the business. High Line, which can seat 250 people with a dance floor, hosts all types of events, with weddings being the primary use of the venue.
Custom is king for weddings here. “This is anti-package,” Petro says. “We can help people if they prefer a package-type thing, but really this is a custom experience.” The company provides couples with tables, fruitwood chiavari chairs and tents if they choose to use the patio. From there, it’s a blank slate. “Even though this has a very strong design aesthetic, it is still something that you can make your own,” Petro says. “Any colors work in here; any kinds of decor or florals work in this space. And so I think this is for a couple who really want to express their personal aesthetic.”
That theme carries over to food and beverage, too. Couples who book the venue are required to use Two Caterers, which has a combined food and beverage minimum. “Our belief is food should be simple: few ingredients, big on flavor, with a contemporary, very clean presentation,” Petro says, adding some of their most popular dishes include Asiago chicken, corn salsa (also served at their food truck, Sweet Carrot), seven-onion soup and short ribs.
This marriage of catering and event space is exactly what Petro envisioned when she first toured the historic building. Says Petro, “I started my company 18 years ago, and this [space] was a dream come true.”

Ellen Albertini Dow, Best Known as Rapping Granny in ‘Wedding Singer

Her name was Ellen Albertini Dow. You probably knew her as the rapping granny from 1998’s “The Wedding Singer.”
She died Monday at 101, according to representative Juliet Green, of Juliet Green Management.
“I said a hip hop, Hippie to the hippie. The hip, hip a hop, and you don’t stop, rock it,” Dow jauntily sang in the movie’s version of the hip-hop classic “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang.
But this woman was so much more than a gag in an Adam Sandler movie.
She appeared in more than two dozen films and nearly 40 television shows, among them many of the biggest series in the last few decades. She appeared on Broadway three times.
Dow began studying dance at the age of 5, according to her Internet Movie Database biography.
She worked with the likes of dancer Martha Graham and French mimes Marcel Marceu and Jaques Lecoq, according to her resume on her own website. She ran a mime troupe for a while, and earned a master’s degree in theater from Cornell University.
She taught drama at two Los Angeles area colleges for nearly three decades. The theater at the second of those schools, Pierce College, was named after her and her late husband, Eugene Dow — who founded the department.
In a Facebook posting, the school’s theater department mourned the loss of what it called “the matriarch of its family.”
“A woman maybe known for a certain movie but she surely leaves behind a greater legacy than that,” Facebook user Stephanie Alvena posted to the department’s Facebook page.
In her late-career movie roles, Dow was best known for playing sweet-looking elderly women with unexpected edges. In addition to playing Rosie the rapping grandmother in “The Wedding Singer,” Dow played raunchy grandma Mary Cleary in “Wedding Crashers.”
“Everyone is talking about her role in The Wedding Singer, I’m over here like: NAH, Wedding CRASHERS for the win!” Facebook user Ashley Gilyard wrote on Pierce’s Facebook page. “Rest in peace, Ellen.”