With Her Size-Inclusive 11 Honoré Collection, Lena Dunham Introduces a New Character 

Lena Dunham has experienced fashion from all angles. Few can say they’ve walked the catwalk at London Fashion Week for 16 Arlington, as she did in 2020, thrifted their way through Brooklyn’s vintage emporiums, and crafted characters whose taste in clothing is as memorable as their dialogue. Dunham’s path from lifelong enthusiast to Vogue cover star is well documented, but until recently, her interest was limited to personal style. This week s launch of 11 Honoré x Lena Dunham changes all that with a five-piece collection that fulfills her wardrobe wishlist.

Like many of her previous projects, the capsule began with a character. “I had this early 90s SoHo woman in mind bopping through her day from one appointment to the next,” shared Dunham on the phone from London where she’s filming the comedy, Catherine, Called Birdy. “Maybe she’s heading to the farmers market or having dinner with friends and has to stop by her studio. Imagining her day unwinding was huge for me, because then you can feel it all come to life.”

The character focus is evident within the collection. Offered in sizes 12 to 26, the lineup of scalloped-edged pinstripe blazers and patterned shirt dresses in shades of olive and marigold would look right at home on the big screen. Girls fans might picture Shoshanna or Jessa, but the looks also align with Dunham’s modern magpie aesthetic. “I’ve always been about color and pattern—the louder, the better,” she says. “If it looks like Auntie Mame wearing a pair of PJs and knocking back champagne or [as though] a kindergartener hot glued on a bunch of fake rhinestones, that’s where my style lives.” Such eclecticism is still rare within the plus-size luxury market, a space where Dunham felt there was room for improvement.