Guest Post: Beauty and the Burbs

Most of our team is away from the showroom this week travelling, so we’re posting a guest entry we did a few weeks ago on Beauty and the Burbs by Jene Luciani.  Enjoy!

Being well-endowed presents its own set of wardrobe challenges. Having a full bust is a blessing, but admittedly it is tricky to make those D+ cups look their best in shirts, especially when one’s waist is smaller.  The perfect clothes for larger busted women have three main components:

Ample room to fit the ample bosom.

• If you see pulling across the center bust (the center bust is where one’s nipples are in a bra) the top needs more room to accommodate your prominent bust. We want people to remember you for your pretty smile, not for a bustline that is so large it needs a bigger shirt.
• Similarly, if buttons gape and show tension, then they are either poorly placed for your proportion, meaning if that button was just 1/2″ lower, it wouldn’t gape, or you need more room in the chest.

No pulling or gaping

Women of large breast need details that give vertical direction.

• This is most commonly found in the neckline.  One can choose a deep V, a moderate Y or sweetheart neckline, but choose a neckline that is not straight across, nor up to your neck.  A neckline with the right balance of skin exposed (positive) and fabric covering (negative) does wonders for creating the visual illusion of length. Christina Hendricks does it wonderfully with this look.
• Princess seams and vertical darts also give direction to cause the on-looker’s eye to travel up and down, thereby thinking you go up and down (as opposed to you being out and round in shape).  Bonus is finding a waist seam with vertical direction in it, like an inverted V or even a bell shaped inset waist.  They are fantastic body shapers.

Inverted V Inset Waist

Finally keep it cut close to the body to gracefully skim your silhouette.

• We advise our clients to have the shoulder seam come in to their natural shoulder line (yes, a padded shoulder makes the waist appear smaller).  And on sleeveless tops like shells and camisoles we cut-away the straps just enough to expose the shoulder bone. This post offers advice on how to tailor your current tops to fit the full bust better.
• And of course we want to keep a nipped in waist, lest the bustline and waistline line look combined into a heck of a lot bigger. mass  Having a defined waist, be it high, mid or low, helps show the body at its best.

Cut in Shoulder

Keep these tips in mind when you’re shopping for tops and dresses for your D+ bustline. In addition to our line, Carissa Rose, the following brands also fit the full bust well: Bravissimo, AJRumina and Rebecca and Drew.

And for further full bust reading, Carissa is quoted in this article as being the full bust expert.

What are your tips on finding the best fitting clothes to fit your full bust?