Pockets & Shirt Dresses . . . Full Bust Fit and Proportion Considerations

September 15, 2017 By Darlene C. 3 Comments

[Leah is finishing a busy stretch of weekend weddings and lots of work, so Off the Rack will be back soon!]

I was reminded of our big bust fit issues after I bought this size 12 Ralph Lauren shirt dress at my favorite discount store. Sure, the dress gapped in the dressing room, but I figured I’d safety pin it and be good to go. The first day I wore it, I was constantly aware of the fabric straining at my chest and pulling from my armholes to create enough volume. I’ve been wearing my own shirts so much that I’d forgotten what it was like to wear a button up that doesn’t provide enough fabric for a large bust.

The ace bandages have been replaced by a cast for my wrist and a boot for my ankle–I fractured them on Saturday when I landed on a dumb bell in boot camp and reached back to catch myself.

Now I’m used to it (is that a good thing?), and there are three reasons I bought this dress despite the gap: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Dress Reviews, Proportion and the Full Bust

Doing You a Full Bust Favor: Evie Curve on Instagram (You’re Welcome!)

June 22, 2017 By Darlene C.

What’s on your wish list when you’re looking for big bust fashion inspiration? How about someone who:

has Sofia Vergara’s measurements (but “half her stature”),
has a background in fashion buying and merchandising, so she’s on top of the latest trends,
actually wears the trends, and
makes getting dressed look fun and do-able again?

That would be @Eviecurve in Australia. eviecurve bell sleeves

eviecurve fun dress

Naturally large-breasted, she’s posted photos of herself wearing Curvy Kate and Fantasie. Any guess as to what strapless she’s wearing in the pic below?

eviecurve strapless bra [Read more…]

Filed Under: Accessories for Busty Women, Dress Reviews, Fitting the Bottom Half of the Hourglass, Full Bust Finds, hourglass shape, LBD, Proportion and the Full Bust

Off the Rack ~ Reviewing the Retrospec’d “Norma Jean” Dress

June 9, 2017 By Leah H

This week I’m revisiting a brand I raved about a year ago, the Australian vintage reproduction label Retrospec’d.

Last time, I tried the Elizabeth dress, which featured a cross-over neckline that was surprisingly boob-friendly. I really liked the quality and fit, so I’ve been eager to try another style. I settled on the Norma Jean dress, but at the time wasn’t really interested in any of the available prints. They were all super feminine florals, and I’m just not much of a florals gal.

Eventually, they released a few graphic prints, as well as a black and white stripe with realistic yellow roses floating on it. And I do mean “floating”—there are shadows behind each flower to make it look like they’re resting above the fabric.

At 37”-29”-41”, I was unsure of sizing because my bust falls in sizes UK/Aus 12 and 14, but my waist falls in 10 (even though my waist is usually size 12), so I hesitated on ordering from Australia. Then one day, the dress disappeared from the Retrospec’d site! I knew it couldn’t have sold out completely, because I’d been keeping an eye on it for months and none of the sizes had yet sold out. Resigned to the idea of ordering my second favorite print, I waited until the $150 (or Australian $195) dress was within my budget.

But then I received an e-newsletter from Unique-Vintage.com, and there was the dress! I guess they sent all the remaining stock to UV. This was great for two reasons: 1) I could try size 10 knowing I could exchange it if necessary, with no international shipping; and 2) I could wait until UV had a coupon or sale, and get it for a better price. Two weeks later, they had a 20% off code for Memorial Day weekend, and I took the plunge!

(Note that UV translated the sizes to American, so to get the Australian 10, I ordered size 6 from UV.)

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Dress Reviews, Off the Rack

Off the Rack ~ Reviewing the Miss Candyfloss “Sia-Katalin” Tuxedo Dress

May 17, 2017 By Leah H

Just time for a quick dress review this week. It’s another Miss Candyfloss frock, this time with a very different neckline than any I’ve reviewed before.

As usual, my measurements are 37”-29”-41” and height 5’6”, with bra size 28G – 30G (UK) depending on brand. I bought my usual Medium here.

This is the “Sia-Katalin” dress. MCF produced several of these tuxedo-style dresses this season, including navy/red, red/red stripe, navy/white/navy pinstripe, navy pinstripe/pale blue, and black pinstripe/white. To be honest, I wasn’t really into the look until I saw this bright teal/light pink colorway, and then I was smitten. Teal and pink is one of my favorite color combinations and it’s rare to find them in one garment.

In this case, my photos are a little dull, but MCF’s photos are more saturated than the fabric is in reality. So imagine the color is somewhere in between. Additionally, while the manufacturer photo shows a pink belt, it actually comes with a teal one. I personally prefer the pink one, but it’s not really a big deal. Plus, how hard can it be to find a pink belt if I really want one?