First, let me say that The Shirt by Rochelle Behrens is very nice. I adore the fabric. It’s crisp and smooth with a great hand (75% cotton, 20% polyamide and 5% elastan). And the dual button “technology” that she uses to solve the gaping problem is head-slappingly ingenious.
It’s so ingenious that in January, Adam Glassman featured The Shirt on Oprah as one of five wardrobe must-haves for 2011. At 2:01 in the video below, Oprah asks him, “Is it for bigger busted women?” Adam answers, “Yes, it is for all busted women.” Check out pictures of me in size XL of The Shirt after the jump. Do you agree with Adam?
March 23 addition: Katie commented on March 22 that my shoulders were hunched. I didn’t believe her, so I took more pictures today, consciously holding my shoulders back. See the difference on the right in the two sets of pictures below. I also rolled up the sleeves a little to help it look better.
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| Close up of the Dual Button Technology feature |
I’ll post my thoughts in the comments tomorrow. [See Comments 7 & 8 below.]
I think on a technical level (solving the no-gap issue)Adam has a point, however that is but one of many issues that should be solved in a "perfect" garment. There is still stretching across the bust, and I don't know if you noticed it but the stress on the fabric causes you to hunch your shoulders (I find myself doing this to prevent gapping!). Add that to the lack of a waist, which would be there for a B-C cup, and this shirt is NOT for "all-busted women". I think it is a great concept which can be adapted to fit women D+ cups, but not quite there yet.
I'm still waiting to share my thoughts tomorrow, but I didn't think I was hunching my shoulders! I'm going to have to take another picture and consciously stand straight. Also, I was just reminded that these shirts are available at Bloomingdale's. I'm going to see if I can try on the size L there tomorrow.
I'm not too impressed–a shirt that was actually cut to fit you wouldn't need any special button "technology".
I did find an okay shirt at H&M a couple days ago, and I hope you don't mind me commandeering your blog to share it! It wasn't perfect for me but at $18 I bought it anyway (in three colors, actually) and would definitely recommend that others check it out if they have a store near them.
Pics here: http://tinypic.com/r/5bbk39/7 & http://tinypic.com/r/sfcozd/7
It stood to me out on the hanger because it actually has two waist darts and an armhole dart! As well as lots of stretch in the fabric. But it has its problems. It is pulling a bit at the bust and quite tight on my midsection, but the next size up was way too big in the shoulders and sleeves. There's some extra length in the back too. I'm not sure if I like how much it emphasizes my bust. The solid navy one I got looks a bit more demure.
I got the size 8 and I'm a 30G, 36" bust, 30" waist, 5'2". I'd say it runs on the small side and H&M probably goes up to a 12? Would be better on somebody with proportionally larger shoulders than me (i.e. practically anyone) but I think this could be great for D-F cups.
HI Darlene –
I wondered if the seam for the sleeves is just off your shoulder – implying to me that it is a tad too large there and if you go up in size, the seams would definitely be off your shoulders. THis is one of MY biggest issues with tops – if it fits properly in the shoulder – it never fits in the bust and if it fits (or passably fits) in the bust, it is too large for my shoulders.
The other thing that bothers me when I try on a shirt are the folds in the material from the armpit to the top of the bust. I guess that is where armhole darts must come in?
Of course, the fact that it hangs from the bust as Katie pointed out, is a given with most shirts – but have to agree, for a shirt that any size busted woman could wear, this has a way to go.
Have to say though – I have often settled for similar fit just because I have to have SOMETHING to wear!
I agree with momraths, it looks too big in the sleeves and shoulders on you, but is stretching a little over the bust.
I was looking up SteamPunk clothes online and saw a blouse that had corseting in the back and little mini corset-type lacing where you would usually have princess seams. I am tempted to buy it so that I can fit it over my bust and lace it up to show that I still have a waist!
I so appreciate everyone's comments so far. I'm going to see if I can find this shirt in a size L at Bloomingdale's on my home this afternoon before I write what I think.
It turns out I'm wearing an XXL in these pictures! Unfortunately, my Bloomingdale's trip was futile–none of the three saleswomen that I asked on the 2nd and 3rd floors had heard of The Shirt yet, so I couldn't try it in an XL or an L. (However, I found an Anne Klein blouse and a Gerard Darel dress that I may post about later tonight.)
I think this is a great shirt, especially if all I want to do is solve the gap problem. And it's super comfortable. But if I want fit at my shoulders and to show my waist, then it fails. However, like Momraths said, "I have often settled for similar fit just because I have to have SOMETHING to wear!"
It's a different style, but these photos remind me of the Jones New York shirt I posted on this blog in November 2008. I was two sizes smaller back then (sigh) but had the identical problem. Here's the link: https://hourglassy.com/2008/11/whats-wrong-with-this-picture.html
Fiona, THANK YOU for posting the H&M shirt pictures. It's not perfect, but you do look AMAZING. I can see why you bought them.
On a side note, I've found that even shirts that are cut to fit need a little extra help in the button department. Even women who wear B cups can still get what I call "vertical" gapping, where one panel falls forward and the other falls back, usually when a woman isn't sitting straight.
Momraths, those folds in the material from the armpit to the top of the bust are actually the reason that some of us require THREE darts for a perfect fit–one or two in the waist, one at the side of the bust, and another coming down from the armhole!!! One way to accomplish all three darts is by using princess seams and a side dart. It's not very clear in this post, but that's how my custom shirt was made in Hoi An: https://hourglassy.com/2010/06/hoi-tailoring-part-ii.html
I have a little Oprah/Adam rant that I'm going to put in a separate comment.
So I have a two-fold complaint about the excerpt from Oprah's show.
(1) Obviously, Oprah never tried the shirt herself. If she had tried and loved it, you can bet it would have looked good on me. It's disappointing that her show seems to have become just a vehicle for product pitches.
(2)Adam Glassman doesn't know much about D+ women. Who can blame him? We're pretty complicated! But I wish he would acknowledge the complexity. For instance, in the March issue of O Magazine, a mother asked what her big-chested daughter could do to avoid showing cleavage at work. He recommended the 9to5 bra by Wink Intimates. It's a really neat bra, but it only goes up to a DD. He didn't ask what size bra the woman's daughter wore, and that makes all the difference in the solution that you propose.
C.E. Welch, I'd love for you to post a link to that blouse.
Did anyone else notice Oprah groping the model? Ha.
The armhole wrinkling is a common problem with shorter/petite women (I don't mean 'petite' as in tiny, I mean it as a porportional thing). It can be caused by the garment shoulders being too wide, the body shoulders sloping too much, or the body being short in the armhole depth. Armhole darts or princess seaming can fix it, but also tops made for petite women can help—if you can find them large enough in the chest. Sigh. It's one reason I rarely wear a tailored style blouse and the big reason why I started sewing.