Ever since Holly of The Full Figured Chest began this series with her little black dress find, I know you’ve been wondering what she’d try next. I’m happy to see that it’s more dresses to fit both top and bottom!
While I normally thrift most of my clothes, I’ve spent this month checking out what dress options are like on some of the major online clothing websites. I love looking put together but I also hate spending tons of money on clothes that I won’t fit in the future! For me, $50 is about where I stop being interested in a dress. Luckily, it turns out there are lots of great options out there for bustier women if you know where to look. Two of my favorites are ASOS and Modcloth. ASOS has lots of great sales and carries a huge size range, and Modcloth has tons of cute low cost dresses in stretchy fabrics. While I love the vintage inspired clothing companies that cater to fuller busted women like Pinup Girl Clothing and Stop Staring, I don’t want to go full vintage all of the time. They also tend to emphasize cleavage, which doesn’t really work when you’re presenting an ad campaign to a bunch of CEOs. My look tends to be more eclectic anyway: I start with plain colored dresses in classic cuts and then add crazier tights or hair clips on top of them to make a full look.
Work With Me Dress from Modcloth:
This dress is definitely 40’s inspired but still has that nice sleek look. I love the peplum and how it draws attention away from my bust. Peter Pan collars are traditionally a no go for bustier women, but I love how it adds a subtle shape to this dress. The fabric is very stretchy in real life, which makes the dress incredibly comfortable while giving your waist lots of definition. I bought this in black first, and I loved it so much that I immediately picked up another one in this gorgeous mint color. Modcloth also has it in stock in this great coral color, but even I think that buying the same dress in three colors is a little nuts. This dress feels very nice (especially for the low price tag) and I suspect it will hold up beautifully. It’s certainly going to get lots of wear. I’m wearing a size XL in the picture.
The Coach Tour Dress in Tangerine from Modcloth:
This dress reminds me of something Audrey Hepburn would wear as she runs from criminals in Charade and seduces Cary Grant. The chic button details really make this dress for me. Lots of the reviews on Modcloth say it comes up short, but the length was fine on me. I’m only 5’4″ though, so taller women may want to be more wary about this one. As you can see, the color in reality is very different from the color on the website. I like both, so this didn’t upset me. This is another one that Modcloth has in six or seven different colors. You could do tons with this dress by changing out your stockings and some jewelry and the color will also be great for the fall and winter.
This dress is made out of a soft thick fabric that I think will hold up really well. The only downside is that the label says handwash and hang dry, so if you hate handwashing things this may not be your dream dress. This dress looks great as long as I wear a bra with tons of lift, like my Ewa Michalak plunges or my Kris Line bras. I tried it in my Curvy Kates and it looked much dumpier on me. It also has pockets, which gives me a convenient place to stash my phone when I’m on the go in it. This dress is also a size XL.
ASOS Peter Pan Collar Dress With Puffed Shoulders:
I bought this in my usual ASOS size of 14 (to fit my chest measurement) and while it fit my chest it was baggy in lots of other places. Hopefully this means my weight loss plan is working! It’s on the verge of being too baggy in the waist and hips, so I’m going to wait a little while and then have my seamstress take it in some. That said, right now a belt fixes all of those issues easily.
This is another Peter Pan collar dress, but the lower cut neckline makes it work. It’s very work friendly, but I’ve also dressed it up a few times for a Friday night dinner and it transitioned very nicely.  You can go fancy with gold jewelry or make it funkier with comic book inspired accessories. My new favorite work outfit is this dress combined with my Wonder Woman themed hair clips.
What online retailers do you buy bust friendly clothing from?
I’m loving #1 and #3. I’m not crazy about the high neckline in #2. Now that would be a fun post–how to get the Audrey Hepburn look when you have boobs.
I was at work when I saw this article go up and I swear, I jumped a little in joy. First of all, dresses + a full bust = my favorite blog topic EVER.
Holly — you look FANTASTIC. This can’t be stressed enough. Like Darlene, I’m partial to #1 and #3. Peter Pan collars 4ever. If I buy the first one simply because you inspired me, please be flattered. 🙂
Online retailers: I’m a fan of Whistles and French Connection, but they’re both completely out of my price range. Topshop and Zara are hit and miss I’ve found. Modcloth and ASOS are awesome, I also like Ruche Clothing. If you type in “full bust” or “hourglass” as search terms on Nordstrom’s site, there’s interesting results as well.