After I wrote about how to approach spring trends if you’re busty, I had the following Twitter exchange.

Me:  “Any tips to add to today’s post about how to approach the spring trends (or any season’s trends!) if you’re busty?”

Reply:  “My approach is always the same – trends come and go, so better to shop for ones that have timeless appeal for future wearing.”

I felt slightly sheepish after her reply because if there’s one thing I’ve been doing ever since the seventh grade, it’s shop for clothing with timeless appeal! I’ve been so successful at it that my closet is overloaded with timeless “supporting acts”.

This happens frequently for women with large breasts–we can eventually find classics in our sizes because those styles will always sell and have an unlimited lifespan. It’s the Beige Bra Syndrome applied to outerwear. If manufacturers and retailers take a risk and sell seasonal trends in niche sizes, they lose money on garments leftover at the end of the season. Of course this happens for any size, but the smaller the market, the greater the risk. You could argue that the number of women with large busts is not a small market, and I would agree; however, once you stop sizing for the lowest common denominator and begin to individualize, the market automatically becomes smaller. When you account for age, personal taste and income, it becomes segmented into even smaller units.

As I mentioned in my February post about approaching spring trends, busty clothing companies offer fewer options. But let’s take a look at the options they’re offering this season.

Here’s what DDAtelier, Pepperberry, BiuBiu, Urkye and Saint Bustier are offering in nine spring trends culled from the March issue of InStyle:

Trend 1:  Flame

DDAtelier
Pepperberry
Pepperberry

 

BiuBiu

Trend 2:  Tuxedo

No one is offering this trend, but this photo of Kate Winslet demonstrates how flattering it could be on us.

Trend 3: Soft Pastels

DDAtelier
Pepperberry

Saint Bustier hasn’t posted its spring collection yet, but they have begun their own blog series about spring trends, and today’s post about the sherbert trend is right on point:

Soft, ice cream colours can make everything look bigger on everyone so the cut, texture and shade need to be chosen with extreme care in order to not just work, but look wonderful on big busts and for women of all ages.

Trend 4: Modern Floral

I’m not positive this DDAtelier tunic exemplifies “modern floral”, but I like it. Most of the sites have nice florals and prints, but nothing I would call particularly fresh and new.

Trend 5: Graphic

Pepperberry

Although not black and white, the following are great pieces to use for building this look on your own, and there are several more good pieces on all of the sites.

Saint Bustier

Trend 6: Leather

Nothing spring-like.

Trend 7: Lace Dresses

They’re from Saint Bustier’s fall/winter collection, but I think the following dresses still work for spring.

Non Bust-Relevant Trend: A-Line Skirts

You don’t need a busty clothing company for this, although some day I want to explore which busty figures look best in A-lines. I don’t think mine is one of them.

Trend 8: Bold Ruffles

I’m not seeing any, but see last week’s post about architectural ruffles and busty women.

Trend 9: Peek-A-Boo

Nada.

——————–

So after putting this post together, I’m actually encouraged by the progress of companies that cater to women with large breasts–especially Pepperberry, DDAtelier, and Saint Bustier.  When Bras I Hate and Love wrote her Pepperberry critique last summer, I felt it was harsh but unfortunately true in many respects.  However, although Pepperberry can get stuck in a rut, several of its individual pieces show a lot of promise. Even better, we’re no longer limited to one manufacturer to create clothing specifically for the full bust figure.  And as today’s post shows, we’re no longer limited to basic classics from those companies.

Of course, when I look at the final score I realize that together, these companies only offer four of the nine trends. It would be ideal if they offered more, but that’s where workarounds come in. Look for posts on this topic soon!