Recently Sally over at Already Pretty wrote that she can now “look at a dress online and tell if the Designated Boob Room is too big”. I had to smile because I’ve discovered that I can now look at a nightgown on a rack and tell if the Designated Boob Room is just right.
It happened at the local closeout store on my walk home from the gym. I did a doubletake when I saw this wine-colored nightgown. Its Designated Boob Room looked like a two-bedroom apartment next to a bunch of studios!
I took a size large back to the freezing dressing room where I found it to be slightly too spacious. Since it only cost $10 and I didn’t feel like undressing again, I took a risk and brought the medium home. Voila!
This little chemise has big things going for it.
- The fabric has very little stretch. Instead, the designer relied on the construction (princess seams) to accommodate a woman’s chest.
- The Designated Boob Room is lined with rigid netting, so my breasts are corralled to the center instead of being allowed to follow their natural course of splaying out to the sides.
- The high armholes and modest V-neck don’t let anything spill out, but it still looks pretty rather than industrial.
A Spanish company called Promise made this nightgown. Unfortunately, I don’t find my style anywhere on their website, so it may be a one-off rather than a continuity style.
However, I’m not going to flaunt my find without giving you some options of your own! I did another doubletake when I saw this Tia Lynn model at Curve.
She wears a 36GG bra and is wearing the Signature chemise in crimson (available in August 2015) under a lace robe from iCollection. She told me that she wears a size 2 in Tia Lynn for her bust, and a size 1 for everywhere else. As you can probably tell, she’s also wearing a bra beneath this chemise. I would want to wear a bra under this style as well (which is why I can’t wait to try the Nightlift sample that is supposed to be on its way–more on that soon, I hope!). With a bra, I’d also want to wear the bolero that goes with the chemise or the “nightshirt” version alone.
I’m behind the curve when it comes to knowing about this curve-friendly designer whose name really is Tia Lyn. Her line has been around for ten years, and she even owns a bra-fitting boutique in Madison, Wisconsin called Contours Lingerie that gets good reviews on Yelp from women who understand fit. Her lingerie line uses an American F cup as its median size and is designed to support up to an American H cup (but see my link to Erica’s good UK HH experience below!). It comes in sizes S, M, L, 1, 2 and 3.
Although I liked what the model was wearing, I was more excited about the chemise and camisole from the Core line. Because princess seams.
And a banded back with hook-and-eye closure. Note the triangles of lace above the rear band–these are for the woman who feel self-conscious about bulge in this area.
There’s even a bralet in this line!
Like I said, I’m way behind the curve on this because Erica gave a great roundup of it last year on her Sophisticated Pair blog. Perhaps I tuned out when I heard “plus size” (Tia Lynn is a two time winner of the international CILA awards for the Best Plus Size Collection), but I’m glad Erica didn’t because she wears a UK HH cup and reviewed the chemise and camisole in size medium.
Finally, the model said that she LOVES wearing the Tia Lynn lounge top. It’s super comfortable, and I think you can tell there’s enough Designated Boob Room!
Freya is another brand with full-bust-friendly sleepwear. Leah mentioned that we were able to visit the Eveden showroom after Curve, and she’s going to give you a giant report on Friday. We each gravitated to different pieces, and I have a weakness for Freya chemises. Here is the Minx chemise in leopard with powder blue lace. It’s a Spring/Summer 2015 fashion style that is scheduled to ship in May; in Fall/Winter 2015, it will come out in an orange (“Tabasco”) animal print with black lace.
From the bows at the base of the straps to the bottom of the triangle, this size small chemise measures 7.75″ without any stretching. I was told that it should fit a 32F fine. I don’t know how the M and L measure here, but I’ll try to find out for you and add an update. As you can see below, there is no hook-and-eye closure in back.
Looking through the Spring/Summer 2015 lookbook, I don’t know how I missed all the other chemise options from Freya. Perhaps it’s because I didn’t think any of them would fit me pre-32FF, and only the Sweet Dreams and Deco Delight from Freya Lounge are sized for a Medium Bust (B-DD) and Fuller Bust (E-G). They’re also a lot harder to find in stores! However, if you’re looking for one, here are the styles currently available with links to online sources:
And even though this post is about wireless options, I really like the streamlined look of these Freya babydolls with molded underwires–no puffy gathers coming from around the band.
Since I’m always on the lookout for big-bust-friendly chemises and other sleepwear, I’m sure this won’t be the last you’ll read about this subject here. Here are some of my finds in 2014:
What perfect timing. I’ve been Spring cleaning my closet and looking at a number of dresses that don’t get worn because I lack the proper full slip. The Tia Lynn collection reviewed by Erica looks like it will do nicely.
And I love the gowns in the Vintage line, too!