My friend gave me a polka dot dress a few months ago, and I wore it for the first time on Easter Sunday. It was a pretty cool day, and since I didn’t have the perfect jacket or sweater to wear over the dress, I wore one of my button fronts under it. I was so pleased with myself that I took this picture afterwards . . . and got a shock at how prominent my boobs were.
They were much more dominant in the photo than they had seemed in the mirror that morning. After mulling it over, I came up with three observations:
- Other busty women do fine with boatnecks–Miriam Baker likes the way they balance her out. But every time I try a boatneck, I look bustier.
- Using sleeves to avoid grouping my boobs with my waistline didn’t work any magic with this neckline. At best, it only neutralized the effect of so much fabric above my chest. All the fabric on top (including the added collar) makes me look like I’m hanging low, but at least the sleeves show how much lower I could go.
- This is very thin, super stretchy fabric, and it has to stretch the most at my bustline, which makes the print around my chest bigger there than anywhere else.
I couldn’t do anything about the neckline or the print, but look what happened when I got rid of all that extra fabric from the shirt.
My boobs are still front and center, but they look more lifted, and I look slimmer without all that cluttery fabric.
Since layering underneath isn’t an option anymore, what happens when I layer above? I found this knit Calvin Klein jacket on sale at Macy’s last week and thought it would be perfect. A jacket definitely reduces boob prominence.
Unfortunately, this jacket also makes me look frumpy–a common issue for busty women. I mentioned this problem to my stylish friend Carol last week, and she said that length is often the culprit. It certainly is here. Look what happened when I pinned up the hem.
I should have learned this lesson from my Express jacket experience, but I guess I need to be hit over the head a couple of times before something sinks in.
This isn’t the last you’ll be seeing of this dress. That bare neckline is just begging for a necklace, and I’m going to show you my discoveries on that front as soon as I make them.
Addendum: As promised, this wasn’t the last of this dress, although I didn’t expect to make the discovery I write about a week later.
This isn’t relevant to this post, but I couldn’t find an email or “contact us” form.
I spent about an hour at Lady Grace this afternoon trying on bras and saw a line that I haven’t heard of before – http://www.americanbreastcare.com. Not affiliated, just like to shop. Most of their bras are not designed for the full bust market, but check out this one, I think it might be the leisure bra you’ve been looking for: http://www.americanbreastcare.com/products/110casual.html.
I wear a 32E in UK sizing, 32DDD in Natori and it was definitely supportive enough for a day when I’ll just be staying inside. It was super comfy, too, fully lined with the bottom elastic fully encased and staying put on my ribcage, not riding up on my boobs. If you email me, I can send pics from this afternoon and write it up in more detail.
Thanks for sharing! Print, neckline and hem observations are interesting.
The length of navy jacket without pinning could be okay for wearing with trousers, though.
My very first thought when I saw the pic was: baring the arms would give better proportions to the whole outfit and be more flattering for the bust… and then I scrolled down 🙂
Idk, I feel like part of the problem is also the waist – a defined, slightly high waist makes the breast stick out more because they seem like they take up so much of your torso, but with a lower line defined by the jacket (at either length) suddenly your breasts are a smaller proportion of your torso
Does that make sense?
Points for creativity on the cooler day, and yes there may be some fitting issues around the armholes but I think you looked GREAT in the dress with and without the (shortened) jacket. And those SHOES, oh wow! ::drooling::
Thank you SO much for this post. Although my issues with fit and proportion are very different, I seem to always learn a lot from these type of A to B comparisons that I could never get from looking at the final result.
And I LOVE the shoes! So perfect.
i´m in the same boat like you. and for that reason i wear my skirts at midi length and mostly full – this balances the big bust out. my only one shorter shift dress i wear only on “slim days” and it has a distracting flower print…..
and yes – longer jackets get shortened or belted!
xxx