We’re having a cold snap, so now is a good time to write about some bust-friendly outer layers that I’ve found, beginning with three beautiful DD Atelier pieces.
The Norway coat is more amazing in person than on the website. The weight is solid–definitely warm enough for New York winters–yet it felt fluid around my curves. Normally my shoulders disappear in raglan sleeves, but this coat has extra padding to delineate them.
The Norway coat was the first item that I tried at our swap, and I was like a kid in a candy store rushing from one treat to the next–hence my lack of detailed closeups. However, I can give you a good idea of fit because I tried all the sizes that Olga Promptova brought with her from Russia. Olga, DD Atelier’s founder and CEO, is a stickler for fit and wouldn’t let me get away with the 36F you see pictured here because it was “too big” in the bust (imagine!). The 38D was too big all around, and the 32F was far too small. In every other DD Atelier style that I tried that day, I wear a 36D, so I would wear a 36D in the coat, too.
For reference, at the time of these photos my waist measured 31″, my bust measured 39″, and I wore size 8/10 pants and a 32F/FF bra. From the size chart I thought I might be a 38D, but Olga correctly placed me at a 36D. If you’re in the market for a winter coat, you cannot go wrong with this one. If you do happen to go wrong, remember that you can ship your returns to New Jersey, not Russia!
Next I tried the final remaining denim jacket that, incredibly as of this writing is still available. I was so sad that the size 34H wouldn’t close all the way on me because I loved its waist-accentuating silhouette. Everything about this jacket felt so great that I want to snatch up her newest denim jacket as soon as it hits her website. Olga insists that her new jacket is amazing and with even better fabric. (Talk about amazing fabric, the Ornella dress that I’m wearing beneath the jacket has a fabulous drape and weight . . . more on that in another post.)
If you’re sad that the bordeaux biker-style jacket has sold out in all but 2 sizes, don’t be because the brown biker-style jacket is bordeaux-ish in real life. Once again, I couldn’t get over having a waist in a style that usually tents down from my chest. I believe I’m wearing a 36D in this photo, and Olga felt I could also wear a 36F. The only reason I don’t have this jacket in my closet right now is the length. When I tucked the hem up a few inches, even Olga had to concede that it looked better proportionally on me. I’ve written about my need for shorter jackets before. (I’m wearing the turquoise Samantha dress beneath the jacket . . . look for more on this dress in the upcoming post I’ve promised.)
Since we’re on the subject of jackets that are too long on me, here is the amazing Alfa karminowa blazer from Urkye in size in 40 1/2. How I adore this red!
The fabric and lining feel smooth and solid.
How I adore the workmanship!
Much as I love this blazer, I know that I won’t wear it, so I will try to return or sell it. Besides length, I prefer less delineation immediately beneath my bust. According to the Urkye size chart, I should wear a 42 1/2, which is what I ordered the purple Veko fioletowa top in, and it fits perfectly (you can see it peeping out of some of the other jackets pictured below). Perhaps a larger size would have given me the amount of ease that I prefer.
Next up is a pea coat that actually isn’t very bust friendly, but it’s wool, and I like the zippers, and it’s Ann Taylor and it only cost $50 and I sooooo needed a casual replacement for my old Land’s End car coat that is falling apart. This is size large. It fits, but I feel the fabric pulling across my chest.
One solution would be to unzip the chest pockets. Ha ha!
Another solution is to unzip the main zipper to below my chest. As long as I have a heavy scarf and it’s not too freezing, this could work fine for my walks to the YMCA. Otherwise, it’s not unbearable when it’s fully zipped.
Here’s a secondhand Gap jacket in size large that I found at a neighborhood yard sale. It’s not doing me any favors, but I’ve always wanted a jacket like this (since Silfath paired a vest version with Gina’s white shirt . . . looking at that post, I realize it’s also when I began to long for the leopard print shoes I wore in my last post!). For $10, I couldn’t resist. The chest pockets are actually proportional to my chest, but since the whole thing is big overall, that detail is lost. Some day I will find a less slouchy, more tailored version of this jacket that I can pair with my Bitter Lollipop Paige dress.
At the same yard sale, I found this Cartonnier knit jacket from Anthropologie in size medium–also for $10. I wasn’t in love with the washed out brown, but I was afraid to let something that fit so well pass me by. You know how that goes, don’t you?
And then I found this Express jacket (that you saw in my last post) in a richer shade that I like oh so much better.
Finally, here’s that Virtual Runway Connection jacket that I also shared with you in my last post. Here I’m wearing it with a shorter skirt than the Paige dress, plus tights. I got compliments when I wore it to church, but I still find I like the idea of it more than the actual look of it. Actually, I like it fine in the mirror, just not in the pictures! Looks like someone needs to re-learn a lesson she wrote about a few years ago, and that it applies even to $20 steals.
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Speaking of compliments, Diane Pollack made an interesting point in a speech she gave last week: it doesn’t matter how many compliments we get or how amazing an outfit looks on us if we’re not dressing for our authentic self. This explains why we’re never going to wear some of those perfectly good pieces in our closets. On the other hand, sometimes I need compliments from others to break out of a rut and try something new. What do you think?
Lovely coats!!! The DD Atelier ones were a dream. I need a good winter coat, I’m quickly realizing my California winter wardrobe is so, so, so pathetic 😉
I found a lightweight coat at Target of all places, last season. It has a drawstring waist inside, so I could buy the bigger size to accommodate my bust and adjust it in an invisible way to fit my waist! I love it.
That’s an interesting and very true point about compliments. I used to be involved in theatre and costumes were an interesting way to realize that. i looked great in some things that were spot-on for the characters I portrayed, but were WAY off base for myself! I got my fill just wearing them on stage and nowhere else, haha. However, I find if I’m teetering on the edge of loving a style and opt to try it out, receiving compliments definitely helps me to think “Yes, this could be me!”