The last time I told you about More Front Room, I ended with a mild cliffhanger:
If you’re like me, you’re probably wondering about a size chart that goes from XXS to XL without an additional metric for bust. Short answer: each size is designed to fit the largest cup size but also meant to look good on smaller cup sizes.
Since More Front Room offers mostly knits, I could see this working, but one piece made me especially skeptical–the woven Essential Silk Utility Blouse. The size S that Melanie first sent only confirmed my fears. It felt slightly loose everywhere, the same old feeling we get when we size up to fit our boobs. However, there was a new dilemma that we don’t usually encounter by sizing up–the princess seams bagged around my bust area. Incredibly, I actually had to size down for a better fit!
Here is a comparison of where the shoulder seams hit me in the S (left) and XS (right). Even though the XS shoulders didn’t feel or look too big to me, you can see there is plenty of room for women with broader shoulders than mine. For reference, my shoulders seem to measure 15″ from blade to blade.
You can really see the difference from the back. As a reminder, my waist measures a tight 32″ and my bust measures a loose 41″.
Another detail that I appreciate about this blouse–Melanie doesn’t use a large armhole to make extra room for the bust. This way the sleeves can fit comfortably inside a suit jacket, and there’s excellent ease of movement. Instead, she relies upon the princess seams to create enough bust volume. Interestingly, the princess seams take a path to the side of each breast instead of down the center. This makes the fit more versatile for a variety of breast shapes and heights.
You’ve probably noticed that the sleeves are too long on me. That’s always the case for me, so I will shorten them. Below left, you can see that they’re still pretty long when I use the button tab, so I’ll probably raise it so that I can keep the sleeves rolled to the length you see on the right. 
Below is a demonstration of the wonderful extra bust buttons that are hidden beneath the placket. On the left, I’ve left the button at my apex undone, resulting in the pulling that I hate. On the right, I’m all buttoned up, and everything is secure.
One more thing: I’m wearing my Empreinte Grace, and you can’t even tell there’s anything black underneath! It may be less opaque in the white version, but both colors are constructed of 19mm silk charmeuse. Here’s a little background on what that means:
In simplest terms, momme weight describes the weight of 100 yards of silk, 45 inches wide, in pounds. So, if a fabric is listed with a momme weight of 8mm, it means that 100 yards of the fabric weighs 8 pounds. Many silk dresses and other silk clothing items will be around 8mm in weight. Higher quality silks tend to be 14, 15 or 16mm or higher.
This is an amazing blouse, all the more so because I only expected it to be adequate, if that. Melanie combines the details that I wrote about two weeks ago with a comfortable fit in an elegant fabric that makes me feel confident and polished when I put it on. I predict that any Hourglassy readers who order it will feel the same.
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Side note: The boots in these photos are NOT my new boots. They are my old Cole-Haan boots that were supposed to be timeless, but these photographs have convinced me that it really is time to replace them. I’m contemplating the Blondo Emma.
Another note: I hope to write about my knit tops and dress from More Front Room tomorrow and/or Thursday. Putting everything in one post seemed like it would be information overload.
Oh this is absolutely beautiful and I love the construction!!!! I so wish I needed a silk blouse. And I like the new boots you have your eye on! The texture is awesome.
I need a silk blouse for work but I don’t like baby blue or bright white. I need warmer colors. Fingers crossed she’ll do more colors, I’d love to try one. And thanks for the heads up on Blondo, they sound great (waterproof, come in widths, take my orthotics? yes please!!)