For busty women, even something as basic as a simple tee shirt can be a challenge, and I’ve been on a search for the perfect tee for as long as I’ve been writing this blog. While I still haven’t found it, I have discovered that scoop necks are my favorite feature and that 100% cotton tends to be too boxy on me. So when I found these Land’s End tees with my neckline of choice, 6% spandex, and a variety of colors IN PETITE SIZES, I had to try them.
I’m 5’3″ and vastly prefer petite proportions, but my bust usually takes me out of the running–unless I sister-size into petite large or petite XL. Incredibly, the True Fit calculator on the Land’s End website actually lets you specify your UK bra size. I entered my 34G bra size and that I wear a 12P in Ralph Lauren (maybe?) and was surprised when it recommended a petite medium.
Of course I was skeptical, so of course I ordered 3 sizes to compare: regular medium, petite large AND petite medium from left to right below, scrunched at the waist as I like to wear them (sorry I couldn’t get them all in the same color!).
In a nutshell,
- the medium (turquoise) is fine, although the Strum Strum Factor kicked in as I continued to wear it throughout the day;
- the petite large (light red) is too baggy at the waist and this creates issues (see below);
- the petite medium (navy) is just right–there’s Strum Strum, but it’s less noticeable in the darker color.
All three shirts bunch in the middle of my back, but all tee shirts do that on me. Here’s what they look like from the side without being scrunched up.
As you know, I measure 33″ in the waist and 41″ in the bust. Curious about why the petite medium looked less sloppy on me than the petite large, I measured all of the tops.
Medium Bust (1″ under armhole): 39″
Medium Waist (at narrowest point): 36″
Medium Length (from center back of neck to hem): 25.25″
Petite large bust: 41.75″
Petite large waist: 38″
Petite large length: 24.25″
Petite medium bust: 38″
Petite medium waist: 35″
Petite medium length: 23.75″
The waist of the petite large is so large that it can’t stay scrunched above my hips, and it looks especially tent-like falling from my bust.
In a perfect mix-and-match world, I would order
the petite large bust (no negative ease to create Strum Strum!)
+
the petite medium waist
+
the petite medium length
+
the deeper scoop of the medium neck.
I’d also add a couple of inches to the sleeves in order to help group my big bust with my neckline instead of my waist.
In the real world where I can only order what’s available, I’m keeping the medium and petite medium. With shipping and a 40% coupon, they came to about $15 each, but currently they’re on sale on the website for $11.20. I think that’s a pretty good deal for a simple top that can be worn all summer long.
Two final notes: several reviewers on the website criticize the tops for being too thin. They do feel slightly floaty, but they’re definitely not see-through. Other reviewers say these tops are dressy enough to wear under suits, but I disagree.
Last observation: I really like that these tee shirts dip in at the waist instead of being a rectangle.
Thank you for this helpful review, Darlene! I’m 5’25” and my bust currently measures 41” and waist 32” so my needs when looking for clothing are pretty similar. Fortunately, Land’s End is also available in Germany so I will give this Tee Shirt a try!
Greetings from Berlin,
Anja
I’m so glad this is helpful! As I was preparing to write, part of me thought, “Who cares about a tee shirt?”, but this is the sort of information I like to find out, so I hoped it would interest someone else out there!
i like uniqlo v neck tees. they can veer into strum strum territory depending on your bust size. they are very thin and very cheap. Macys Karen Scott brand has scoop neck tees that also work depending on bust size, and are thicker fabric, though they are sized large – size down. they are also cheap.
i have t shirts from both brands and am large busted.
Thanks for these tips!
I would love it if you would take the petite large tee to a tailor or a sewing friend and see if you can turn it into something closer to your dream tee. I think it is possible and I am always in favor of tweaking RTW to get a better fit.
I agree with you that it’s possible. Here’s a post where I talked about that factors that go into whether I’ll have a tee shirt altered, and an alteration I actually did: https://hourglassy.com/2013/09/the-scoop-on-big-bust-scoop-neck-alterations/
I think this time around I felt like the PM was “good enough” But I was reminded of how much I LOVE petite proportions when I wore it with a skirt. Everything just looked right.