The weather outside is too gloomy for the pictures I wanted to take for today’s post, so what better filler than Claire Underwood’s amazing suit from Season 2, Episode 12 of House of Cards? I promise this won’t become the Claire Underwood Wardrobe Fan Club Blog–Mr. Campbell and I only have one episode left, and we’ll be all caught up.
Features that make this a winner for full-busted women:
- Knit fabric with some give to accommodate a large bust. However, in order to avoid a squashed boob look, there would need to be darts or princess seams. I can’t get a close enough look from the video to see if there are any.
- Zippered front means no gappy buttons and the ability to adjust the neckline to your balance point. Of course, simply zipping over the chest isn’t enough–again, there would need to be darts or princess seams to avoid a squashed boob look.
- Narrow sleeves so no extra fabric to detract from the waist or add to the boobs.
- A subdued peplum for great hourglass hips to balance the bust without looking faddish.
Finding a jacket like this on the busty ecommerce sites is still a dream, but I’m pretty impressed with some of the jackets they do carry. For instance, I love the back detail of this Aranna jacket from Saint Bustier.
The shape of this Pepperberry jacket is pretty ordinary, but the denim is a nice way to sharpen an outfit without being overly formal, and the reviews on their website are super positive about the fit.
For another casual option, check out Braless in Brasil’s recent Urkye blazer review. She includes links to other bloggers’ reviews as well.
Finally, since the title of this post is about suits, let’s end with DDAtelier’s mix-and-match option. It’s nowhere near as exciting as Claire’s, but it’s a basic that can be very versatile.
Interestingly, each jacket I’ve shown today has a high stance–a word I’ve just learned from Already Pretty‘s excellent post about how to fit a blazer. A blazer’s stance is the highest point where it buttons. I relate to Sally’s observation that “Busty women may find that [a] low stance, single-button blazer will open up awkwardly at the chest while higher styles sit a bit quieter.”
This is why I dislike the Tempest de Corps jacket below. Yes, I realize the model is pushing her chest out, but it’s a good illustration of what usually happens to me in a low stance jacket even when I’m not pushing my chest out.
Sally refuses to give any hard and fast rules on this subject because she goes on to say, “On the other hand, other busty women may find high stance blazers intolerable due to where the bustline falls.” For an example of a low stance blazer that works on a busty woman, you need look no further than June’s photo of herself in the Urkye blazer review that I link to above–the button fastens just below her chest without any strange folding at the lapel.
What kind of suit jackets do you dream about? And are most of them high stance or low stance?
Very interesting!
I’ve never really thought much about stance since I’m so high on the cup spectrum that jackets that button up high are never an option for me. However, I can truly relate to the awkward lapel that you pictured above. Urkye was the first off the rack blazer that worked well for me (ironically, since I had first assumed it wouldn’t work with my body shape). But in the past I’ve always bought a size or two up and paid for alterations.
Yes, to Sally’s point on shoulders (and as you’ve pointed out in the past arms), they make a huge difference to the overall fit and nothing makes one look like a kid in a parent’s coat then when the shoulders are too wide!
I loved many of the business outfits that the busty lead character wore on the Danish show “Borgen”, particularly in the 3rd season. I couldn’t find any pictures to link to, but check it out if you get a chance.
It’s funny- I’ve had bad experiences with both high and low stance (admittedly, I haven’t worn a suit jacket for more than 15 minutes over the last 4-5 years). Low stance put too much emphasis on my bust and high stance made feel lumpy and look heavier.
I’m going interview/post-grad suit shopping tomorrow so I guess I’ll see if I’ve warmed up to either. I bought a low stance suit for grad school interviews but was a mediocre fit then is an atrocious fit now.
I haven’t watch House of Cards but I wonder- have there been red power suits? Other than navy/blue/black that seems to be the other color women on the Hill tend to wear (or so it seems from the metro and local news- and ignoring interns because they’re notorious for poor clothing decisions.)