Advice needed for dressing a disproportionally massive bust.

[gail734]

I've always been busty, but a year on from childbirth it has now become ridiculous. I was recently measured for a bra in Bravissimo and came out wearing a 32HH! I'm only 5'3" and weigh 11 stone, with a bit of baby weight still lingering. My only chance of getting a dress or a shirt seems to be Pepperberry, but the quality isn't always great, there isn't a tremendous choice and their stuff seems to be designed for someone taller than me. Can other "curvy" women please advise me? This is thoroughly putting me off shopping!

For shirts...it is pretty much Pepperberry, or there is a polish company called BiuBiu who do a similar idea. Dresses are a bit easier - I do buy some from Pepperberry as some are lovely but I also have quite a lot from Hobbs, recent success with Jaegar and Jigsaw, sometimes Asos, Phase Eight can be quite good too. Got a dress from People Tree recently which is a nice fit as well. For dresses I find a lot of it is about the style- I wear lots of jersey fabrics, fit and flare/skater/fifties shapes. And belts. Lots and lots of belts as otherwise many things look like a tent on me.

I'm a very similar bust size, 30HH/J.

Do you have links Statistically?
Not that I needa nything right now, so dont bother if you dont want to.
My bust isnt as big as the two on here, but things like blouses gape.
and finding a suitable sports bra was a nightmare.
Gave up on dresses altogether many years ago.
Only getting interested now, as I may end up being mother of the bride in the not too distant future.

Should have said that I am short as well.

I am 5'2 and 32H bra. I always get my bras from Bravissimo - can't go anywhere else. Never had a dress from there. Did order one previously but I too found quality a bit bad - lining didn't sit properly etc.

I got a lovely maxi dress for summer last year (I where a short sleeved white fitted t-shirt underneath which works brilliantly to hide BIG cleavage and upper arms!) from the petite range of Wallis in BhS. It looks lovely with wedges (not ridiculously high things as I can't walk in them) and have had brilliant comments whenever I wear it. It has ample room for big boobs and is really flattering. I would imagine they do similar ones this year too.

Pepperberry fabrics are generally horrible - jersey is too thin and lots of artificial fabrics.

The main thing for me is that lower neck lines look better (higher ones make my boobs look like they are heading towards my waistline).

I have recently got a lovely cross-over jersey top from Kettlewell and have a lovely John Lewis cross-over top.

Larger sizes in petite ranges (like Precis Petite) can work well as inevitably shorter women have smaller frames, even if they have bigger busts on that small frame.

I struggle most with dresses and work wear. I have given up on blouses and generally look a bit underdressed for work. I find stretchy dresses work best as otherwise they are huge on my hips when they fit my bust. I also avoid shapes which have a line under the bust as the line goes over rather than under on me.

With shirts, I buy the size that fits everything except the bust, then wear them with the buttons undone to below the 'gape'. I put a plain camisole top underneath. You get the effect of a shirt and because your arms are covered it doesn't look as undressed as a low cut top.

I am not curvy (sadly) but you might want to check out the blog Liberty London Girl. She's got similar proportions to you and great style...she does a lot of shift dresses and always seems to have a good mix of designer and high-street stuff.

Please note I have big hips, small waist and quite a big but low tummy. So I like skirts that hide it!

looks plain but very flattering - changed the belt
not as puffy in real life
shirts for BOOBS
fits over norks
surprisingly flattering
looks crap on model - better with big boobs!
nice on
fancy this
and this
on my shopping list
planning to buy this on pay day
their blazers tend to be lovely
like this
have other versions of this - quite booby but nice

Lady V london swing dresses are nice too. I have also had a few successes with French Connection, and as I mentioned Hobbs are generally quite bustily generous. more expensive but often come up on discount sites is Project D (Dannii Minogues label) which I have a few formal dresses from and all have plenty of boob room.

I have to be very careful with work dresses - my bust is quite high up and even dresses which look perfectly decent on other people are rather revealing on me! So I sometimes wear higher necks than are traditionally suggested for big boobs but not so high that I have chin-tits! Scoop necks are often good but hard to find.

Pepperberry quality is, I think, hit and miss but improving. I had a few early dresses which were rubbish but the most recent things I have bought have been much heavier, better quality and washed well. The shirts aren't perfect (cotton please!) but I am generally wearing them with a suit so I can't get away with my old trick of leaving buttons open

Thanks for those Statistically.

I could give an answer on all those links, but the op might mind.

I can tell some of them would suit me, some definitely wouldnt, and a couple I would need to try on.

Yeah outed myself as a shopaholic there.

But I will remember to come seek you out next year if necessary!

Some of them do look a bit high waisted?
Or is that just the photographs?

Some maybe are a little, but I don't wear anything that doesn't have a low enough waist (or enough bust space) to actually come back in under my boobs. My waist is quite high (I have a petite length torso and quite long legs...go figure) so I don't mind that but I hate things which cut across my boobs.