where have bust darts gone?

[TotalOverhaul]

Soon about to go into a work Zoom meeting and noticed my shirt was gaping a bit at the bust. When i tugged at it I realised there was loads of spare fabric, so it wasn't because it was too tight. Then looked and saw no bust dart. the other day I put on and took off yet again a Zara shirt I love and bought earlier this summer thinking I'd wear it all the time. Every time I wear it, it looks shapeless. Checked - no bust darts. So shirts simply don't sit properly across the chest of any woman with more than B cup.

These are not boyfriend style shirts - they are delicate, blouse like designs. So why have they stopped fitting them to women's bodies? Has anyone else noticed this trend?

Buy some shoulder pads, they're really easy to add to a garment.

"Hemline Shoulder Pads Shirt/Blouse - White - Medium : Amazon.co.uk: Home & Kitchen" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hemline-Shoulder-Pads-Shirt-Blouse/dp/B01BTZUDP6/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?crid=3Q58R0J1UC06P&keywords=shoulder+pads&qid=1695022558&sprefix=shoulder%2Caps%2C208&sr=8-5

Wexone
If you don't mind me asking, how much does it cost to get alterations done professionally?

I'm happy to make small alterations to cheaper items but if I bought some thrifted items a size too big would a seamstress be able to make it fit properly for a good price? I've passed over some nice garments because they were so nice and I didn't want to butcher them

I am similar measurements, and oddly I find men's trousers fit quite well if I go up a waist size, so I get 34" waist.

For anyone newish to sewing wanting to make a fitted shirt the Tilly and The Buttons Rosa pattern is a good place to start with lots of instructions.

It has princess seams rather than darts and can be a shirt dress or a shirt. I have a large chest and it was an easy one to choose the size that fit my chest and then grade down to a smaller size at the waist for a lovely fit.

https://shop.tillyandthebuttons.com/products/rosa

So all the links (thanks pp's) are for long sleeved shirts. Are there any sleeveless? Do sleevless not have darts?

Cant bear sleeves is why I'm asking.

Not found any sleeveless ones yet @Winnading but there are loads of short sleeve shirts here, plus some shaped cardigans.
https://www.thehouseoffoxy.com/collections/blouses?filter.p.m.custom.product_type=Blouses&filter.v.price.gte=0&filter.v.price.lte=199&

Got one
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Womens-Cotton-Sleeveless-Collared-Pleated/dp/B078XV6Q24?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A16G5BUWFQSB49

Theres 3 there that I like and could just about bear the small sleeves, but the Amazon one is definitely on my list now.
Thanks so much

Another one @Winnading https://www.kaleidoscope.co.uk/products/heine-sleeveless-high-collar-blouse/_/A-E22640_14?searchResults=true&PFM_rsn=search&PFM_ref=true&PFM_psp=own&PFM_pge=2&PFM_lpn=17&PFM_trm=sleeveless

If you like a certain item of clothing, because it works for your body, you have to be brave with the googling.

One of my friends wear a lot of expensive clothes, owns an indecent amount of Mulberry handbags but hunts down some basics from some supposedly old lady shops. Patra, Damart, wherever be open minded, what you want is out there.

So itsyourturn

What are you googling?
I tried "sleeveless top with darts" not a great deal came up.
I care not, where my tops come from, or within a price up to £100 . I'd just really like them to fit properly, not make me look like I'm double refrigerator size, and be mostly sleeveless. Oh and not seethrough, but that's a different problem.

I have just picked up a long sleeve dress which was labelled as a size 8 eu 34 but miles too big for me especially at the back. a shirt jacket which three buttons falling off (thread was too big for me too do it ) a dress where she took the sleeves on a bit and a pair of trousers took in at teh waist by one inch cost 55e. the dress was the most expensive as she took a good bit in the back and lifted the shoulders a bit. I alos say I am not in a rush so collected after three weeks. I did leave in a large shopping bag there in the summer between jeans turned up taken in dresses taken up a bit and holes repaired that cost about 140e but it was a large bag. she has a pay a deposit scheme so tells you how much it is up front pay about 20 to 30 percent there then pay balance when collect so that helps. to me its worth it as it means I wear my wardrobe bit of a pain sometimes. I picked up a fab sandro jumper in charity shop last year cosy knit but it had long bell sleeves on it. paid about 40e for it and then brought it in to her she took the sleeves up and made them into a nice neater cuff. cost about 20e. jumpers would.have ororigainly cost about 200e in brown Thomas so a bargain and will.wear it

"fitted sleeveless blouse" came back with a good selection.

White and standard Caucasian nude underwear tends to show through clothes. Go for some thing at least two shades darker than your skin. Tan or dusty rose is better than white or nude. If you have darker skin there are a lot of brown shades out there.

The undies on the right would suit most people, the one on the left will reflect nearly as much UV as white and give you glowing tits.

It's just another example of how shit the quality of things is now. We have increasingly low standards in everything because companies are only interested in profit.

I can do simple hand sewing, and can hem, and sew buttons on. Back when I was a student in the 1970s I could replace a zip by hand - trousers were so tight that a few times a sudden freedom below the waist meant the zip had given! Needs must when you're a student, so I did.

But I still hate it. Even so, a while back I did consider putting darts in things. But I decided against.

Even if I had decided to do it, I am unable to do anything else, except listen to music, while sewing. (Same with knitting - I'm a good knitter, but can't watch TV at the same time. Which reminds me - hated sewing jumpers together...)

Swanky shops have always offered alteration services to their rich customers, since the dawn of time.

It's a matter of fashion. Bust darts on blouses can work but not always - sometimes they give a "much too fitted" kind of look. I bought both expensive and inexpensive blouses to wear to work in the 90s and 00s and they all had both bust and waist darts. They looked great then, but they'd look very old-fashioned now.

It depends what suits your figure. As I've got older, I prioritise my waistline as a feature, as my bust line is not the same as it used to be. A lack of darts means the top half can drape flatteringly (over my underwired shaping bra!) and gives a satisfying nipped-in waist effect when tucked into trousers or skirts. Darting would ruin the illusion of a smaller waist. Also, I increasingly find anything too tailored annoying and restrictive, unless it's a special occasion, but for every day I like to move freely.

So true ! I can't even consider buying an item when I see dropped shoulders. And yes it just makes the manufacturers look lazy

Yep it’s a pain. Big boobs and small waist here but you’d never know with all
these shapeless tops around. I just look broad with tits like a shelf.

See I would call a 'bust dart' the one that goes sideways under the arm. That gives extra room and shape in the front of any top even a loose fitting one.

The vertical darts that bring in the waist I would describe as 'waist darts' and they are more associated with a fitted shape.

This is the princess seam of Matalan's offering, with my hand underneath. I don't know about you, but I like shirts to be opaque.

Anyone looking in Matalan for an opaque white cotton shirt is going to be disappointed.
https://propercloth.com/reference/opacity-ratings/#:~:text=Medium%2Dheavyweight%20thickness%2C%204%2F,formal%20shirt%20you%20will%20find.

@Itisyourturntowashthebath What a useful resource! I do like a business that values discerning customers and wants us to be well informed. I have bookmarked for a future incarnation :)

@Stravaig unfortunately they do not make women's shirts, but it looks like a good twill is the way to go.

I agree, although I would prefer a waist dart to know dart at all.

Yes to the extra button. Low necklines are fine if you are flat chested but if you have boobs they can make even an elegant shirt look like you are a barmaid from a Benny Hill sketch.

I agree more tops/blouses should have darts. What I really want is more shoulder yokes though. I find a deep V blouse or dress with a lightly gathered shoulder yoke is by far the most flattering style of top for me but they're hard to come by these days. I got lucky and found a dress in M&S in the summer sale but it's a rare find!