Ask FGG: What Styles Are Best for My Large Chest?
A plus-size designer helps us dress to fit and flatter bigger breasts
Designer Monif Clarke knows a thing or two about dressing up our curves
Dear FGG,
HELP! I always have a hard time finding tops and dresses to fit my large chest. By the time I actually find something that fits me on top, I’m swimming in it on the bottom. I’m desperate for tips on what styles to wear!
I learned the hard way that dressing my pear-shaped bod in baggy, straight tops made me look like this, so it took some trial and error to find clothes that flattered my body type. But even on my biggest, non-pregnant days, I maybe make it into a C cup, so I turned to an expert to help us answer this question: Monif Clarke, CEO and Designer at Manhattan-based Monif C. Plus Sizes
FGG: What are some common fashion mistakes you see large-chested women make?
MC: I am large-chested myself and I think the biggest mistake we make is not wearing the right size bra. Sometimes women come into my plus size boutique in New York, and when I take a look at their bra that they got for $20 at their local mall, I tell them it’s so important to invest the money to go to a bra shop, get fitted, and buy the right size bra. [FGG here: I've had great luck with Nordstrom for personalized bra fittings]
FGG: How important is a good bra, and can you suggest any brands to our readers?
MC: A good bra is very important because it will improve posture, make your clothes look nicer, and help alleviate the additional weight from our large chests. I don’t have any particular brands I love, but I do shop quite a bit at bravissimo.com. [FGG here: Readers, if you have any faves, we want to hear from you in the comments on this one!]
FGG: What should busty girls look for in tops and dresses that will fit and flatter their curves?
MC: I think that we look great in wrap tops and dresses, and V-necks are universally flattering. Often when women are large-chested, the chest pushes out the dress/top, which can make her look like she has no waist or hips. I think it’s important to look for dresses with empire waists and wraps to highlight your waist. Also, short jackets with curved seams are great to pull in our figure at the waist.
FGG: Do any fashion lines – from budget buys at Wal Mart to high-end couture – really “get it” in terms of fitting bigger breasted women?
MC: As a large chested woman, I’ve never really felt too limited to stick to particular brands for clothes. I think rather you want to look at an entire line of clothing and figure out what pieces you can pick out of the line to highlight your curves. For example, when I shop, I usually look for fitted dresses or fitted tops to wear with A-line skirts. I try to minimize volume on the top half of my body and concentrate it in the lower part of my body to avoid looking bigger on top.
FGG: Anything else you’d like to add?
MC: There are more options than ever for large-chested women to find bras that are pretty and supportive, and many more options for clothes out there, but we have to be willing to seek out these options. When designing clothes for Monif C. Plus Sizes, I always make it a point to pay attention to necklines as well as things like the width of shoulder straps on a dress, so I can know it can universally work for all women. We recently expanded our product line and are now designing plus size swimwear for sizes 14 – 24. One of the main features of the swim suits are halter neck ties, which work especially well for large-chested women because they help to “hoist” up the girls in the swimsuits.
Thanks for your insights, Monif, and for creating such vibrant, fun, and fashionable clothing in our size! Readers, we know we’ll be hearing from you on this topic because you always seem to know the best places to find fashion that actually fits our figures. Share your favorite finds and tips in the comments.
Ahh, the joys of being a large chested woman. I once referred to my breasts as “the girls”…to which one of my friends (who is a DD), pointed at her chest and said “These are girls. Those are grown ass women”.
My life has changed for the better since I discovered bra fittings and boutiques that help me not only get the “grown ass women” the support they need, but to look good doing it. A site that I found and love is Big Girls Bras (http://www.biggerbras.com/index.shtml). Thanks for the tip about bravissimo, I’ll check them out soon.
I wear a 36G and the only bras I’ve been able to find are Wacoal. They are pricey, but SO worth it. All I had to do was put the bra on and there was an immediate difference in my posture and silhouette, also it looked like I had a waist!
http://lawschoolfashionista.blogspot.com/2009/09/support.html
I also love bravissimo. They’re clothing is cut for more room in the bust which can make a HUGE difference.
http://lawschoolfashionista.blogspot.com/2010/02/bravissimo.html
Although it is geared more toward plus sized women (as opposed to all women with large breasts), http://www.plus-sizebra.com is beginning to do a fantastic job of scouring the web for bras and organizing them by size. Band sizes do go down to 34, so a-c’s 36G would be covered (in fact, the site presents over a hundred options at that size). Most of the bras are offered through Bare Necessities and HerRoom, but the site is actively adding more vendors all the time (including Bravissimo!).
I don’t have big boobs myself, but I do fit a lot of larger ladies at a local department store and I usually send them there in the frequent case where we don’t have their size.
Wow! Thanks for this! I really enjoyed reading this. I am checking out the websites and will get fitted for a bra soon!
HA! Knows a thing or two! I see what you did there.
Seriously though, getting a proper bra fitting changed my life. I was wearing a 44DDD. I’m a 42G, and have severe scoliosis, and I can’t begin to describe what relief I felt when I started getting proper support. I also found I could wear a smaller size shirt when it wasn’t having to cover all this awkward boob ring around my underarms.
Now I’ve become a bra evangelist.
I have so much better luck with bras that have a very wide band, at least four hooks wide, in order to get the best distribution of weight. I also have to say, be ready to go boring on the color to get the best silhouette. When trying bras on, wear a shirt that is close in weight and shape to what purpose you’re buying the bra for, and ALWAYS put your shirt back on over it to be sure you don’t look pancakey, pointy, or smooshed.
I really enjoyed the interview, and I look forward to checking out her bathing suit line!
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you had me all the way up to “swimsuits that tie behind my neck” Being a big chested girl i cannot tell you how painful it is to have all the weight of my chest plus a knot digging into the back of my neck all day. i go home with a bruise and a very sore neck that has also given me a headache