Can big busts be fashionable?

Balancing a fuller figure is a tricky business

“Is there a way to make a larger bustline look fashionable? I am blessed with a tiny waist, but find it hard to show my curves without looking top heavy. Are there styles that will work for me?” — Triple D in Toronto

Do you ever look at photos of screen sirens from the ’50s with their hourglass figures shoehorned into pretty dresses and wonder: Where did all the breasts go? Did women — aside from reality TV pin-ups — just somehow stop having breasts? Well, in the world of designer fashion, yes, basically they did. From the mid-’90s onward, high fashion’s top promoters have been flat as a board.

There are a dizzying number of “surveys” around average bra sizes in different countries around the world — if only the patriarchy could invest in female education and safety from violence with the same zeal! Long story short, the consensus among these mammary charts is that the average American cup size today is between 34DD and 34DDD. Once again, the clothing racks of this continent do not reflect this reality.

I have a crew of besties and we are all somewhat gifted in this department, so the subject of dressing for or around, and general kvetching about, a bigger bust is familiar to me. Suffice to say we’ve all dropped canapés onto (or into) our décolletage. In seeking an expert to chat about this with, I went through my list of stylists and I couldn’t think of the right fit for this question: again, the fashion industry reflects itself. Our expert for this needed to know the struggle on a personal level. So I started thinking of influencers I like, because they are the ones leading the fashion industry to reckon with the needs of “real” women.

I reached out to Ottawa-based Dominique Baker, a 43-year-old fashion, beauty and fitness blogger and mental health advocate. I admire Baker for taking the leap this year from her long-time government gig to live the dream and become a full-time content creator. “I’m a Black, mature female influencer,” Baker

says. “I come from a family of clothes horses and the women all have large breasts. This is our area of expertise!”

Right off the top, Baker says, start with the right foundation. In her pre-government days, she worked at Holt Renfrew. “First thing I would do is march a client over to the lingerie section. Most women don’t love bra shopping so their bras are stretched out and don’t give them the support they need.” She speaks about lift and separation, because despite the proliferation of “comfy” bras since the pandemic hit, the reality is those leave more endowed women with what she calls “a uniboob.” This does not make for a flattering fashion line.

The real truth here, we decide in our conversation, is that yes, there are good fabrics to work with and good shapes to try, but everyone’s breasts are different and so are overall proportions. So working with bigger breasts and making them fashionable is always going to be tricky. Sorry about that.

Outfit formulas are really all about proportion. “With big boobs, you’ve got a lot going on, so you have to balance that out. Big breasts create a ledge that everything hangs off, if you aren’t careful.” Thus, the goal is to recreate as much of an hourglass figure as possible.

To that end, dresses can be very flattering if you pick the right shape. Wrap dresses are an option (though if they aren’t adjustable enough, or good quality, they can gape and you have a flashing situation). Another good option is a “fit and flare” dress: tailoring is your friend when you want to emphasize your waist. The flare aspect means you are balancing the heavier top with a flirty full bottom, with a cinched waist in between.

The problem, Baker notes, is the neckline. Anything in a crew neck or too high “can create the illusion your breasts are sitting too low or are sagging.” She opts for a V or a scoop, or sweetheart neck or off-the-shoulder style, all of which subtly show more skin and thus give the silhouette better proportion.

Then we get to the question of how much cleavage you want to show in that

V or scoop area. “For work, you want to feel covered up to look professional,” Baker says. She is a fan of oversized blazers, surprisingly, as these are usually seen as boxy. But to pull it off, Baker stresses that you need to look to Kim Kardashian, so she pairs the topper with a close-fitting (but not too tight) bodysuit underneath. Again, showing the waist here is critical. For this, Baker says she often relies on a statement belt “to draw the eye to the waist.”

Knits are your friend “to create that hourglass shape.” Think of the sweater girls of the ’50s, once again. So too are silks and soft linens for blouses. Unless they are heavily (and, really, custom) tailored, stiff cotton blouses make the bigger bust form a tent shape. Whereas soft materials hug the body. “My signature look is a silk blouse with maybe an extra button undone, so when you turn just right you show just a hint of cleavage. That is a great look for date night.” Blouses, of course, need to be considered individually, tried on the body with your good, new bra, as so many will pull at the bustline. If you find a label or a style that works for you, stock up, lady!

Another office trick Baker has relied on is the pussy-bow blouse. “It’s now a classic look,” she says of the style, which has become a business staple since it came back in the ’90s. “The bow will distract the eye from your chest,” she says.

As for those times when you don’t want to distract from your chest, Baker says go for it! “There are times when you want to flaunt it,” she says, especially for nighttime looks. After all that dressing around your cleavage, there are absolutely times when you can and should make your ample assets a plus.. But the same proportion rules apply: balance the bottoms with the top and avoid anything too tight or ill-fitting. “Sprayed-on clothing looks bad on everybody,” says Baker. “You don’t want to be that woman fidgeting and adjusting her chest coverage all night.” As always, confidence is your best accessory.