5 Wiggle Dresses and Body-Con Dresses for Full Busted Women

Posted on April 8, 2013 by hollyj

Image via ASOS

Wiggle dresses tend to be a divisive topic among full busted women for several reasons: they rarely make the “what to wear” lists in fashion magazines when boob friendly clothing comes up, they’re definitely more figure hugging than hiding and they don’t disguise the fact that you’re extra curvy. Lots of women think of them as the sexy choice, which means that when they do wear them it’s as a going out look rather than an every day one.

Given that body-con/wiggle dresses already have a bad rep among full busted and plus size women, I get really upset when I see the inevitable Facebook posts where someone laments that they’d wear wiggle dresses if only they were thinner. Figure hugging dresses actually look great on pretty much everyone regardless of size and are much more versatile than people think they are. To put it bluntly – there is not an objective weight or body type requirement to wear these dresses and anyone who says otherwise is silly.

Today I’m spotlighting five wiggle dresses that look great on full busted women. Each of these dresses will make your boobs (along with the rest of you) look fabulous and work for multiple occasions.

When searching for the perfect wiggle/body-con dress, here are some thoughts to keep in mind:

1) Knee length dresses balance out the rest of your body and the figure hugging nature of the dress.

2) Look for dresses with high quality fabric that will smooth out any undergarment lines and make you feel confident. Body hugging doesn’t have to mean thin fabric.

3) Don’t be scared of pattern and color! Anything that inspires you to wear it with confidence and class is worth trying.

This tattoo print inspired dress by ASOS up at the top of the post is the perfect example of a body-con dress that works on lots of shapes and sizes. It’s a flattering sheath cut, made out of thick stretchy material and has a great print that highlights your curves rather than reshaping them in a less flattering way. The knee length cut of the dress also helps balance out the figure hugging features.

Image via Pinup Girl Clothing

This wiggle dress by Pinup Girl Clothing is a great example of a full bust friendly work dress that is also figure hugging! It currently comes in this colorway, a green/black colorway and an all black version. The sweetheart style neckline is work appropriate while still being flattering and the red button acts as a belt-like waist detail. It’s made out of an extremely stretchy bengaline fabric which makes it comfortable for all day wear. Check out my full review of this dress here.

Image via Urkye

Full bust clothing companies are getting into making wiggle dresses now! Urkye recently brought out this dress in several colors. I would write more about how great it looks, but Erica’s pictures really say all that needs to be said.

Image via Pinup Girl Clothing

So maybe this dress isn’t exactly workwear – it doesn’t matter. The plum color is so lovely and the cut is so flattering that it deserves to make every dress list ever despite being for nights out only! It’s the best dress to pull on when you feel like you have nothing to wear only to then realize that you stealthily purchased a fabulous dress months ago for just this occasion.

Image via ASOS

This dress has so much to love about it. It features my favorite basic wardrobe color (navy blue is so much better than black), adorable spotted long sleeves and a wonderfully flattering sweetheart neckline. This would be great for officewear that is flattering without pushing too many boundaries.

Do you love wiggle/body-con dresses? Do you wear them? Why or why not?

Eight Dreamy End of Summer Choices for Full Busted and Curvy Women

Posted on August 30, 2012 by hollyj

When I was a kid, September meant that you broke out the heavy coats and sweaters that you’d stored all winter. Now that I live in the South where there isn’t a real cold season and bundling up means throwing on a cardigan, I’m seeing my wardrobe as one year round thing rather than as seasons. Luckily, this means I get to indulge my love for delicate girly things all year round!

Traditionally, fuller busted woman have more trouble wearing more frilly and feminine pieces. Today, I’ve put together a list of eight pieces that will work beautifully for all curvy women.

1. Bernini Dress by Shabby Apple
I saw To Rome With Love a few months ago, and this dress reminds me of the things that the stylish Italian women wore in that movie. I like my dresses to be both beautiful and practical, so this dress fits the bill perfectly. It runs large at the bust to accommodate fuller busted women, is made from a comfy stretch fabric, and can be machine washed.

2. Avery Shoes by Miz Mooz
I first found out about Miz Mooz shoes on Ash’s blog and have been dying to try some ever since. I’m normally stuck in flats due to back and neck issues, but these may be my answer when I want to wear heels. They’re created to be extra comfortable and all of their offerings are seriously cute.

3. Salon Chaton Little Lemon Cake Knicker
They’re handmade panties inspired by petit fours. What more do you need to know to fall in love with these?

4. HM Finezja Bra by Ewa Michalak
I’m heartbroken that this style of bra isn’t made in larger cup sizes. Hopefully one day Ewa will figure out how to expand the size range in this shape. Luckily, Cece has a great review here if you want more details about sizing. I love the delicate lace and the pale pink color.

5. Salon Chaton Red Velvet Torta Knicker
I’m not a fan of actual red velvet cake, but these panties are gorgeous. Again, they’re part of the Salon Chaton Petit Four range and are just perfectly delicate.

6. Luscious Dress in Mint with Mira the Mermaid by Pinup Couture
I’m so glad that vintage colors are coming back into style. I’m seeing them everywhere — I even saw a beautiful mint green vintage car driving through my neighborhood last week! This dress is made of a thick t-shirt material, so you can dress it up or wear it when you’d otherwise throw on a pair of jeans. The mermaid embroidery is slightly cheeky without channeling that whole sailor tattoo thing.

7. Primrose Bra by Bravissimo
This cheerful bra is just too pretty to resist. Thrillingly, it also is available up to a K cup! It’s the lingerie version of lemon sorbet.

8. Garden Dream Bow Flats by Ruche
As I said earlier, I mostly wear flats. It’s surprisingly hard to find cute flats these days! Luckily, these shoes by Ruche are affordable and would go with everything.

What are your favorite girly or delicate pieces in your wardrobe? Which is your favorite piece on the list?

Full Bust Friday Roundup: US Bra Sizes and Shopping Issues

Posted on August 16, 2012 by hollyj

It’s Friday! I feel like I should have more to say here, except I’m totally exhausted and mostly brain dead after this week. Luckily between my tea from the turkish grocery and my weekly link file, we’re good to go.

I ordered this bra from the US version of ASOS this week. It’s the first time I’ve ordered in US sizes and…just ugh. I know it’s just a letter and a number, but ordering a 32M bra is hard to get my head around. Does anyone else feel like UK sizes are just better all around, both in terms of our psyches and logic?

I’ve been doing lots of window shopping online this week. Candidly, I’m really struggling with this whole weight loss and clothing thing. So far I’ve lost 7 pounds and gotten out of the “obese” section of the BMI. I’ve definitely shaped up, but haven’t fully gone down a size yet. So, to buy or not to buy? I like to look nice and I have some pieces that really need to be replaced. I also feel like I should be “saving up” for when I’m at my goal, which simultaneously seems incredibly far away. So, what do you guys do? Do you buy clothes during the process or save your shopping for a treat at the end? I could really use some advice at this point.

Speaking of shopping, I think these purple cashmere thigh highs are the coolest thing ever.

Ash has a great preview of the Miz Mooz Fall/Winter stuff and I love all these shoes. I’m not even a huge shoe person, so that’s saying something.

What are your plans for the weekend? What items are you coveting? Leave a comment and let me know!

Full Bust Clothing Rules: Who Made Them And Why Do We Care?

Posted on July 16, 2012 by hollyj

I was trawling the internet for dresses this weekend stumbled across some dresses that I really loved. Here’s the first one:

And this was the second one:

The full bust fashion faux pas of the first dress is pretty obvious: the giant ruffle on the chest is a traditional no go. The second dress was full of women telling other women not to buy it if they weren’t tall and skinny; they were concerned that it didn’t hide the fact that they had more fat on their stomach than some women.

All of this got me thinking about fashion rules for full busted women and why we care so much about them. The ruffle thing is obvious. It comes from the more general rule that you shouldn’t wear anything that draws attention to your bust line, which when you think about it seems truly ridiculous. If you’re a full busted woman, your breasts are going to be front and center in pretty much anything you wear. You can’t camouflage them by avoiding ruffles and chest detailing for the rest of your life.

The second dress touches on a larger issue. Full busted and plus size women are encouraged to wear baggier clothes to hide any “figure flaws”. Again, this seems totally silly. Putting on a shirt that imitates a tent won’t make anyone think you’re a 90 pound woman. Instead, it will just make people think that you’re even larger than you are!

Fashion has rules for women of every shape and size and we all spend lots of time eliminating clothing based on them. It also helps us mentally divide ourselves into judgmental categories. Plus size women eliminate all dresses with horizontal stripes while smaller busted women load up on ruffles and avoid dresses that show cleavage. Are we missing out on some great clothes by following the accepted fashion rules?

As I thought about it, I realized that some of my favorite pieces do break those rules. One of my favorite and most flattering work shirts is bright teal and has ruffles all down the front. When I tuck it into a plain colored pencil skirt I look 5 pounds slimmer. Almost all of my clothes hug my figure. I always dress appropriately for the situation but I also avoid baggy clothes at all costs. I once saw myself in a picture wearing a baggy sweatshirt and jeans and I literally looked about 250 pounds. Since then, I’ve never gone back. I’ve also come to terms with my figure. Even if I lose weight, my breasts aren’t going anywhere. Since you’d have to be blind to not notice them, I’ve never bothered to try and hide them or make them look smaller.

Today I’d love it if you’d comment and tell me what fashion rules you break on a regular basis and why. And maybe I’ll get brave and try out that dress with the ruffle on it.

Trendy Orange Pieces For The Full Bust Woman

Posted on July 3, 2012 by hollyj

I was kind of wary about this whole neon trend at the start. As someone who has always been comfortable in jewel tone clothes, this whole neon green, orange and yellow thing made me nervous. While I still haven’t embraced the full range of neons, I’ve gradually fallen more and more in love with orange stuff.

If you’re full busted, it’s easy to feel like you need to stick to basic colors (Hi, my all black wardrobe that got me through highschool!). Luckily as internet shopping becomes a way of life, tons of designers are making full bust friendly lingerie and clothing in all colors of the rainbow. When you’re shopping for trendier pieces, make sure to follow the same rules as you would when shopping for basics. Pick flattering pieces that work with your figure and that will hold up well. If you’re not ready to go full on orange yet, try some smaller pieces like shoes or skirts that will give you a dash of color and mix with your basics.

1. Tango Balconette Bra in Tutti Fruity by Panache

I’ll start with the bad news: if you’re short, don’t buy this bra. Tango bras have very tall wires and your underarms will regret it. However, women who don’t have issues with the wires rave about the shape and support that these bras offer. I love this trendy Tutti Fruity color because it’s fun but also works as an every day set if you’re not wearing a white shirt. Even better, sizes go up to a K cup.

2. Patch Madames Flat by Modcloth
Shoes are a great way to work a pop of color into a plainer outfit. These would look great with a simple black dress. It’s hard to find cute flats sometimes, but these would be cute and comfortable.

3. Dessous Sucre Bra and Bikini by Claudette
This bra has been everywhere this season in all sorts of shocking neon colors and is selling fast. I love the seriously sheer mesh and the hot pink accents. On a practical level, mesh lingerie can be a surprisingly supportive way to keep cool during the hot summer.

4. Apricot-tage Getaway Skirt by Modcloth
This skirt is a great colorful basic that can be dressed up or down. I pretty much live in pieces like this. It would be great paired with black, white, or navy and some pretty gold jewelry.

5. Work With Me Dress in Coral by Modcloth
I own this dress in two different colors now and I love them both. It’s stretchy, flattering and gives a nice nod to the 40′s while not making you look like you walked out of a vintage photoshoot. As a bonus, it also washes well and is completely work appropriate.

6. Ava Dress in Tangerine by Pin Up Girl Clothing
This dress has been incredibly popular for Pin Up Girl clothing and is gorgeous on. It is a little cleavage heavy but I don’t mind that in a special occasion dress. My only slight complaint is that the sash tends to untie or move on me when I wear it, so I usually end up pinning it as a extra precaution. Wear this with confidence and expect lots of compliments!

7. Weak in the Neon Sandal in Orange by Modcloth
Everyone needs a basic pair of flat sandals for the summer. These are cute, right on trend and reasonably priced. My sandals usually don’t make it through a second season, so it’s a great way to incorporate a bolder trend into my wardrobe with committing to it.

8. Alana Bra in Coral by Bravissimo
This is literally one of the few colorful bras out there that goes up to an L cup, which makes me want to cheer for Bravissimo. I haven’t tried it myself but I’ve heard good things about how much support it provides and how comfortable it is. Women on the higher end of the full bust range can have a really hard time finding cute lingerie and it’s fantastic to see Bravissimo catering to them.

How are you feeling about orange this season? How do you feel about wearing bright colors as a full bust woman?

Fashion Inspiration From Moonrise Kingdom!

Posted on June 24, 2012 by hollyj

I finally got to see Moonrise Kingdom on Friday! It finally opened here. Apparently, when they say limited release they do not mean medium size southern cities. There’s so much good stuff in the movie: troubled kids actually behaving like nuanced human beings, fantastic repurposing of Benjamin Britten’s music and all of the typical Wes Anderson wackiness. What really stuck with me over the weekend was the color palette and the fashions. I’ve put together some items which are to my eye a more grown up interpretation of the styles seen in the movie (while trying to avoid any spoilers for those of you who haven’t seen it yet).

1. A Wear Belted Shorts by ASOS
I’ve never been a huge fan of uniforms but the way the Khaki Scout uniforms look in this movie is sure to inspire tons of fashionable trends. From homemade badges to colorful scarves, each boy decorates his uniform in a unique and artistic way. These shorts definitely reflect the spirit of the scouts with their attached orange belt.

2. Caprice Mi-Bas Stockings by Philippe Matignon
I really need to figure out how to wear knee high stockings. In the movie, Suzy is never without her knee high socks, even when hiking through the woods. While they look appropriate on her 12 year old character, these are a great grown up version for the rest of us.

3. Calico Cat
While cats aren’t really fashion accessories (and shouldn’t be purchased/adopted as such) I definitely believe that calico kitten owners will feel slightly superior after they see this movie.

4. Wicker Cat Carrier by Oak and Willow Garden
I thought that Suzy’s wicker cat carrier/purse must have been a vintage piece but it turns out places still make stuff like this. I love this version from Oak and Willow garden, although it’s slightly different than the one in the movie.

5. Peter Pan Collar Pintuck Trim Blouse by ASOS
Moonrise Kingdom is awash in dresses with Peter Pan collars on them, but I love this highly wearable blouse version as well. This would look wonderful with a pencil skirt and a plain pair of heels for a stylish day at work.

6. Corningware Blue Cornflower Coffee Pot
I’m crazy about vintage housewares and I’ve had my eye on some Corningware pieces for awhile now. This coffee pot made a brief cameo in Moonrise Kingdom and looked adorable. I may end up getting the teapot version of this off Ebay soon.

7. Gourd Garden Dress by Modcloth
This movie has the most fantastic color palette of oranges and yellows. This dress would fit right in.

8. Citrus Chic Dress by Modcloth
This dress is a fun and wearable take on 60′s fashions. Pair it with a fun pair of heels and a plain belt and you have a great summer outfit for multiple occasions.

9. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle
In the movie Suzy declares her love for fantasy novels with girls in them. My preferences at her age tended to run the same way, which is how I became a lifelong fan of Madeline L’Engle. I was horribly upset when she died a few years ago. If you’ve never read the Wrinkle in Time series, you should. If you have, you should check out her adult novels which are both relatable and profound.

Have you seen Moonrise Kingdom? What did you think of it? Are you anti or pro Peter Pan collar?

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