Today's topic: "How to embrace your bigger bust"

How do we disguise or camouflage a fuller bust? If we have a small bust, what do we do to give it more shape? With the bust comes shoulders - I’m quite broad in the shoulders, what do I do?

The first step to take is to make sure that you are being fitted correctly for a bra. Because if your bust isn’t sitting in the right position it can make it look like it is droopier than it actually is and it will be sitting a lot lower which can give you less of a waist and is not very flattering. A lot of women feel insecure about the extra skin under the arm or through the back - that is nothing to worry about! This skin is actually considered your bust, which is why it’s very important to make sure that you get fitted for the right bra.

Of course, you can go in and choose a bra that you think might work but you should really leave it to the professionals; we don’t want a sore back, bra straps so tight that they give you indentations on the shoulder or, if it’s not secure around your back, it’s also not going to fit well. Dan loves wearing a t-shirt bra because it doesn’t add any seams and it’s very clean on the body.

Second thing is tops. What neckline should you be looking for? What should you wear if you have a fuller bust and want to flatter your figure? First thing to really keep in mind is that wearing a V-neck, a round neck or a scoop neck shows skin through the neck and décolletage which breaks it up and is very flattering.

If you're quite broad in the shoulders, wearing a top that shows some skin will make your shoulders look narrower. Even if it’s just a little bit of skin, it’s breaking up that part of your body, which is a great tip whether you have a smaller or bigger bust.

If we’re wearing dresses, again we should keep the neckline in mind but it’s also very important to have a seam under the bust or around the waist. Because what that does is that it anchors you in and shows off the smallest part of your body, which is your waist.

Francesca Khaki Garden Tiered Dress: this one has a V-neck and a seam under the bust with a drawstring which you can adjust depending on how tight you like it. If you are wearing a dress with a seam under the bust, you will want to make sure that it has enough length through the front so that the seam actually finishes under the bust - there is nothing worse and more annoying than a top with a seam that finishes right on the bust, not very flattering at all!

Nightbird Black Leopard Midi Dress: This is a great shape for a bigger bust as it has a faux wrap and this sort of layering under the bust is a lot longer - this is a very flattering shape. A wrap dress is a fuller bust best friend! Whether it’s faux or wraps totally, it accentuates the waist to take emphasis away from the bust and brings attention to the smallest part of your body instead. And that’s even if you’re an apple shape! If you’re an apple with a bigger bust, you can still bring things in more streamlined at the waist, which gives beautiful shape through the bust.

Aubree Black Cotton Frill Midi Dress: this one has depth through the bust, which is great, and ruching through each side. Dan is wearing the Black Bamboo Relaxed Singlet, a pair of jeans and black boots - she wanted to keep it simple. But you can see that once you put on the Octavia Rust Stripe Longline Knit Cardigan all you notice is the middle part of the body so the bust is camouflaged, which is excellent if you’re wider in the shoulders or if you have a smaller or bigger bust. This is also a great tip for an apple body shape.

Q: I’m 5ft, a size 8 with no boobs and an hourglass body shape. Because I have no boobs, things easily swamp me - I’ve just received my first BB purchase being the Reed Pants and the Navy Leopard Bamboo Ruched Skirt. What would you wear with the skirt that’s not black?

One thing to keep in mind is that things that tend to swamp us generally don’t have much shape; so you need to look for pieces that have some sort of shape and structure.

The next thing is if you have loose flowy on top, you will want to have fitted pieces on the bottom and vice versa to balance out your body shape.

Another great tip is what we just spoke about, which is to make sure that you’re showing skin through the neck as it breaks up your bust and gives you more shape. With a small bust and a size 8, you could get away with wearing just a skivvy but if you’re an hourglass you will want to balance out your torso with your legs.

So if you were to wear the Reed jean, you could go for a basic tank top or a black top with a larger sleeve which works because the bottom is fitted. A bamboo basic would go beautifully with your ruched skirt; as long as it’s more fitted on the top and it’s balancing out your torso with your legs, it will work. You could even layer with a pair of black leggings underneath for winter and a long sleeve black top with it. If you don’t want something as fitted, you could do the Effie Linen Tee which has a V-neck and would look amazing; it is loose but it still has shape. You could even do a black long sleeve underneath; Dan loves wearing black or navy with that skirt as it makes the orange become the pop of colour of what you’re wearing.

*Update: the Effie Linen Tee in orange is now sold out but it is available in a range of colours, including navy which would look amazing with the leopard skirt.

White is also another great colour to wear with this ruched skirt. Another thing we can do is pair the skirt with a black top and a black longline cardigan, which balances out your body shape as it streamlines everything.

You could even do the Jamie Navy Stripe Knit Tank with a navy long sleeve shirt underneath, which would look great.  

And if you’re wearing pants, make sure that you are showing skin through the chest and, another great tip because of your height, do some kind of tuck with your shirt to balance out your body shape and make your legs look longer. Dan is an hourglass and usually goes for a flowy skirt and a fitted top. The Francesca Khaki Garden Tiered Dress would actually be a great pick for your body shape as it has a V-neck, it's great on the bust and it just falls. Just make sure that you have definition around your waist because that is the thing that balances out your body shape.

Q: I’d love a batwing dress but I’m not sure which style wouldn’t swamp me.

Again, with batwings it’s important to show some skin; the Navy and White Stripe Maui Dress works because it falls and sits quite low which suits our body shape. You could also belt it which gives it another look. You could wear a white or navy long sleeve underneath.

Nadia White Bamboo Batwing Dress: this is more of a V-neck, which works well. All of these batwing dresses are meant to be quite fluid and long and have that romantic feel about it.

Q: I’m looking for a burgundy knit jumper - do you have any in at the moment?

Patsy Red Bamboo Cashmere Drape Cardigan: this is more of a ¾ length, it finishes on Dan’s thighs (she is 5’2), you can layer a long sleeve underneath and ruche up the sleeves of your cardigan so you have a few colours happening.  

Quatro Red Bamboo Cashmere Longline Cardigan: the great thing about longline cardigans is that they can be worn like a top; just cross it over, pop a belt around the waist and blouse it up with a basic top underneath. You could even wear just tights underneath, a long sleeve black top and boots. Dan wears the Aldo Black Stretch Tortoiseshell Buckle Belt but if you are shorter in the waist, put on a narrower belt. By doing so, we’re camouflaging the bust, accentuating the waist and softening our hourglass; not that we want to do that because we love our hourglass and our amazing body as it is but wearing our longline cardigan like this is just a really different look. We could put on a Ponte pant, a wet look pant, a pair of high black boots - this would be a great going out for dinner look!

*Update: the Quatro Red Bamboo Cashmere Longline Cardigan is now sold out - we have included an alternative in the form of a burgundy knit jumper, the Stella Red Bamboo Long Sleeve Top.

Dan's Scarves of the Week:

Eliza Yellow Pebble Scarf: which has some taupe, pink, yellow, blue and black - it is fabulous and would look amazing with a white top, jeans and a black longline cardigan.

Silver Lurex Cross Scarf: this is more of a knit with a glittery cross on it and metallic flecks on the back. This has a lot of weight to it which means that it sits flat and falls beautifully.

*Update: the Silver Lurex Cross Scarf featured in the Live is now sold out - we have included an alternative, the Kelsey Blush Pink Check Scarf.

Q: I’m keen to get a denim jacket but need your guidance. I’m short and round with really large upper arms, what would you suggest?

First of all, you need to make sure that you choose a jacket with some stretch; this means that it will work beautifully, especially if you’re layering over long sleeve tops. Now another thing we need to remember with denim jackets is that 9 times out of 10 we won’t be doing it up. So when you’re trying on denim jackets, if it fits you in the arm what you can do is just leave it open - don’t feel like you have to do it up. There’s no point trying on hundreds of denim jackets to find one that will button up if you’re always going to wear it open.  

Another great thing to keep in mind is that the sleeve width and length measurements are on the website in the “Size & Fit'' section of the product descriptions. So measure your arm and go to the size guide and you’ll be able to see whether it will work for your arms.

The Rellie Blue Denim Stretch Jacket has some great stretch! Another thing to keep in mind is where it ends. You want it to finish at your hip bone to balance out your body shape, we don’t want it too long because it’s going to make you look shorter in the legs.

The White Denim Stretch Jacket is a bit firmer in the arm so the Rellie would be a better pick. This one is cropped, it has little slits on the sleeves and a frayed hemline. This same jacket is available in a denim colourway; it has some distressing, we can roll the sleeves up.

The Hudson Denim Wash Jacket doesn’t have as much stretch, it's more of a cotton. It is a straight-through style but it still fits well as it stops at the hip bone. This is more of a boyfriend style, so it’s a relaxed jacket. This one would also be a good option if you have larger upper arms.