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Did you know that the average woman measures about 38 inches around her bust and needs to wear a small or medium in most clothing brands? But not everyone is average. In the same way, that body shapes vary from one person to another, so do bust sizes. For example, there are super-slim women with A cups and others with G cups. To help you find your perfect fit, we’ve created this guide to the different body shapes for busty women and how to dress for them. Read on to discover which category you fall into, what it means for your style, and what tips you can use right now to adapt your look to your shape.
What Is Your Body Shape?
Before we jump into the specific details of each body shape, let’s start with the basics. Even if you’re not a busty woman, you can use this advice to improve your overall style. A woman’s body shape is determined by two factors: Her relative proportions and her level of body fat. The relative proportions of a woman’s body refer to the size, shape, and orientation of her body parts in relation to each other. For example, if you have a larger torso, smaller legs, and a small waist, you’ll fall into the “hourglass” category. If you have a larger bust, smaller waist, and larger hips, you’ll be “apple-shaped.” The level of body fat on your body, on the other hand, refers to how much fat is on your body compared to other body parts, like bones and muscles. Women with higher body fat tend to have a “pear” shape, whereas those with lower body fat have an “hourglass” shape.
Athletic Build
You have an athletic build if you have a smaller bust, medium-to-shorter torso, slim legs, and a small waist. If you’re athletic, you may have a smaller bust, but you should still take care to dress for your shape. While you may not have the same shape challenges as a woman with a larger bust, you should still think about how your clothing fits and accentuates your body. For starters, you might want to choose lighter fabrics and colors that brighten up your look. Lighter fabrics can help create the illusion of a larger bust. Plus, lighter colors are great for summer and can help you stay cool when you’re sweating. You also want to make sure that your clothing fits properly. Athletic women often have shorter torsos, which means they need a different fit than straight-up, bottom-heavy, or voluptuous women. It would help if you generally went for a little longer shirt with a looser fit around the torso. For pants, you should choose slightly looser fits.
Voluptuous Build
If you have a larger bust, a full waist and hips, and a smaller torso, you have a voluptuous build. For starters, you should choose clothing that helps highlight your curves and minimize any areas you may want to downplay. To do this, you should go for lighter colors and fabrics, such as pastels, silks, etc., that flow easily around your body and make you look slimmer. You should also choose clothing with a looser fit. You’re trying to focus attention on your curves, so your attire shouldn’t be too fitted. Loose, flowy pieces that skim your body and hide any areas you want to downplay will help you look gorgeous.
Straight-Up Build
If you have a larger bust, a smaller to medium-sized waist, and larger hips, you have a straight-up build. If you fall into this category, you want to focus on your bust and downplay your hips, so you should go for slightly tighter fits. You can also use accessories like belts to draw attention to your smaller waist and give the illusion of a smaller bust. However, you should always make sure that your clothing is both long enough and has a loose fit around your hips to avoid looking boxy. It’s easy to look too boxy when you have a larger bust and smaller waist and hips.
Bottom-Heavy Build
If you have a large bust, a medium to small waist, and larger hips, you have a bottom-heavy build. If you fall into this category, you want to downplay your bust and focus attention on your hips and thighs. You can do this by choosing clothing with a tighter fit around your waist, hips, and thighs. This can help make your smaller waist pop while also drawing attention to your curves and making your bust look smaller. You should also choose lighter colors around your hips and thighs, as they’ll help minimize your lower body.
How to Dress for Your Body Shape
Now that we’ve discussed what each body shape for busty women looks like let’s talk about how you can dress for your shape. No matter what body shape you have, there are a few basic guidelines that you can use to make sure that you always look amazing. Choose Your Fabrics Wisely – Not all fabrics are created equal. Some fabrics drape better than others, and some materials are clingy and will accentuate everything. You want to choose the right fabrics for your body shape always to look your best. For example, if you have a larger bust and you want to downplay it, you should choose fabrics that skim your body, like linen and cotton. If you have a smaller bust, you can go for fabrics like silk, which is lightweight and flows beautifully around your body.
Choose Your Colours Wisely: Each color has its own effect on your body, and some shades are better for specific body shapes than others. For example, if you have a larger bust, you should avoid bold colors like red, royal blue, and black. Instead, you can wear softer colors like light pink, light blue, and pale yellow. Likewise, you should avoid light, muted colors like blue, yellow, and pink if you have a smaller bust. Instead, you can wear bold, darker colors like red, black, and royal blue. If you have a larger bust and smaller waist and hips, you can wear darker colors like red, black, royal blue, and navy blue. If you have a smaller bust and larger hips and waist, you can wear lighter colors like pink, yellow, and blue.
Customize Your Clothes as Much as Possible: Even if you have the right shape and color, your clothing might not fit properly, which can make you look frumpy and out of style. Make sure your clothes work properly, and you can’t go wrong. If you have a larger bust, you may want to get your shirts tailored to make them looser and your tops hemmed, so they don’t drag on the ground and make you look shorter. If you have a smaller bust, you may want to have your shirts tailored, so they’re not too tight around your bust.
Fit Tips for Busty Women
As we’ve already discussed, your clothing should fit appropriately so that you look great. However, depending on your bust size, it may require a few extra alterations. Here are a few outfit tips for busty women from our stylists that can help you nail your fit.
Check Your Neckline: Your neckline should come to just under your bust. If it’s lower than that, you’ll end up with a lot of cleavage, which can be unflattering. Likewise, if it’s higher than that, you’ll end up looking boxy. To ensure that you get the right neckline, check the length of your neckline against the size of your bust. If they match, your neckline is just right. You’ll also want to make sure that you are wearing the proper undergarments. Some tops require full coverage bras; others need strapless bras, to name a few.
Check Your Length: Your clothing should hit you at the right level. For example, you should wear shorter clothing if you have long legs. If you have shorter legs, you can wear longer clothing. The easiest way to check the length of your clothing is to stand in front of a mirror and bring your arms up to your chest. If your clothing hits at the same spot that your arms meet, it’s the right length.
Check Your Sleeves: Your sleeves should hit at your wrist, where your hand meets your arm. If they’re too short, they’ll make your arms look shorter. If they’re too long, they’ll make your arms look gangly.
This post was submitted by Simone Devonshire.
