Summer is well underway. The hot weather affords the much-loved opportunity to wear fewer layers, let your skin breathe and feel easy-breezy in the balmy sunshine. Sounds dreamy, doesn’t it? But the fantasy might be somewhat interrupted if you’ve been blessed with a large bust. Suddenly, ‘breezy’ feels a bit sweaty and ‘easy’ is probably shapeless and means sacrificing style for comfort. When you’re on the hunt for those layer-free items, like t-shirts and vests, high-street shopping can be tough. But comfortable, well-fitting t-shirts should be a wardrobe staple for any woman. So how and where can you find the perfect t-shirt for a fuller bust?

What makes a t-shirt great? 

First things first, what makes a simple t-shirt such a wardrobe icon? And which features should you be looking for when buying a t-shirt that fits and flatters your larger chest?

 

  • A great t-shirt fits well – it’s not too tight and it’s not too loose. Particularly in the heat, a very tight t-shirt can be uncomfortable because we often swell and sometimes sweat in the heat. It doesn’t let any air near your skin and you can end up putting layers back on to cover up. Pointless! If the t-shirt is too loose, your figure will disappear under the material. This means you may end up looking (and feeling) bigger than you are. Again, not a good plan. You want something shaped but relaxed in fit.
  • A great t-shirt is made of good material and its thickness feels just right. When shopping for a new t-shirt, don’t choose anything too heavy, which could leave you feeling bulky, hot and constricted. Conversely, an overly light material will show your bra and quickly become clingy if you start to overheat. 
  • A great t-shirt is versatile. Depending on what you wear it with and the occasion, the right t-shirt can be dressed up or down to create the perfect outfit. It’s a super backdrop for a smarter outfit and the defining feature in a casual look. Don’t forget that it doesn’t have to be all singing and all-dancing. Simplicity is often the key. 
  • A great t-shirt is timeless and made-to-last. Invest in something you love and that you can learn to rely on. A great t-shirt is one that you can wear again and again, and it still doesn’t lose its je ne sais quoi.

Why are some t-shirts not suitable for fuller-busted women?

There’s no doubt that a great collection of t-shirts that we love and can rely on should be an essential part of our summer wardrobe. But not all t-shirts were created equal – as anyone with bigger boobs will tell you. 

 

Here are a few reasons why a t-shirt designed for the less-well endowed might not suit you. 

 

  • It’s too tight. Chances are that the fabric won’t have enough capacity and will pull right across your bust. It makes the shoulders and armpits pull too and has the overall appearance that it’s clearly struggling to contain your assets… The outcome: Discomfort and lots of unwanted attention for your boobs. If the weather is chillier and you’re still wearing layers, a t-shirt that’s too tight will ride up underneath your jumper and leave you with loads of uncomfortable fabric bunching around your waist.
  • It’s oversized. If you’ve been burnt before with too-tight t-shirts, it can be tempting to go the other way and buy oversized items. But that won’t help matters either because a t-shirt that’s too big comes with its own issues. First of all, it can make you look very bulky. This happens because the fabric hangs straight down from your boobs in a block shape to your hips. And as a result, your midriff completely disappears. Sure, you may feel like you’re winning when wearing an oversized t-shirt because you’ve solved both the comfort and the unwanted looks issues. But ultimately, a t-shirt that doesn’t enhance and flatter your body shape probably doesn’t make you feel great either. 
  • The shoulders and sleeves are ill-fitting. This can happen in two ways. Firstly, you buy a size (or three) up, which means the shoulder seams are too wide, the sleeves drop down and you add volume ‘up top’ in completely the wrong way. Secondly, you buy an ‘oversized’ style. These very often have dolman sleeves, where there is no shoulder seam at all. This makes your whole bust, armpit and shoulder area very shapeless and rounded. This might be okay if you have a very angular frame, but it’s generally a less flattering option. Otherwise, you might end up achieving the look of a pyjama top or something you might want to wear on a duvet day. And that’s fantastic when it’s intentional but isn’t great if that’s not what you were going for.
  • There’s not enough shaping. Most non-specialist retailers rely on the stretch within the fabric and on some shaping in the side seams to accommodate for the female shape. But that’s just not enough for a full bust, particularly if your boobs are proportionately bigger than the rest of you.

Finding a great t-shirt for bigger boobs – our Emma t-shirt

So we’ve given you the lowdown on the problems, but even better is to offer a solution! We’ve taken all these considerations and addressed them within our Emma t-shirt. Here’s what we’ve done differently to ensure you feel both comfortable and confident: 

 

  • We reduced the fabric’s tendency to pull over the bust. By listening to the feedback from curvy women who told us that most t-shirts on the high-street are too tight, we worked really hard to reduce the fabric’s tendency to pull over the bust. We did that by adding both bust darts and a lot more shaping into side seams. This allowed us to create a t-shirt that gives you a subtle shape and no riding up, whilst not clinging to your every curve. It’s a more contemporary look whilst still being feminine.
  • We used set-in sleeves with a tuck on the shoulder. The ‘set-in’ factor ensures the shoulders are sitting in the right place and that the angular point between the curve of your bust and your inner arm isn’t lost. The tuck over the shoulder of the Emma t-shirt gives structure and, most importantly, balance. The shape of the sleeve ensures the shoulders offer a good frame and visual counterbalance the protrusion of your bust. And the great news is that it works on both broad and rounded shoulder shapes!
  • We carefully designed the neck drop and overall length. A flattering neckline is important if you want to achieve a comfortable yet elegant, timeless look. So with the Emma t-shirt, we uniquely designed the neck drop and the overall length to ensure the t-shirt looks flattering, elegant, and contemporary. It won’t show cleavage but it will slim your neck. It’s the perfect proportion to either tuck-in or out.

Buying the Emma t-shirt

We truly believe our Emma t-shirt is an essential piece for you and your boobs’ ideal summer wardrobe. Made from ultra-soft 100% organic cotton, it comes in a soft pink and a crisp white, so you can wear it with almost any outfit. We absolutely love it and hope you will too.