We recently received this reader email in our inbox:
I am going to my first-ever academic conference as a “trainee presenter” next weekend! It’s a pretty big deal and I’m very excited. The Saturday night event is a “conference gala and trainee awards banquet”. I now have to go dress shopping and was hoping you could provide me with some suggestions for cute, professional, sort of all-purpose, fancy-but-not-too fancy dresses that manage to pull these things off without looking old or boring.
Our reader adds,
I’m petite (5 feet or so) and fairly slim, but with a large bust. (Oh, and I’m from Canada, where our store options are somewhat more limited than the US)
With those criteria in mind, here is what we would suggest. Even if these exact options aren’t available to you, dear reader in Canada, they can hopefully serve as a starting point in your search in terms of ideas and inspiration.
This simple yet elegant navy front crossover dress from Ann Taylor Petites could easily go from daytime conference wear to evening party. We would suggest making it daytime ready with the addition of a cardigan and subtle jewelry. For the evening, remove the cardigan and add a pashmina and swap the delicate accessories for a bolder statement necklace or earrings.
We love the Melanie Color Block Dress from Banana Republic — and available in Canada! — for its business casual silhouette and play of texture and sheen. The silky navy top would look lovely peeking out from underneath an unbuttoned blazer during the day. In the evening, once more swap the blazer for a pashmina and add some bold jewelry. Navy is a great alternative neutral for both conference wear and cocktails. Banana Republic Canada does not seem to have petite sizes, but given how short this dress looks on the model, it might be just right or need only a quick hem for a petite gal.
We also like this ‘Tres Jolie‘ dress from Talbots that has that more formal cut to it but with fun pleats and a tulip shape skirt that make it a bit different. We see this dress working well with a blazer or cardigan at the conference and perhaps with a bold belt in another color and complimenting accessories in the evening.
All of these dresses use a v-neck to de-emphasize a large bust and lengthen your overall appearance. When looking for a dress that can go from professional to party, we tend to favor a slimmer skirt over a full one, as it retains more of a business appropriate feel. As we mention above, any of these dresses could be dramatically transformed with layering or accessories, making them versatile options for appearances in multiple registers of formality.
Granted, none of us have our reader’s precise body type, and although S. used to live in Canada, she wasn’t shopping for business casual attire back in middle school. So we open the floor to you, readers, especially the petite-and-big-busted among you or our friends to the north in Canada! What would you suggest?
Bravissimo.com is a good clothing source for petite, busty girls. They always have some good professional-type dresses, and I know they are available to Canadians.
Fantastic suggestions! I’ll be keeping them in mind for my next conference. As a fellow Canadian I would suggest Jacob as i’m sure they would have similar styles…also J.Crew is opening in Toronto sometime this year – hurrah!
I don’t know if Jacob has a petites section, but they do great dresses that I think would work very well for this.
I would suggest scoping out Winners. Like TJMaxx or Filene’s Basement, it can be hit or miss, but it offers professional attire at quite reasonable prices.
Beware of getting sucked into the corporate black magnetic field! I have spent the past year detoxing my closet from it. I think you will notice, since this is your first big conference, that there is a corporate uniform going on and the competition is high. You may feel a strong pull to immediately go to the nearest Kohl’s (or higher end stores) and buy skirts in two lengths, pants in three seasonal fabrics, sweaters, cardigans…….in various shades of gray and black – but not to forget the pop of color needed with each outfit. I believed that if I could just get enough of the right pieces I would be able to pack a suitcase and appear polished at any event.
after months of traveling to conferences in beautiful hotels all over the U.S., I realized that I just felt depressed. The items I bought never helped me feel more relaxed or confident. I looked like everyone else. And the styles and cuts were not particularly flattering to my strawberry shape. Luckily, I found Carol Tuttle’s Dressing Your Truth and went cold turkey. It feels great! I wish I would have done it years ago! Today, I would feel confident and relaxed in a uniquely strange vintage skirt with leather boots and some bangle beads, even amongst a room of women in their corporate success uniforms. Hurrah!!
Try RW&Co. Even better, they are having 50% sale until this weekend. Also Ricki’s has a good petite section, and Laura’s if you are in the west.
I think Club Monaco or Tristan & America would have something- Jacob’s quality has really faltered in the past few years. I think Tristan is your best, personally. They can halp you put together something dressy yet funtional. Unfortunately, their e-commerce sites are not helpful so I can’t link to anything. If I were you, I might even do a tuxedo pant with a dressy, layered top and some killer heels. Banana is way overpriced for Canadian consumers and I don’t bother buying anything from them on that side of the border.
There’s also Aritzia, but I think their style skews a little young (i.e. the skirts are super-short). Don’t know if that helps.
Long-time lurker, but this question brought me out of the woodwork!
I am a petite, large-busted woman who lives in Canada, so I guess I should reply!
Laura’s in the east too… I’m in Nova Scotia and we have a Laura/Laura Petite in our dinky small-town mall, and we had them when I lived in Ontario too. I love Jacob for style, but for me, the sizing can be hit or miss. I always liked the styling in RW&Co when I was in Ontario but found it too pricey – but with a 50% off sale you might luck into something! Also, Suzy Shier tends to have some business-wear… the quality can leave something to be desired, but if you don’t have a lot to spend right now or need to find something quickly, it might be worth a look.
Great options! I love the khaki Talbots dress–very on trend and totally appropriate.
These are interesting suggestions, but as someone with a larger bust I would avoid all of these necklines for a conference as being likely to do the opposite of “de-emphasizing” my bust. I find that if a garment fits everywhere else, a v-neck (especially a wrap-style) will often gape, or at least show much more cleavage on me than it would on some other women. Heck, even if a top shows the same percentage of my E-cup cleavage as it would of someone else’s B-cup cleavage, that’s still a fair bit more cleavage.
For that reason, I actually tend to stick with scoop-necks or square-necks or (my favourite) cowl necks. Of course, conference-appropriate attire also varies by discipline, and so I hesitate to make any more specific suggestions since I’m in a (very) casual field — most people would only wear a suit to a conference, for example, if they had a job interview, and maybe not even then.
Yes, I had this same concern (as a short, busty woman). I do wear a lot of V-necks, but these (especially #2) are just so low-cut there’s no way I could wear them. (Unless I wanted to give the impression I was going to a …very different kind of conference. Maybe in Vegas.)
The ways I have made V-necks work are:
1) Almost never buying them online. Too hard to gauge if they’re decent. Need to try them on.
2) Camisoles, but it’s hard to find ones that are cut high enough, and sometimes they ruin the look anyway.
3) Having the right bra. SO crucial. A lot of V-necks are cleavagetacular on me in my old, wrong-size bras, but are just fine in my current one. This has dramatically expanded the number of V-necks I wear. (Even so, though, there’s just no way on that #2.)
I might wear my Brooks Brothers sheath dress — to my amazement it does fit; I had heard they cut clothes busty women could wear and apparently it’s true (plus which, it was on deep sale ;) — and a suit jacket. I get a lot of compliments on that outfit and it’s very professional. Add personality as required with shoes, jewelry. Don’t know if that brand is available on your side of the border (much less on sale as they are not cheap otherwise), but if you can find a sheath dress cut to accomodate you…win.
I’m also a petite Canadian, and although I’m relatively small-busted, I would second, third, and fourth suggestions to try both at Rw&Co and Ricki’s. Both have good quality items that can nonetheless be interesting to wear.
I shop at Ricki’s when I’m at home (Saskatchewan) and Rw&Co when I’m at school (Montreal) and have very rarely been disappointed at either. And, as a plus, both tend to have good sales, if you watch for them!
A shirt dress or v-neck sheath dress would be appropriate for work and / or dinner, so it would be a good investment piece if you don’t already have one. It can be dressed up or down, and is an easy piece to layer.
I’m 5’3″, 135 lbs, E cup. I liked all these ideas although I tend to agree with Weathering about v-necks — I am always on the lookout for camis to layer under my v-neck dresses to avoid showing too much bust.
My best-fitting blazer is J Crew 10P. I have a horrible time getting tailored clothing to fit on top, and until I started trying larger sizes in petites (I’m generally a 6 in most brands) I could not find satisfaction.
I’m in Advancement in higher ed and have to dress up most of the time, not just at conferences. Off to check out Bravissimo.com!
P.S. It would be great if you could add a busty academic chic-er!
P.S. It would be great if you could add a busty academic chic-er!
YES.
Banana Republic has petites in Canada and they now ship up here as well! I’d try Laura Petites and even try Melanie Lynn.
I totally agree with a wrap dress or other soft, comfortable dress that has enough detail on it to make it look a little special. Then I add a blazer or nice cardigan, tights, heels, and some simple but expensive looking accessories. What I love about the dress is that you don’t have to worry about your pants bunching or being wrinkled while you’re presenting. I definitely add a cami underneath, however, because I too am rather busty and don’t ever want cleavage showing in some sexual way.
When I went to a conference as a trainee recently I decided to change before I went to the banquet. I packed a number of items to wear at the conference including a simple black dress for the banquet. I got the dress at Target, and it has a modest v-neck and subtle ruffles on the front of the dress. I, too, am petite and a little busty, but this dress looked great, especially with a nice scarf/wrap.
I second (third?) the recommendation for Laura Petites, and I’ve also had good luck with Jacob, although I have had sizing issues at both (i.e., sizes not small enough), but I’m a J. Crew 0P, so I’m used to that. I have to say, though, as a transplanted American, I rarely shop for clothes in Canada, except at Gap or H&M (H&M is similarly priced to the States, and although Gap is more expensive than in the U.S., they often have very good sales at my local mall). A friend of mine has recommended Suzy Shier to me in the past, but I haven’t been inside. I normally would recommend Banana Republic, but the Canadian prices are outrageous (especially with the currencies being at par!). Also, if you live near the border, I would recommend checking to see where the closest mall on the U.S. side of the border is; you might save enough between the Canadian and U.S. prices to justify a trip (also, in the U.S., Ann Taylor is a favorite of mine for dresses, and I often feel that the bust runs larger in AT than in other petite lines).
I second? third? the comments of others who describe themselves as petite & busty: while v-necks are a great idea, and many of my t-shirts are v-necks, I avoid them for conferences/professional gatherings for the modesty reasons listed above. Also, with a similar body type to the questioner I actually have a terrible time getting dresses to fit. I end up buying sizes that are 2-3 sizes larger than what I normally wear, if they fit at all. I find that I’m most comfortable and confident at a conference when I’m wearing a skirt or slacks paired with a colorful top (or if, lacking that, the pashmina you gals talked about works nicely) and a well-fitting blazer. A well-fitting blazer, as others mentioned, is worth its weight in gold (and equally hard to find, for the well-endowed among us). I had luck at Ann Taylor LOFT, but I don’t know about their distribution in Canada. And heels, comfortable ones, preferably. Extra height on my 5’3″ frame makes me feel oh-so-much more confident. But I’m young and in a fairly male-dominated field, so my conference/presentation dress is probably on the more conservative side.
These are lovely dresses, but I also think they are misses for a large-busted woman. That first dress will make her breasts look ginormous, and not in a good way. It will likely not be designed for a large busted woman, and the dress will fit very awkwardly.
The color block is also a miss, I think, because large-busted women don’t always look so good with waists that are high. Our busts pull out the dress and make the waistline fall in the wrong place–sometimes on our breasts!
The third one could work, if there’s enough space for the bust, but again, I think the emphasis on the waist can be problematic for the larger-busted gal.
And avoid, at all costs, the empire waist!
I agree that scoop, cowl, or v-necks work well for those with much bosom. Look for a-line or princess cuts. But avoid dresses with too much going on at the waist. Good luck!
Tablots! So I’m also petite and rather busty (5′, 115 lbs, D cup) and I absolutely love Talbots Petites. Their clothes can be expensive but fortunately, there are lots of sales. I bought a black wool suit from this fall this fall and when my mother saw it at Christmas, she thought I had taken it to a tailor (which I hadn’t), it fit so well. I have found their v-necks to be not too revealing. The best part is the selection — they made everything in Petites unlike some other stores that only have a few things.
I am not busty, so this might not work for ladies with larger chests, but I recently made an unwearably low v-neck dress work for me by filling it in with a big necklace. I wonder if you could fill in a low v-neck with a scarf during the day, and switch it out for a cleavage-masking necklace for the banquet. I bought my necklace on clearance at Target for about $2.50.
I find dresses very hard to buy over the internet because they have to fit correctly in so many different body parts. Now that you have some ideas about colors and silhouettes, you can go into stores and look for dresses or separates that fit the bill!
I’m the big-busted trainee who wrote this letter, and I wanted to thank the chics for their advice! I agree with the other small, busty readers that while I love the idea of the wrap dress, I think the execution may be a bit difficult. I will happily be checking out RW, Jacob and others thanks to commenter suggestions and hopefully will be successful!
Also to the commenter that mentioned having a terrible time buying dresses: I am SO THERE. It seems that every dress I try on fits bizarrely (too long, too tight, too boxy etc), or needs to be bought 2-3 sizes larger to accommodate my bust. For that reason most of the dresses I buy are strapless, not fitted, and not professionally appropriate. I totally wish I was one of those girls that could just throw on any kind of dress and look cute.
I used to wear Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft all the time. However, I found that about 3-4 years ago, they really changed their pattern or fit model. The bust/torso sizes have progressively gotten smaller. I only have about 1″ difference between my bust and hip measurements. That used to mean that I had about the same size for tops and bottoms, but now that means I could have anywhere from 1 size to 3 sizes difference for tops and bottoms. Hence, I do not purchase dresses from them anymore. (Even if you wanted to get a dress and get it tailored, is highly difficult and expensive to tailor anything that is more than a size or two too big.) What I typically do now is to buy nice separates. I find that wearing nice skirts can really make an outfit dressy. If you match your top and skirt, it often looks like a dress anyway! As for the fit on a skirt, I usually wear an a-line skirt or another cut with a little volume. I find that wearing a little bit of volume on the bottom half of my body is flattering and downplays my busty proportions. For a lot of busty women, wearing an close fitting skirt or pants can emphasize the bust, even if you’re wearing a rather modest top. It is absolutely possible to look very busty and not show any cleavage at all!
I was {reading