Tag Archives: DD+ outfit

Full-Bust Pinup Fashion Haul

21 Dec

I love fashion. Sometimes, as you may have heard me say it, fashion does not love me. I am in a constant struggle to find clothes that actually fit me. And I am not talking about t-shirts and jeans. You know, I am not a t-shirt and jeans kinda girl! Even if there are a few brands out there that make full-bust appropriate fashion, I have to say not many of them explore some more structured styles as they are a bit trickier to make. Don’t get me wrong – I love simple stretchy dresses as well since they are great for days when you just want to be comfy, but I do like to wear some pretty extravagant tailored pieces as well.

Along the way I have tried many clothing styles – I was one of those weird kids who wanted to be all at once and I do have quite a few style regrets as well. I mean, who thought it was a great idea to put on a tiny doll hat on your head? Apparently, I did. Even though I did have some phases of ridiculous clothing choices, I became infatuated with vintage styling years and years ago. I think I was probably 14 when I told my mom I wanted to look like Dita Von Teese and I still remember what she replied: “Darling, it’s only a crap loads of slap and hair dye.” Which is kind of true, I guess (hehe).

I finally became dedicated to the pinup / vintage style about a year ago – actually when I first started my Instagram (which is btw a great source for some awesome pinup inspiration)! I started to order more clothes online where I could actually see the measurements in a size chart to determine if something would even remotely fit me. Rule of thumb is that if the size chart says 34″ in the bust section, then it most likely will not fit (hehe)! A girl can dream though… However, I have stumbled across some brands that cater for fuller busts as well, so here’s a little clothing haul for you gals that struggle to find nice fitted clothes for you boobies!

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Pinup Girl Clothing: Bella Donna Dress in Italian Landscape (+ Forever 21 cardigan + Face Stockholm glasses + Sophisticated Lady hair flowers)

To warn you right off the bat, most of these dresses are Pinup Girl Clothing aka PUG. Why? Because their sizing just usually works for me and I don’t have to worry if I can zip these dresses past my boobs. The first dress I ordered from PUG was their Evelyn (which I could perhaps review later?) and then came the long-sleeved Heidi. However, it’s been a while since I got them so I wanted to introduce you to my latest purchases.

I decided to buy the Bella Donna dress (now sold-out in this print) in Medium with some gift money I had and as it was in the PUG final sale section, I knew I had to get it for my upcoming bday in November. The dress finally came, about a month before my big party and to my shock horror, it was too small. I was devastated and had a horrible tantrum over it as I had checked the measurements before clicking the dress into my cart. After I had tried it on, I knew I had to measure it to make sure – and surprisingly enough, the dress DID come up too small for the size chart. It measured about 13″ flat at the waist, meaning it was probably sized like a normal PUG Small. Well, I ain’t Small in their size chart, so no wonder it didn’t fit.

However, when you engage in the pinup community, you usually learn all sorts of tips and tricks, so I had heard that some of the PUG dresses could be ironed through and stretched, so the fabric would stretch to meet the size chart measurements. I did this to my Bella Donna and after that it fitted VERY SNUGLY but fitted anyway, so I could finally zip it up (and I also went on a more healty diet but didn’t lose an inch lol). The boob department is boned with this particular dress and it’s great for girls who are a bit more well-endowed. I am a 30H so quite busty and it fits me but does quad-boob a bit, so not the most modest of dresses on me at least. However, I can wear it with no bra on which is great and liberating!

What I really like about this dress is that its straps are fully-adjustable so you can make it fit your body a bit better than most dresses with regular spaghetti straps. I have loosened them up a bit as I am long-torsoed and this dress is made for short-torsoed girls especially. I find that the waistline of the dress still comes up a bit high for me, but I am not super fussy about it as I think it looks great anyway!

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Pinup Girl Clothing: Jenny Dress in White Harlequin Print (+H&M cardigan + home-made swan brooch +  a vintage scarf)

The Jenny dress is the original version of the PUG Bella Donna and it features a lower waist line, thinner straps and a more simplistic styling without the ruffles. It comes in so many prints and colours and is regarded as the basic pinup girl wardrobe staple every PUG lover should own. I got this dress as a birthday present from my boyfriend and even though he cringed a bit at the print first, he did love it when he saw it on me.

The Jenny dress also features the same boning as the Bella Donna and thus I can easily wear it without a bra. This dress was advertised to me as specifically bust-friendly but with this print, I have to disagree. I mean, if you would be like, say 30FF, I would be quite fine but 30H is another thing. Also, the size Medium is very small with this style as well – so I would advise to size up with Jenny’s if you are not interested to iron and stretch them! Mine measured again 13-13,5″ at the waist, laid flat, so I had to stretch it a bit to match my 28″ waist. Not horribly inconvenient but a bit of a hassle anyway. As I live in Finland, exchanges are not really possible for me so I need to make everything work as they are. (I have to say though that my Evelyn and Heidi fit more true-to-size and no need to stretch them at all!)

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Pinup Girl Clothing: Jenny Dress in Orange Border Print (+ Bolero Beachwear bolero + Sophisticated Lady hair flowers)

I know it’s a bit boring to review two of the same dresses in the same post but let me tell you, there is a difference between two of these! I got this Orange Border Jenny from Retro Glam (a Canadian pinup retailer) at the Black Friday sale and even though it did add up a bit with the taxes and custom fees, I am super glad I got this dress as I have been drooling over it for months.

The Orange Border Jenny was almost as tight as the Harlequin one so I did stretch it a bit but not as much as the Harlequin. The waist zipped up even before stretching but I did some work on the torso to make it more comfortable and now it fits really well! The bust department of this particular Jenny is much better though than with the Harlequin one, as it seems a lot higher and thus can contain a lot more boob. I am not sure why this is, but no clothing brand is completely consistent with their sizing. I also like the orange belt that came with the dress as it makes the ensemble a bit more unique than most other Jenny dresses.

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Lady Vintage London: Swing Dress in Red Lips Print (+ Poinsettia hair flowers from Sophisticated Lady)

I had been wanting to order from Lady V London for a while and when about two months back they had one of my favourite prints (this gorgeous Red Lips one!) on sale + free shipping, I could not resist the temptation. Usually Lady V dresses are around £45-55 which is not a very high price, but as I need to pay for international shipping and the Euro/Pound conversion rate is crap at the moment, it really adds up and I didn’t want to pay that much for a dress I did not know would even fit me. When the price of the dress went as low £19 I was ready to take the plunge and ordered this beautiful dress in their swing style.

What I was really afraid of, was the sizing of the dress. I had heard Lady V dresses were quite bust-friendly, but when their size chart stated that UK size 10 had bust room for 34″ boobies, I almost lost my hope. However, I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best as I did not want my waist to be swimming in the dress – and it worked! This dress is amazing for my boobs – my only gripe with the fit is that the waist line is a bit too high for my body/taste but then again, I am a long-torsoed gal. The material is lovely stretch cotton and the zipper is good quality, meaning no broken zippers for trying to yank the the zipper past my boobs. If I would have to say one bad thing about the quality of this dress, it would be that unfortunately the colours run a bit in the wash and you might end up having red-ish spots on your dress unless you wash it with a colour catcher.

This would be my autumn/winter haul and I will get back to any new bust-friendly dresses as I get to buy some more! Which one of these was your personal favourite? Let me know in the comments below! Lots of kisses and happy holidays to everyone! xx

Introducing Bolero Beachwear – Dresses for Busty Pinup Gals!

10 Dec

I love reviewing lingerie – it’s my passion, obviously – but I do have a great love affair with pretty dresses as well. The thing with pretty dresses though is, that not every dress I try fits me that well – not even half of them! I can rarely zip up UK size 10 past my boobs which is why I usually result in buying a size up and then cinching the waists with a belt. When I heard about Bolero Beachwear and saw some lovely fellow bloggers rocking their dresses, I decided to chat to Patricia, the owner of this lovely brand.

Bolero Beachwear started out when the recession hit the USA in late 00’s – many women were left without jobs and so was Patricia, as the beachwear company she was working for had to close down because of the owner’s cancer and customers closing down their own businesses. Patricia, the wonder woman behind Bolero, decided to start a business of her own and so she ended up founding Bolero Beachwear and designing her very own beach cover-ups. After consulting with a busty customer, Patricia decided to make additional dresses and other items for us well-endowed women, as she wanted to accommodate her customers’ needs. Today I am reviewing two of her DD+ clothing collection dresses – Erica and Carmen! *These dresses were gifted to me by Bolero Beachwear. All opinions are my own! Photos were taken by Nina Tulilahti Photography. *

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The Erica dress – named after Erica from the fabulous “Sophisticated Pair”!

Patricia was super excited to send me the dresses as she knew how much I would enjoy styling them with my pinup way! Both of the dresses are full circle style with deep pockets (!!!) so they can definitely be worn with or without a petticoat (I am wearing them with one in each pic), whatever suits your personal style the best. I really enjoyed both of the styles and opted them in basic colours, black and white, which makes them both perfect staples in my wardrobe.

The Erica dress is a 1/2 sleeved wrap-dress style which I loved the most of all Bolero dresses. It comes in a sweet polka dot print, but also in basic black and another, more modern monochrome print. I haven’t owned any polka dots in years which is why I wanted to be a bit nostalgic and try to style them to my current taste. Patricia was so kind to send a couple of different sashes along my dresses, and I paired the Erica with the classic red sash you can see in the pictures. I think it goes perfectly with some red lipstick and a hair flower (from Sophisticated Lady Hairflowers) which look quite Christmassy together!

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Carmen dress + the signature black bolero!

The Carmen is a more feisty little number which could easily work as the little black dress in any woman’s wardrobe, especially in the summer. As I live in Finland, I need a cover-up for this particular dress as it’s sleeveless, but luckily Patricia had included a lovely little black bolero in my parcel as well – the perfect pairing with anything sleeveless or even strapless! I rarely wear any boleros actually but find this style particularly flattering and simple enough to please me.

When it comes to the style of Carmen, I would prefer it with some small cap sleeves even, as I am a bit self-conscious about my arms. It’s probably a bit silly as I have worked hard for my biceps (lol!) but I do find them a bit masculine with my pretty dresses. So to conclude, I do like my dresses with sleeves as they soften out my features a bit. However, I can imagine this dress being perfect for anyone who lives in a warmer climate and does not like her armpits getting damp!

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When it comes to sizing, I found the dresses to run fairly true-to-size in the waist area. I went for my regular non-vintage-reproduction size (as repro usually runs smaller than high street) Small and was very happy with the result. The Small is perfect for my 28-29″ waist and even though the bust is meant for 36″, I can easily fit my 40″ boobs into it without any fabric pulling or distorting the polka dot print. Both dresses fit similarly and are really easy to get over your head and wear casually. The sleeves of the Erica dress are also roomy enough for my big guns (hehe) and the fabric is overall wonderfully stretchy. As a huge plus,s these dresses feature a reinforced back (an extra layer of fabric at the back part of the dress), meaning your bra bands are less likely to show through (I wore a tight Polish band in the shoot so you need to excuse me!).

What I wear my Bolero dresses most for, is everyday situations when I don’t want the hassle of closing a difficult back zipper or I know that I might get messy at some point. These dresses are really easy to clean, as you can just toss them in a washing machine and even if you spill something over yourself (don’t get me started on ketchup!), these materials are super easy to just rinse clean. I would say, if you work with kids and still want to stay fancy – you really need these dresses in your life! Another upside is that Bolero dresses don’t wrinkle whatsoever, so they are perfect for those active days, even while travelling.

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All in all I am very happy with my new Bolero dresses and regard them as a lovely option for anyone with a fuller bust and interest in a more casual pinup style. The Bolero garments are designed and manufactured in USA which adds up the awesomeness of the brand even more.

If you are interested in getting something from Bolero, they are having a sale right at this moment so go and snatch up a lovely wardrobe staple of your own! You can get free shipping and 20% off with a code HOLIDAY20. The Erica dress is now on sale for $140 and the Carmen dress for $120.

What are your go-to clothing brands for a fuller busted figure? Let me know, I am always open to any good tips on how to dress my boobs! xx

D+ Clothing Review: Koperta Krótka Dress by Urkye + DISCOUNT CODE

23 Mar

When it comes to buying dresses I am a complete hoarder and sucker for anything pinup-esque. However, there is always the problem of le boobs – last week, I had to return two lovely dresses to their warehouses as they just wouldn’t go over my chest. This is when the boob-friendly clothing companies come in to play and they have never disappointed me yet. When the Polish curvy clothing brand Urkye offered to send me their brand new Koperta dress to review, I was instantly smitten to have something to fit my curves properly. All of the pics are by the lovely Tiina from a Finnish blog called Kissanpäiväkimara.

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The Koperta is a classic stretchy cotton-blend wrap dress. It hits me just above the knee which is very flattering length on almost anyone, unless you are super petite. I fell in love with the Tuba dress last summer and the Koperta is growing to be my next new favourite for this spring. As the Tuba is definitely more of a summer style, the Koperta sports short sleeves and a more flare-y skirt part which makes it great for layering up with a cardi and thicker tights as well. I chose to style the dress with a rather traditional pinup way – a vintage scarf, mid heel pumps, hair flowers and and a skinny belt to cinch the waist in.

The Kopertowka dress comes in three different colours for this spring season: Black, Red and Forget-Me-Not Blue. Obviously the special name of the blue one drew me in and I decided to opt for it as I already owned a few black and red dresses in similar styles. The decision was definitely right – I got so many compliments wearing this dress to a pub on Friday night and it seems to flatter my eye colour and skin tone very well.

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Sorry for the weird-ass ribs! I know they are super prominent but what can you do…

When it comes to sizing and fit, I must say I was very pleased with both. The size chart would put me at 38ooo but as I had worn the Tuba dress successfully in size 36o/oo (click for the review!) I decided to just go up with the bust size, to a 36oo/ooo. These dresses have a lot of stretch to them so I would say it really depends on how you like your fit to be – tight or loose – and then go with that. I like a tighter fit to accentuate my curves and a little less coverage on the bust so the oo/ooo was a good option. However, the neckline is pulled quite low in the pictures and if you wish, you could opt to wear it higher for a more modest look. For reference, I wear a 32G Gossard Retrolution bra under the dress.

The sizing with Urkye works in such way that you will opt a certain bust size in addition to your regular European dress size. The sizes go from o/oo to ooo with the first fitting someone moderately busty and the ooo fitting an extremely busty figure. My bust is rather full but I do fine with both of the smaller sizes rather than ooo as I don’t like a lot of coverage over my chest. The dress size itself is regular European sizing in which I’m usually 36-38 (or UK 10-12).

If you gals want to get this dress for yourself I must say it’s a bargain for such great quality! The blue colourway is sold for 145 Polish Zloty which is about 35 euros – not bad, huh?! The shipping costs are reasonable too, depending on your parcel weight of course. How do you like the dress and have you ever tried anything from Urkye? Did you like how I styled it? Let me know in the comments! :)

EDIT: If anyone of you my dear readers is still interested in getting their own Koperta, Urkye has offered you a code to get 10% off both their short and long-sleeved Koperta dresses! Use the code 2CAKES at the checkout to claim your discount. The code is valid until 10th of April 2015.

DD+ OOTD – the Ultimate Party Dress

19 Jan

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Good Sunday to y’all! I have been whisked off from pub to another over the past three days which is why I haven’t been writing or even indulged myself in the full-bust world. But yeah, now I’m back with an outfit aaand a small rant since I’m feeling BETRAYED by my favourite clothing brand.

Let’s start with the outfit. This dress has not made an appearance in my blog yet but to be honest it’s my favourite party dress ever. I wear it each time I have a wardrobe crisis before an important event, it never fails and always earns a few compliments. I actually bought this beauty at Oasis in London a couple of years ago in size 8 which I can pretty successfully still squeeze into, even though I’m more of a size 10 nowadays. This dress nips me perfectly at the waist and flatters my figure by hugging it from just the right places. I have also bought a couple of other items from Oasis in the past which have been great for my then-30F bust.

This leads us to the rant. Cause you know what happened when I landed in UK and eagerly went to see my dear friend Oasis again? Zippers not going up, zero boob space and a few tears. Well not literally tears but you bet I wanted to cry. I am very loyal to brands that get me and my body which is why I was devastated to see that they weren’t loyal to ME anymore. And now you want to say it’s not their fault I’m not 30F anymore – see, my size 8 dress zips up fine. I hate it when a brand I love changes their sizing standards and I felt completely let down by the one that was supposed to offer me the perfect Valentine’s day dress for my date. Thanks a shit loads, Oasis. (Don’t worry, I still love your designs but would LOVE to be able to wear them as well.)

What about the jacket then? Absolutely buzzing. I have been searching for a jacket like this which actually fits over my bust and finally Forever21 came to help me. I went into their store a couple of days ago and was certainly not looking for a jacket but when I was reaching one part of the first floor I felt a really weird sensation. You know, the kinda feeling when you think someone’s watching you. I know it sounds bullshit but then I turned around and saw it and BANG, it was love at first sight. This lovely thing is a size Small and cost me about 25 quids which is a total bargain.

So now I’m still one dress short from being ready for Valentine’s. Next up in the search of THE Perfect Dress will be River Island so fingers crossed I find something nice. I’m celebrating Valentine’s day a bit early since bf will be here (!!!!) a week before the actual day but nevertheless my Valentine’s week will be very special because I’m hosting my first blogiversary during that week. So stay tuned and remember to follow 2COP to get first-hand info on the celebrations taking place that week 😉

Dear Father, I have sinned: Confessions on going braless

28 Nov

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When it comes to holidays and celebrations in general I have a VERY bad habbit I’m about to confess you right here, right now: I sometimes wear a dress too tight when it comes to my boobs. And that my dear friends means I can’t even stuff a bra between the dress and myself. I know, it is absolutely horrible and gets worse each time my boobs grow a bit.

This season is always a tricky one for me; lots of parties to attend to but also a loads of food to get stuck directly on my chest. No, they don’t go to butt, nor my thighs. Straight to my boobs, and I know many people would enjoy that. The thing is as a student my dress funds are limited and I often turn to old goodies; those that were bought about three cup sizes ago. This leads to very tricky situations when getting the dress on but also to enormous cleavage (as seen above) and eyes popping out of my friends’ heads (note that they are mostly girls). 

So I’m definitely not a perfect example of dressing my boobs appropriately, not at all. I just read a wonderful piece by By Baby’s Rules on how we as lingerie and bra fit bloggers never claimed to perfect. That particular post got me thinking about me as a blogger, my faults and mistakes that I make and how some of our readers are very eager to pinpoint “false” bra fitting or ill-fitting clothes/bras in our posts. I’m speaking of “us” as a group since I know so many other bloggers who have experienced the same.

So now that I have come out of closet with my bralessness I want to add WHY I sometimes compromise on fit. If you, my dear reader, are a big busted gal as well you might know the reasons but as I know that there are many more average-sized/moderately proportioned girls as well reading, I need to emphasize the reasons I sometimes choose to wear eg dresses that are way too small for me in the bust area. 

Well, I happen to be generally a size 8-10 in British sizes (4-6 in US) which means I have pretty slim waist and quite a flat butt. Add zero hips to that and you can’t make me wear anything above size 10. BECAUSE I want to look fit, I want to look my size. I do not want to hide my waist and small butt under baggy clothes just because I happen to own a pair of proportionally big boobs compared to rest of my body. Well, you might suggest labels like Pepperberry etc but I have to admit it, they don’t do much for me and my style. I need to wear clothes that scream my name to be happy and this is why I often go for brands that are not designed for full busts.

It is very vain and superficial to wear clothes or bras just for their appearance but we big busted gals have a RIGHT to wear pretty stuff as well. Luckily there are so many labels out there making cups up to K cup etc but sometimes you just need to have something that’s a little bit off. Just for the look of it. We have a right to compromise BUT that does not mean I will promote not wearing a bra even if I do it from to time to time. I truly believe wearing a bra most of the time is crucial to your health but when I choose to just look pretty and cleavage-y I prefer not to get snark for it.

DD+ Outfit of the day – Neon lights

19 Sep

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Holla! What ya all been up to? My night went pretty… weirdly yesterday. We had an event organized especially for our freshmen and of course I wanted to be part of all the fun. Today I unfortunately had to participate in a lecture and felt like throwing on something that’s supercomfy yet edgy. From time to time my inner gangsta starts to scream and shout and this is what happens; wearing leggings as pants. Oh dear God…

Recently I have started to feel that jeans are made to torture us women; why would I put on something that squeezes my stomach after a delicious lunch or need to pulled up constantly after a few wears? Don’t understand. They make my butt look pretty good but heck, so do leggings. And yes, I did swear I’d never wear them as pants but never say never.

This shirt is bought from Forever21 and I love the colour which just pops out. I have been fancying neon colours for a while and as I found a few gems while shopping in NYC, I just had to buy something to brighten up all those black and grey outfits that rule every Finn’s autumn wardrobe. This shirt is in size S and it feels a tad tight on my boobs (bought it without trying, not recommended) and arms which is kinda expected so I’m not that bothered. I often have a LOT of gaping when it comes to shirts so it’s not that bad. Wanna see my Frankie bra? Help yourself and take a peek!

The jacket is also bought from Forever21 and was super cheap! Like $22!! It also fits fine over my boobs in size S and still sits nicely on my waist so I absolutely love it. Sneakers are from Skechers and sunglasses from Ray-Ban. I noticed that neon or patterned sneakers were a hit among New Yorkers so I just had to buy myself a pair! Don’t they look so fresh and sporty?

Til next time my fellow gals, now I gotta get some sleep…

Back to Uni – DD+ Outfit of the day

10 Sep

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Hi there! Today was the day when I got back to Uni to study Psychology – a bit frightening but at the same time exciting. I have a had great day so far since I’ve been feeling a bit better and more confident than for ages. See, as I told you about my break-up I was really putting up a brave face. The truth to be told, I’ve been an emotional wreck and not been quite myself. Today I felt like I was little more me again. You know, when you end something that’s been a HUGE part of your life for three years you basically end up with nothing, alone and being someone you don’t even recognize. Yap, it happened to me. For a moment I was that girl.

After I came back from NYC I started to feel a glimpse of hope again. At last I started to DRESS like I was me and when my hair got even pinker, I was somewhat happy again. I still miss and love him but at the same time I’m getting stronger and feeling more empowered than ever.

I decided to push myself out of my comfort zone for the first day of school so I opted for a Forever 21 shirt in size Small and pair of dungarees. I’ve been afraid of showing my skin for so many years and what my break-up really taught me was that those small scary things don’t matter. If a flash of stomach shows a bit under my shirt, so what? No one died. Also, dungarees (mine are from River Island, size 8) are a cool piece of clothing, end of the story. I love how this outfit makes me feel; a bit of Rihanna-ish actually. I decided to pair the tomboyish combo of dungarees and a blouse with a pair of BCBGeneration heels which add a little rock’n’roll sexy edge to the outfit. What do you think?

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