Jacket Stance?

What do you think about suggesting a larger busted woman wear a high-stance 3 button jacket like this:

High Stance

High Stance 2
instead of this:

Lower Stance ?


T&S, Danica Lo, and I believe the Lucky authors have all recommended against the former jackets because it can make the woman look boxy. From my own experience, I find this to be true also (regardless of whether there are princess seams) especially since I usually need to go up a size or two for those kinds of jackets. I also think that when buttoned, they create more space (merging the bust and stomach) instead of dividing the space like a woman with a large bust is supposed to do. Now, perhaps if the woman also has a tummy, then the three button jacket is a better option. I also think there are probably 3-button jackets that work for large busted women, but they aren't that easy to find. Am I deluded? Can a high-stance jacket work? If so, how?

Thanks, Siepres

The main idea is to break up the bust expanse as often as possible.
Any unbroken long swath of fabric is not as flattering as two (or three) areas of chest.

So, it depends on the coverage underneath the jacket, too. If there's a turtleneck (I know, I know, it's just to show the extreme
example) in a solid color from under the chin all the way down to a low button stance, that's one big area of one solid color. A higher stance would cut into that area. This same principle works for other unbroken shirts underneath, especially knits. And be very careful about the bosom protruding in the center (I see this everyday) while the sides are held back by the bra and the jacket.

For the famous lock&load look, which confines the bust behind a buttoned jacket, the jacket must have a broken-up front (something Clinton never explains.) This can be done with a seam in the cloth just below the bust, some shaping at a faux high waist, or even low pockets in the front. Sometimes, black buttons on a contrasting jacket provide the break, and a cut-away opening below the lowest button can show a peek of another color, usually dark, because no light gets in. I always wear my last jacket button open, to give this broken-up effect.

The best way to break up the look is by adding a third element, like a narrow folded scarf, or a vest, in another color, to peek out at the sides, and increase the number of color breaks that we have. A very thin cardi worn under an open jacket will have the same effect.

I have seen the L&L look ruined by a jacket with a very, very sharp break at the button, leaving a shelf of covered bosom protruding above. The cloth should not emphasize the bosom, just the opposite (in this case.) Although we want to show a torso, "faux" or not, we want to create those breaks in expanse at just the right spots, not the wrong one.

Of course, this all takes hours of trying on, trying with shirts, etc.
Whew.

siepres, i would wear the third option, hands down. the lower the
neckline the better for me. i like to wear buttondowns opened up on
the top and the other jackets would not allow me to do that.
Ileana



Ili has the right idea here; she intuitively likes to wear her button front shirt open on top. That creates three more broken-up spaces (skin at neckline, two sides of the shirt.)


Pres, thank you so much for that explanation! I bought a brown tweed
jacket about 3 years ago (before I started dressing more for my body),
and I was shocked how in pictures I looked way heavier/flatter than I
was. When I went suit shopping back in Feb. I tried on many many
jackets, and all of the high-stance jackets just didn't work very well
for me, but I was able to find jacket after jacket that looked
beautiful if the stance was lower. It wasn't until you were
explaining about "breaking up the space" in one post that I put two
and two together.

This is a great topic for Sostyled, because I can
guarantee that many people were just as confused about the "lock and
load" policy as I was!

Thanks again,
Siepres