Outfit Ideas for Large Busts

You can wear lots of different necklines such as a beautiful high-necked cape as long as you have the right bra. Go into a physical shop (Bravissimo is a great one) and the staff in there should be all too happy to help you find the perfect size and style. Take something high-necked with you so you can check how it looks with the bra and just keep trying different bras on until you find the right one.

My favourite is the glossies bra from Gossard. If you get it in nude, you can wear it under almost anything. 2 or 3 bras like this, a strapless bra and a sports bra are probably all the styles you need. Make sure you wash them carefully too as any big-busted woman will know that bigger bras are expensive to replace! Put them on the hand-wash cycle of your washing machine and hang them to dry, never put them in the tumble dryer. Radiators and the airing cupboard are my bras' best friends in Winter.

If you're still a little unsure about higher necklines, accessorising with a scarf is a great way to boost your confidence. The eye is drawn downwards, elongating your body rather than keeping all the focus on your chest.

But we all know that those of us with larger chests are sick of discussing bras. Well, I've found a solution to those hot days of Summer when bras feel like torture - the shirred top.

It might take a little positioning but a shirred style like the one above can hold you up AND keep you comfortable, unheard of for big-busted ladies. Find one that's slightly higher across your chest rather than one that shows all the cleavage as this will make it less obvious that you've foregone the bra.

Of course, some larger-chested ladies are happy not to wear a bra and don't care who knows it, which is brilliant! But a lot of us don't feel comfortable without a bra so this is a great option. You could also wear a swimming costume as a top - just pop a skirt or shorts over it. Well-fitting swimming costumes can hold you up just as well as a bra and they feel a lot more comfortable.

The more palatable sister of the famous v-neck is the plunge neckline. (I don't have anything against v-necks themselves, just the age-old "fashion" advice that this is all big-busted woman can wear!) As long as you have a plunge bra in your collection, you can wear a plunge neckline. You might just like to pop a little stitch in the bottom if you're worried about your bra showing.

Wrap dresses with plunge necklines are the ultimate silhouette for big-busted ladies!

Queen Anne necklines are also perfect for larger busts. They are more interesting than v-necks but achieve the same thing, showing off your shape so that you look voluptuous. I've styled mine with a bias-cut satin skirt as it works well for my hourglass figure.

Necklines that you can wear with a large chest:

• V-necks
• Plunge necks
• Bardot necklines
• Queen Anne necklines
• Cowl necks
• Crewnecks, rollnecks and any other high neckline, as long as you have the right bra and the confidence to ignore the old advice!