The Best Blouses for Bigger Busts

If you’re outside any of the standard measurements for a Japanese woman, J-Fashion becomes quite difficult. Being J-Fashion, is, of course, centered in Japan the clothes are made with Japanese women in mind. If you’re tall, busty, have larger hips, or have any kind of deviation that is common in the Western world, you’re left to scramble to find options that will fit you. 

I’ve struggled with finding blouses since 2016 when I put together my very first Lolita coord. Over the years I’ve honed my skills, tried out different options, and found solutions to this problem. In today’s blog, I’ll talk about my

That’s why today I wanted to put together a list of some of my favorite blouses, ones specifically for 94 cm busts and up!

  1. Sweaters/Cutsews

I’m not going to spend too long talking about these, but I do think they really deserve to be mentioned. Because they’re not exactly ‘blouses’, I don’t necessarily think they belong here, but they are such a staple of my wardrobe and incredible workaround I think it’s important that they be mentioned.

Knits like sweaters, cutsews, jerseys, etc have a lot of give and can typically stretch at least 5-10cm in width. Sweaters are typically made to be a bit baggy due to recent trends, so typically even their flat bust measurements start at about 94cm and go up to 104cm. That’s just flat, as again because they are knit they typically have a bit of stretch to them. Keep in mind, that a ribbed knit might accentuate your bust if it’s a light color. When ribbing stretches it can sometimes ‘distort’ the ribbing which can inadvertently accentuate your bust. 

Cutsews, personally, are typically my favorite kind of knit. They’re quite comfortable, don’t typically accentuate my bust, and are really cute. Typically a cutsew will have a nice collar with a jersey body.

Jersey fabric is my guilty pleasure, and honestly one of my favorite fabrics though I am loathed to admit it. Jersey doesn’t typically wear as well as cotton, and can sometimes cling to areas you’d rather hide, and overall just doesn’t have the crisp look of cotton. But my God is it comfortable. 

For those of us with bigger busts, we typically first found those jersey dresses that were popular in the mid 2010s. It’s the same fabric with the same pros and cons, only now it’s been appearing more steadily in tops. Axes Femme typically has some nice jersey tops, and Angelic Pretty has been releasing cutsews made with it for quite some time. Jersey can be quite a nice workaround as if the top is stretched a bit, it’s not as noticeable as a ribbed knit, or a sweater since there is no “knit” to it that is being stretched. Jersey fabric is typically woven which is tighter than a knit, therefore not as noticeable. I’ll provide some examples down below!

All three materials are used quite frequently by all of the big J-Fashion brands, but I’ll list some of my favorite places to get knits:

-Lodispotto (secondhand)

Additional note: Their sizing runs a bit small, make sure to get the M size in any knit!

-Axes Femme

-Angelic Pretty

-Liz Lisa

-FINT

  1. My Staples – Amavel

I could go on and on about my undying love for these blouses/cutsews, and I will. The workhorses of my wardrobe, these four blouses are really what holds my wardrobe together at this point. I can confidently say I wear each one at least once a week, and they have held up incredibly well. They are easily my best purchases. 

Here are some examples of how I wear this blouse in my everyday life!

This Amavel blouse fits up to a 98cm bust and has elastic sleeves, so if you’re like me and sleeve cuffs never fit quite right it is a stellar option. The collar is adorable, and the piece is quite sturdy. This blouse has quite literally gotten blood on it, and it came right out without damaging any fibers. It’s seen it all and come out the other side. For poly, it can really take the beating a staple wardrobe piece needs to take.

It comes in a short sleeve and long sleeve version. Typically it’s available in black/white, but I once managed to snag a pink one. If it’s out of stock when you check, don’t despair, they restock regularly.  

Short Sleeves: https://www.amavel.jp/item/detail?item_code=210315010341&color_code=31

Long Sleeves: https://www.amavel.jp/item/detail?item_code=220315010537&color_code=03

They also have a sleeveless cutsew of it made out of jersey, which I just adore. It’s really nice to wear under a light cardigan in the spring/summer. For me, both the blouses above and this cutsew are an absolute must-have!

Cutsew: https://www.amavel.jp/item/detail?item_code=220645020346&color_code=31

The flat bust on this one is 96cm, and it’s jersey so it’s got a fair amount of give. It’s also extremely comfortable which is always a bonus!

In general, Amavel’s bust sizing is always a bit more friendly. Their pieces can be great if you’re looking for pieces with a slightly bigger bust allowance, and I recommend them! Be sure to check them out for other great options!

  1. My Saviors – Cardigans 

Cardigans hide a multitude of sins. Whether you got something on your nice blouse, or the buttons on your blouse look a little too strained, cardigans have got you covered, literally. I’ll admit it, I own a few blouses that have buttons that are straining a bit. I’m a sucker for cute collars, what can I say?

I personally really dislike when buttons strain on a blouse, so what I do is wear a cardigan overtop to hide it. That way you can still see the cute collar, but not the buttons gaping. 

Now, cropped cardigans for a 94cm bust can be hard to find, it seems to be all or nothing. I’ll link a post here by Sarah about the importance of a good cardigan in J-Fashion as it can be tempting to just buy a regular one from Old Navy. 

Sarah’s blog about cardigans: http://pjhime.blogspot.com/2021/07/offbrand-vs-himekaji-cardigans.html

My favorite cardigans are from quite a few different places.

This yellow one that I love in the summer is from Axes Femme Kawaii. They can be awesome with larger busts. I find the majority of their blouses/cardigans start at 94cm, so I really recommend them. (Underneath is my favorite Amavel blouse)

These are from Secret Honey, which at the moment has been putting out a lot of great cardigans starting at 94-96cm busts. It’s great because I love their stuff but they usually make their pieces for smaller busts.

You can find this cardigan here: https://item.rakuten.co.jp/secrethoney/5sk305/

I also own a few from Axes Femme, the fit isn’t great, but they’re still pretty nice. 

If you have trouble finding a good cardigan (the good ones tend to sell out fast), here are some tips to make the ones you have work!

If the cardigan fits but is too long, tie it in the front to pull the length up.

If the cardigan fits, but the buttons gape a bit in the front, try only buttoning the first button!

  1. Ank Rouge

Ok, so hear me out, if you really look around on their site, Ank Rouge has a good handful of blouses that are 96cm. They can be a bit expensive, but if you spend some time going through their sale pieces, you’re bound to find a few that flat measure out at 96cm. I’ve gotten quite a few blouses this way, and I recommend taking a good look around. 

I also want to note that a lot of their cutsews have some good stretch to them, so don’t overlook them! I own quite a few that I got on sale for a good price and are comfortable and stretchy!

  1. DearMyLove/DearMyLoveWhip

I have to confess I don’t own anything from them yet, but oh man do I want to. Once I get back from Fanimaine and financially recover a bit, I plan on placing an order because they have a lot of great sizing options and everything just looks so cute! 

I’m particularly enamored by these camisoles: https://dreamvs.jp/collections/dearmylove-all/products/532105

And these knit tops: https://dreamvs.jp/collections/dearmylove-all/products/531483?variant=41695263588514

  1. FINT

If you’re into a more “classical” look, FINT has got you covered! 

I own a few of their knits and they’re all quite nice! While their sizing isn’t the best for their OP/JSKS some of their knits have some good sizing options. Personally, I love FINT’s aesthetic, as I love a more ‘classic’ look. FINT is quite a bit more toned down than say Liz Lisa or Ank Rouge and offers more neutral pieces. They’re great for nice, staple pieces, and I wear a lot of pieces from them for my dressier days at work. 

I’m obsessed with this cardigan: https://www.fint-shop.com/fs/fint/new/42BJ04h006

Here’s a link to their site: https://www.fint-shop.com/

My best advice is to check the secondhand market, especially places like ClosetChild. While their measurements aren’t always 100% accurate, they will give you an idea of the flat measurements which can be a huge help. In addition, their prices for all of the brands mentioned above are incredibly reasonable, so if it doesn’t fit quite the way you want you’re not losing the price of an AP blouse. 

While many people think that J-Fashion is only a massive monetary commitment, I think it’s much more of a time commitment. It’s not easy to find pieces that you like and fit the way you want them to. In the end, you have too put a bit of elbow grease in to get the results you want. It does take time to find what you’re looking for, so don’t get discouraged! Ganbate!