There’s nothing sexier than a woman that’s comfortable in her own body and embraces what she’s given. Boobs are great, big or small. The fashion industry may sometimes complain about mine, but I like them (and I’ve had no complaints from men). For so long we’ve been taught to think our boobs were the problem when all along it’s really been bad bras,” says Ra’el Cohen, co-founder and chief creative officer of ThirdLove. “Every person will have their own unique criteria for what makes a bra fantastic, but it ultimately comes down to looking and feeling your best.”

There’s no doubt that a great collection of t-shirts that we love and can rely on should be an essential part of our summer wardrobe. But not all t-shirts were created equal – as anyone with bigger boobs will tell you. Dressing bigger breasts (and I fully get that mine are on the smaller scale of big) is hard, but dressing them fashionably can be near impossible if you don’t know what you’re doing. So I asked seven stylish women how they feel about having big tits in an industry that oftentimes makes clothes for flat silhouettes, how it affects their personal style, and most importantly, how they wear their boobs to full capacity. Though there are many amazing people working to fight against it, the fashion industry is largely still dismissive of boobs—and curves in general. There are real women, and there are fashion women. Even editors are expected to boast model proportions when they get snapped by bloggers on the streets of New York at Fashion Week—and those model proportions don’t include boobs. I think some credit should go to Kim Kardashian and her stylist [ex-]husband Kanye West for proving that one can be a fashion trailblazer with bombshell curves. I’d love to see Kim-alikes on a major catwalk. Do designers really think women with boobs don’t want designer fashion and don’t have major buying power? Whoever successfully taps into this market is onto something. For years, I’d buy stuff from H&M, but a friend once told me that super thin girls can get away with cheap clothes much better than curvy girls. I was like, “That’s not fair!” [ laughs]. I think there’s been a turning point, especially with Kim Kardashian and Beyoncé, where stretch fabrics and designers like [Azzedine] Alaïa and Herve Leger are really making clothes for curvy women and thinking about a more full shape. And I’ll also get stuff tailored. I’ll buy things online that’s one size too big and get it taken in at the waist. Sure, it’s annoying, but in my opinion, I like having boobs—they make me feel feminine. I’d rather have boobs and get my clothes tailored than not have boobs.

The first step to finding a bra that fits is getting the correct size. It’s actually pretty easy to measure your bra size at home, but you can also get a professional fitting to ensure that you select a style that fits properly. Summer is well underway. The hot weather affords the much-loved opportunity to wear fewer layers, let your skin breathe and feel easy-breezy in the balmy sunshine. Sounds dreamy, doesn’t it? But the fantasy might be somewhat interrupted if you’ve been blessed with a large bust. Suddenly, ‘breezy’ feels a bit sweaty and ‘easy’ is probably shapeless and means sacrificing style for comfort. When you’re on the hunt for those layer-free items, like t-shirts and vests, high-street shopping can be tough. But comfortable, well-fitting t-shirts should be a wardrobe staple for any woman. So how and where can you find the perfect t-shirt for a fuller bust? What makes a t-shirt great? I refer to my boobs as my secret boobs, because I pretty much hide them all the time. I never used to hide my boobs until I moved to New York and got into the fashion industry. I always used to wear a proper bra, with proper support. Now I wear bras to compress or hide them—if I wear a bra at all. When I was younger, I was confident about my boobs, so I dressed very classic and preppy—I didn’t really care what my boobs did. Now I’m very much aware of what I’m wearing. I’m always trying to minimize my chest. We recommend owning a variety of bra styles so you always have suitable undergarments for what you want to wear. Because breasts are unique and different from person to person, keep in mind that finding the right style for you may take some trial and error.

As of late, though, I’ve been trying to figure out how to embrace them and dress for them, but it’s hard. It’s really difficult to dress in fashionable clothing because your boobs physically don’t fit into the stuff. I want to wear Reformation dresses, but I can only wear one out of 10 styles because they’re not made for big boobs. They do have a big boob collection, where they have one or two dresses per season that take big boobs into consideration, but I can’t wear the ones I want to. I would love to be able to wear a white T-shirt and jeans. But if I do, I have a huge boob situation. If I want to do an oversized T-shirt look, I have to find a size XXL; otherwise, it’s going to be really fitted where my boobs are and loose everywhere else. It’s easy to design clothes that look good on a flat-chested model, but I want to see more designers designing with the female form in mind—that really emphasize yet flatter the female figure. After all, the average bra size in America is a 34DD. I want to see styles that cater for a bust, nip in the waist, and give that desirable hourglass shape while looking effortless, not tarty or matronly. First things first, what makes a simple t-shirt such a wardrobe icon? And which features should you be looking for when buying a t-shirt that fits and flatters your larger chest? The shoulders and sleeves are ill-fitting. This can happen in two ways. Firstly, you buy a size (or three) up, which means the shoulder seams are too wide, the sleeves drop down and you add volume ‘up top’ in completely the wrong way. Secondly, you buy an ‘oversized’ style. These very often have dolman sleeves, where there is no shoulder seam at all. This makes your whole bust, armpit and shoulder area very shapeless and rounded. This might be okay if you have a very angular frame, but it’s generally a less flattering option. Otherwise, you might end up achieving the look of a pyjama top or something you might want to wear on a duvet day. And that’s fantastic when it’s intentional but isn’t great if that’s not what you were going for. My boobs make it difficult to find pieces that are flattering. I try to hide them most of the time because I don’t want them to be a distraction. However, when I do embrace them, I love a cropped top with a tight high-waisted skirt. Most important thing is a good bra!Top Cup: The top curvature of the cup should also be flush against the breast. If it’s too tight, you’ll notice your breasts spilling out of the top; if it’s too big, there will be a gap between the cup and your breasts. A great t-shirt is timeless and made-to-last. Invest in something you love and that you can learn to rely on. A great t-shirt is one that you can wear again and again, and it still doesn’t lose its je ne sais quoi . Bottom Cup: The bottom cup—aka the curve by the underwire—is where the dreaded underboob can occur. To ensure your breasts are sitting in the cup correctly, you’ll want to scoop and lift the breasts so they’re sitting above the underwire. It wasn’t until meeting Karley Sciortino, who dresses her 32DDD boobs flawlessly by showing off their shape while simultaneously keeping them—for the most part—covered, that I began to understand that big boobs can be chic...even cool. “You need things which accentuate you, rather than just hang off your boobs like a tent, which makes you look like you have a fat stomach by accident,” Sciortino advised over the phone. A few months earlier, she had come up to me at a party, where I was self-consciously wearing a very tight top, and celebrated my tits like newly found treasure hoisted up from deep and murky waters. “I never knew you had boobs!” she exclaimed. “You look amazing!”

I think when you’re curvy or if you have any curves at all, you have to put more thought into what you wear. When you’re thin, things hang and you can get away with a lot more. But when you’re curvy, you really have to understand your body and what looks good in it. You can look more amazing in certain things, but you can also make yourself look really bad. We truly believe our Emma t-shirt is an essential piece for you and your boobs’ ideal summer wardrobe. Made from ultra-soft 100% organic cotton, it comes in a soft pink and a crisp white, so you can wear it with almost any outfit. We absolutely love it and hope you will too. You can show more skin than you think. "One common misconception about styling a larger bust is that it needs to be covered," plus-size fashion consultant and former 11 Honoré design director Danielle Williams-Eke said. "I actually find that covering a bust too much actually makes it appear larger."When I was younger, [having big boobs] really bothered me. Wanting to fit in (literally and figuratively) is such a big part of growing up. But learning to accept your body is a process, and it involves developing a strong sense of personal style. In evolving from a young girl to a woman, I’ve learned to accommodate my, ahem, ample bosom in ways that flatter…not just “fit in.” It’s too tight. Chances are that the fabric won’t have enough capacity and will pull right across your bust. It makes the shoulders and armpits pull too and has the overall appearance that it’s clearly struggling to contain your assets… The outcome: Discomfort and lots of unwanted attention for your boobs. If the weather is chillier and you’re still wearing layers, a t-shirt that’s too tight will ride up underneath your jumper and leave you with loads of uncomfortable fabric bunching around your waist.

Gore: The gore is at the bottom center of the bra beneath the underwires. It should lay flat against the body while keeping the breasts separated. Anything with a true empire waist. Shirts that severely nip in at the waist—especially those with seams just centimeters below your boobs—can often appear to be a maternity style on your frame. Instead, look for silhouettes that skim your curves or that have a drop waist, which will provide the added benefit of elongating your torso. There’s not enough shaping. Most non-specialist retailers rely on the stretch within the fabric and on some shaping in the side seams to accommodate for the female shape. But that’s just not enough for a full bust, particularly if your boobs are proportionately bigger than the rest of you.I tend to err slightly conservative when it comes to dressing: I rarely put the girls on full display. Sometimes, they just sort of end up on display, and when that happens, I just go with the flow. I’m way more confident than I used to be, so a little accidental cleavage spill doesn’t bother me at all. I’d love to wear one of those delicate little bralettes without having a uni-boob. But, honestly, accepting your body means honoring and accepting everything it can and can’t do. If I go to my grave having never sported a bralette, I think I’ll be okay. These bad boys nursed my daughter for six straight months, so I’ll just hang onto that little fact and focus on all the things my boobs can do versus what they can’t do. A great place to start is deciding whether you want a full-coverage bra or a balconette bra, both of which are suitable for people with large breasts. You may want to go the minimizer bra route, which makes your bust look less pronounced while still offering support and shaping.