For many of us, a camisole is the classic solution for cleavage control, but when my standby camis recently went missing, I discovered that a classic Campbell & Kate shirt is an excellent alternative. Below, I get even more mileage from an extremely deep V-neck J.Crew tissue tee by layering it over my 14L Campbell & Kate shirt.

After the jump, read three reasons a Campbell & Kate shirt is perfect for cleavage duty:

The greatest challenge in shopping online is getting the right fit. I'm not going to advertise that buying a Campbell & Kate shirt online is easy, but I'm proud to say that the longer we're in business, the more we find that our customers are getting their sizes right on the first try. It helps that we actually offer shirts made specifically to fit a large bust and slim waist.

Companies like True Fit, described in this Wall Street Journal article, are trying to streamline the process. Unfortunately, they have replaced the tape measure with other complicated questions, like "Where does your tummy sit on your belly--high, medium or low?"

I'm not convinced that they've made the process simpler, but I agree that even a tape measure can be subjective. I ran into an example of this last week. One of my favorite customers has been waiting for over a year for Campbell & Kate to offer size 2. When I emailed to ask for her measurements, here's what she sent me:

waist: 29"
bust: 38"

According to those numbers, she should be a size 8S, but even a 4L was too large in her shoulders. Fortunately, she hasn't gained any weight, and I still had her measurements from the last time we met:

Good news for those of you who are unsure what size Campbell & Kate shirt to order--the Buy1Try3 Program is up and running. A customer who tried it last month graciously provided photos of the process, despite looking, as she described it, "like a hot wrinkled mess." Since she was our guinea pig, I'll call her "Ginny".

Here are Ginny's measurements:

Bust: 39"
Underbust:29.5"
Waist: 31"
High Hip: 39"
Low Hip: 41"

Going by the size chart alone, Ginny should wear a 10S, but she wanted to try other sizes because she said, "I'm shaped a little differently than most ladies. My apex minus my band is 10 inches, but my waist is larger than my band." (It turns out that she is NOT shaped that differently from many ladies, as a recent survey by Braless in Brasil points out.)

Ginny tried sizes 10S, 10M, 10L, 12S and 12L. Both size 12's were too baggy, as evidenced by the photo above, but take a look at the size 10's after the jump to see what size you think she should have kept. I'll tell you what size she chose at the very end.

As I ironed this shirt for my husband last week, I found myself daydreaming about how much I love crisp white button fronts.  "If only women like me could have a shirt like this," I mused, and then stopped short.  Women with large busts DO have a shirt like this, and I'm the one who created it.  How embarrassing to have forgotten, but after a lifetime of battles with baggy shirts that still required a safety pin at the bust, old thinking dies hard. I laughed at myself for forgetting that the war is over.

Four reasons I iron my husband's shirts after the jump . . .

In Part 1, the key word was "discretion".  Today's word: creativity.

Actually, if you're a woman who wears a D cup or higher, you don't have to be that creative.  You need only wear your Campbell & Kate shirt.  Other women who wear a D cup or higher will tell you how amazing you look, and you will simply tell them where to find us.

But for situations where you must do the approaching, here are three ideas to get you started:

This warning sign should come with Campbell & Kate shirts.

That’s because, although most women with a large bust adore the way they look in them, a few are shocked to encounter their own curves. It’s easy to understand why. Many ready-to-wear garments drop straight from the widest part of the full bust straight down to the hem, hiding the waist. When this freefall is tailored, the waist and bottom half of the bust are revealed.  See what I mean after the jump.

Bra La Mode is holding its debut "intimate affair" here in New York City on Sunday, January 29, at the famous Bra*Tenders at 630 9th Avenue. Come meet the "bralebrities" that my friend Moira has lined up AND find out which of Campbell & Kate's 18 sizes is right for you.

Sitting next to this group of co-workers on the Long Island Railroad recently, it was obvious that the two women were on top of their professional game as they discussed financing options for the client they were going to meet.

It was also obvious that they were not on top of their appearance game.  Both wore plain dark suits with unremarkable tops beneath their jackets, and neither wore any makeup.  Perhaps they'd spent the entire night preparing for the meeting to which they were traveling and had only had a few minutes to grab their easiest go-to outfit before catching the train.

Understandable though their situation might be, they were each basically wearing a uniform, and they looked boring.  That's also a common criticism of the classic white shirt--that it's too "uniform looking" and boring.  However these women demonstrate that it's not what you wear that causes you to blend in with the scenery.  It's HOW you wear it.  Do you see any color in this photo?  Any inkling of the women's personalities other than their preference for nice leather bags and an addiction to email? 

Fortunately, it doesn't take too much effort to overcome the "Stepford worker" message sent by the ubiquitous black laptop next to the window.  If you're also in a rut (and who hasn't been?), here's a list of ideas to reclaim your personality in the way you dress and, more importantly, the way you see and feel about yourself. 

Everyone I meet knows at least one large busted woman who would look fabulous in a Campbell & Kate shirt. But how to tell her?

Discretely.

First, it depends on who you are. If you're a woman, the sky is almost the limit--especially if you're the genuinely caring type who has even a smidgeon of charm.  If you're a man, it may not matter how caring or charming you are.  There are some women with large busts to whom you can never speak directly about Campbell & Kate.

That's because it also depends on who she is.  If she's your best friend, sister, mother, or girlfriend, then whatever your gender, you can easily tell her about a classic white shirt made just for D cups and up.  If she's a co-worker, you should probably be a woman who knows her pretty well.

However, no matter how well-intentioned you are, some women aren't going to be very receptive to the news, even from another woman.  I learned this last month when I sat mesmerized during this speaker's talk about niche marketing.It wasn't her material that held me rapt, but her full bust atop her slender torso.  I was determined to beat everyone to the front ot the line to speak to her after her presentation.  Unfortunately, I was so premature in my sprint to the front that she thought I had a question for the Q&A session.

"Yes?" she called to me.

Last week I sent out a newsletter featuring the photograph on the left and then went to meet my 8M fit model. I asked if she'd seen the newsletter. "Yes," she answered," but you should have used a larger model instead of a tiny girl who can fit into anything." I tried to explain that I had used a larger model, but she didn't believe me.

So for all you doubters out there like my fit model, I give you the photograph on the right. 

What bra and shirt size do you think she's wearing?  I post the answer after the jump.