Haha I just made up the term 'chameleon bust' but I think you get the idea It's frustrating being on the cusp of *everything* sometimes but eh, you only get one body - I may as well make peace with mine
Anyway, I got rid of a multicoloured breton striped top recently precisely because of the 'overgrown toddler' vibe - the forum assured me it did not look that way, but I just couldn't shake it. Not beating myself up about it too much though, since I couldn't have known I'd feel like that until I tried it. So in that vein, I support your 'trial & error' dungarees/ overalls/ coveralls/ whatever
Who knows, I may even join you in that endeavour - if I can find a pair of dungarees/ coveralls/ overalls with true waist definition