Why does this always happen? - YouLookFab Forum

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Why does this always happen?

Carol

(website)

Veteran

You get a great shirt, then as soon as you move your arms around, it bunches up around the armpits and stays that way. Is the fix as easy as going up a size? Or do I need to be wearing entirely different shirts? (I am an hourglass with wide shoulders and a large bust.)

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Body Type

14 replies

Latest reply was from Chiara

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I think sizing up for comparison might be helpful (and doing a test in the dressing room to see...) but maybe it is also related to the fabric. Some of my shirts tend to stick to some of my bras in a weird way-- it might be static electricity in some cases but sometimes it just seems like the fabrics are fatally attracted to one another! That said, this does not happen with woven cotton shirts, to me. Or with silk. It's more a knit or polyester problem.

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Sounds like you might need more ease across your bust /back circumference if you get what l mean!Shirts can be very hard to fit flatteringly on a larger bust.

Peri

Veteran

I blame the shirt when this happens, because I've had it happen on things that are plenty loose, not just more fitted things. I'm not a seamstress but my theory is it has something to do with the way the sleeves are attached to the body of the shirt. If they attach too much at the sides instead of closer to the underarms, and at the same time don't include any extra fabric on the underside of the sleeves, then they pull at the shirt every time you move your arms. When you put your arms back down the shirt that has been pulled out of place just tends to stay there.

I'm 100% sure Firecracker could answer this for real and explain what we should look for to keep from buying things that do this. I hope she sees your thread.

I also agree with Suz that some shirt fabrics and some bra fabrics just don't play well together.

Carol

(website)

Veteran

Thanks, guys—this is actually very useful information. I did not think about the type of fabric, and it also makes sense that it’s an inherently hard body type to buy shirts for.

LaPed

Veteran

Fellow wide shouldered person here. Sizing up in woven shirts was a bit of a revelation to me. When I go by bust measurement, shirts tend to be a bit straightjacket-y across my back and shoulders. One size up and I get some ease and drape. Definitely worth trying for comparison's sake!

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

I actually don't know. haha!

One thing I can offer is that if you see horizontal wrinkles in the fabric above your bustline, it can mean that the garment is made for a higher bust than yours. It's easy to see this problem on a blouse with bust darts--those darts point above the largest part of your bustline, rather than generally toward it. (Even in a garment without darts, there is ease built in to the design, to accommodate the bust at a certain point in the garment, and it may or may not be a match for where your bust is.)

But this doesn't seem to match the problem you're describing, and it's hard to tell from the photos. Does the shirt fit well in the shoulders? Does it feel comfortable across the back? And no gapping at the front buttons? If all of these are true, I don't think you need a size up.

Sisi

Veteran

What Firecracker says (she is an expert seamstress) is very interesting. My two cents: this happens to me when I am wearing something woven. I blame my large bust. The volume of the bust does not allow the fabric to slip down again. In this case I just pull down the top.

Jessikams

(website)

Veteran

I think it is about where the sleeves attach under the arms….

Carol

(website)

Veteran

LaPed--I will have to try that, that may be the key.

Firecracker--it does fit beautifully in all those areas, but it just will bunch up if I move around. Thanks for the other fit advice.

Sisi--I also pull down the shirt, but worry I will forget if there's no mirror around.

Jessikams--I will have to think about that...I never have.

rachylou

Veteran

I sort of have a similar problem with waistlines, because I’m short waisted. My waist is often not where the waist of the garment is, to Firecracker’s point. But I also feel suspicious of the join at the armholes here.

Carol

(website)

Veteran

rachylou--I can't seem to wear anything other than high-waisted anymore, or it looks strange.

Ginger

Veteran

I concur that it may also be the armhole. Modern armholes tend to be cut fairly deep and wide. Imagine if the sleeves were off the blouse, is the shirt showing your entire bra band? That's a low-cut armhole. It's counterintuitive, but frequently a wide/deep armhole actually restricts motion. Small, high armholes give greater range of motion without having to tug on the rest of the garment. It's actually more fabric, rather than less, that helps. That might be what's happening here. The armholes are too deep or wide, so when you raise you arms, the entire shirt has to pull up as well. Unfortunately it's the fault of poor pattern design/grading and really can't be altered, since the problem is a hole that's already too big. But you can try the "reach the high shelf" test in the future when shopping.

I tried to find some illustrations. The one for #5 at this link shows a too-deep armhole: https://restartyourstyle.com/shirts-fit/ Raising your arms would pull the shirt up, possibly untucking it, and for a woman possibly pulling it up too high above the bust.

At this link, point #5 cites a tight back fit causing the arms to feel tight when moving. I'm not sure this is the primary issue you're having, but it's right that the width - both front and back - as well as the armhole shape and size all need to work together.
https://www.doinaalexei.com/be.....gn-issues-

ophelia

Veteran

Exactly what Ginger said but w/out knowing all the details, so thanks Ginger!
I finally figured out I have to wear petite size on any item worn on my upper body, or else the entire garment goes whacky when I lift my arms, including getting stuck above chest. Petites are (supposed to be) cut with high arm holes, which doesn’t drag the whole top around when I move.
I do know someone who is pretty tall but wears a lot of petite tops as she has a proportionally shorter upper half. If you’re in a store w/ petites (getting harder to find!), you might want to try on a top. Then please report back, lol.

Chiara

I think what people are saying here is
-it can be the fabric. Woven fabrics won’t stretch to accommodate curves in the way that knits can. And then….
-the cut and structure of the garment needs to accommodate your structure, especially if the fabric is woven.

I found it very helpful to understand this- made finding trousers much easier when I realised either I need a knit, or 2-4 waist darts to accommodate my 11” hip-waist difference!