I run through this process quite a lot with my crossdressing customers. Most dont really know where to start - so I have tried to jot down the process I use to guide my customer's choices in boobs and bodyshaping underwear. Please make sure you have read my other article "What is an hour Glass Figure" as this will be the basis of this article.
My definition of an hour glass figure is shown below (remember your overbust is the measurement around your boobs - with a bra on):
- to keep your figure in balance you need to have your overbust and hips to be approximately the same (within 2" is fine)
- to give you some feminine curves you need your waist to be 6-10" less than your overbust and hips
The basic thought behind this article is that there is only so far you can pad out your hips, and there is only so much you can pinch in your waist - but you can have pretty much any sized boobs you want. So start with your hips and waist - and work out what size overbust (and hence bra and breast form size will suit you best).
This is a fairly complicated article - so I have tried to simplify things by using an example customer. Just follow the process through using your own measurements instead of the example ones.
Also remember there will not be a single answer - there will be a number of different hour glass shapes you should be able to achieve - depending on how much you want to pull your self in - or pad yourself out.
The main steps are:
1. Measure your FEMININE vital statistics
2. Work out how large you could make your hips by padding them out
3. Work out how small you could make your waist by cinching it in
3. Use these waist and hip measurements to determine the maximum overbust measurement you could carry, and still have a balanced figure
4. Use this maximum overbust to create your maximum hour glass figure
5. Generate a range of possible shapes
6. Choose the one you like the sound of best
So now for the first step...
1. Make sure you know your feminine vital statistics
This is really important. Use a CLOTH tape measure (not a steel one or a ruler !) and make sure you take these actual measurements (do not, for example, use your trouser waist size as your waist size).
Your Underbust: this is your chest measured approximately 3" below your nipples (where your bra band would sit) - with the tape held TIGHT.
Your Feminine Waist; this is measured around where your belly button is - a bit higher than you might normally measure it
Your Feminine Hips; thei s the largest measurement around your bum - a bit lower than you might normally measure your bum.
Your overbust is your chest measurement around your full bust - when you are wearing a bra. Don't worry about this for the moment - we will come back to it.
For the purposes of the rest of this article I will use an example of someone with the following measurements - but just follow things through with your own measurements.
Underbust: 38"
Waist: 38"
Hips: 40"
2. Calculate your maximum hip measurement
Women tend to have larger hips compared to the rest of their torso than men do - the male torso tends to be a bit more straight up and down. So padding out your hips is quite a popular option - but there is a limit on how much you can pad it out.
The size of the hips is important as it limits how large your boobs can be - and still have a balanced figure . So if you want larger boobs - you will need a correspondingly large booty.
Hips: your hip measurement can vary between the actual measurement you have taken and 4" more. It may be padded out by up to 2" with padded underwear, and up to 3-4" using silicone hip pads.
In my example, with a natural hip of 40", this gives us a range of possible measurements of:
Hips: 40" - 44"
You can already see from this that there is now a limit on how large the overbust can be. As hips and overbust should be within 2" - with your hips padded out to 44" - the maximum overbust in this example, would be 46".
3. Calculate your minimum waist measurement
Women tend to have a smaller waist compared to the rest of their body than men do. So pinching in the waist is a fairly common thing to do to improve your figure (lots of genetic females do this as well !).
The size of the waist is important as it gives an indication of how large your hips and overbust needs to be to have a more feminine curvy figure.
Waist: your waist measurement can vary between the actual measurement and 4" less. It may be reduced by up to 2" (using waist cinchers) or by up to 4" (using steel boned corsets).
In my example, with a natural 38" waist, this gives a range of possible measurements of:
Waist: 34" - 38"
You can start to see how this guides the size of the hips and overbust, as your overbust and hips need to be 6-10" larger than the waist.
In my example:
- with a natural waist 38" the overbust / hips can range from 44" to 48"
- with a pinched in 34" waist the overbust / hips can range from 40" to 44"
4. Calculate your maximum overbust measurement
Remember to keep your figure in balance your vital statistics have to meet BOTH guidelines.
For example, looking at my imaginary customer:
- Using a 38" waist - the overbust could be as large as 48"
- However, to be in balance with the hips the maximum is 46"
So in this case - the largest the overbust can be to meet BOTH guidelines would be 46".
Generally, to keep your shape in balance your maximum overbust is the LESSER of the two maximums (the one calculated form the waist and the one calculated form the hips).
In my example the maximum over bust is 46"
5. Use the maximum overbust to create your Hour Glass Figure vital statistics
So now you know:
- Your largest overbust
- Your range of possible waist measurements
- Your range of possible hip measurements
So to create your target vital statistics:
- Start with the largest overbust
- Create the corresponding Waist measurement by taking off up to 10" off this overbust measurement (if possible - remember you must keep within your range)
- Create the corresponding hip by adding up to 10" to the waist measurement (if possible - remember you must keep within your range).
- Use your underbust and overbust measurement to calculate your bra size using this (it should open in a new tab)- bra size calculator for crossdressers
You can then play around with the ranges to find something that suits !
You will obviously have to do this with your own measurements - but I have worked through my example in quite some detail to help you try and get the hang of it. By knowing how much you need to pad yourself out or pull yourself in - you can choose the best products to help you get to your target figure.
In my example:
- Largest Overbust = 46"
- Waist range = 34" to 38"
- Hips Range - 40" - 44"
So starting with the largest overbust measurement
Maximum Overbust of 46"
In this case the figure is limited by the size of the customers hips - a common feature of the male torso compared to the female. The hour glass vital statistics would be:
- Overbust 46"
- Waist = 36" (ie. 46 -10)
- Hips = 44" (as 36" + 10" is more than the 44" maximum hip).
So this first possible hour glass shape is: 46 - 36 - 44
This has the customer's waist pulled in by 2" with a waist cincher combined with maximum hip padding (4" - so it would have to be the large silicone hip enhancers).
With a 38" underbust and a 46" overbust we have a bra size of 40F - this is a large bra size ! I do not generally recommend bra sizes larger than DD or E cup (max) as it limits the range of clothing that is available
6. Generate a range of possible figures
Now you have all the information you can play around with different figures. Personally, I like to run through a range of different overbusts (in 2" steps) and also think about how much hip padding or waist cinching the customer is comfortable with.
So just follow the same steps with an overbust 2" less than the maximum (and so on).
In my example it would look like this:
Overbust of 44"
The hour glass vital statistics would be:
- Overbust 44
- Waist = 34" (ie. 44 - 10)
- Hips = 44" (ie. 34 + 10).
So this gives an hour glass shape of: 44 - 36 - 44
Very nice - and perfectly in proportion !!
This has the customer's waist pulled in by 4" with a corset combined with maximum hip padding (4" - so it would have to be the large silicone hip enhancers).
With a 38" underbust and a 44" overbust we have a bra size of 40DD - which is a good busty bra size
If less padding or pinching is desirable, then the following figures would also look great (they all meet the hour glass figure guidelines):
- 44 - 36 - 44 (less waist cinching)
- 44 - 34 - 42 (less hip padding)
- 44 - 36 - 42 (less waist cinching and less hip padding)
Stepping the overbust down by 2" gives:
Overbust of 42"
The hour glass vital statistics would be:
- Overbust 42"
- Waist = 34" (as 42"" - 10" is less than the minimum waist measurement)
- Hips = 44" (ie. 34 + 10).
So this gives an hour glass shape of: 42 - 34 - 44
This has the customer's waist pulled in by 4" with a corset combined with maximum hip padding (4" - so it would have to be the large silicone hip enhancers).
With a 38" underbust and a 42" overbust we have a bra size of 40C - which is a nice modest bust size.
If less padding or pinching is desirable, then the following figures would also look great (they all meet the hour glass figure guidelines):
- 42 - 34 - 42 (less hip padding)
- 42 - 36 - 42 (less waist cinching)
It would also be perfectly fine to move to a 43" overbust (43-34-42) for a 40D slightly bustier look, or to a 41" overbust (41 - 34 - 42) for a 40B and a slightly more modest look.
6. Choose the one you like best
Just make sure you follow these guidelines and you should be able to come up with a figure that will work for you. I would always try to avoid looking too extreme and go for something that is more realistic. To be honest, I find in most cases the choice of figure often comes down to how large you want your boobs to be.
Once you have determined your target vital statistics - choosing what padding or cinching you need becomes a bit easier, and you should know your bra / breast form size as well. Remember, as long as you keep everything in balance (top to bottom) and make sure you have some curves (top/bottom to middle) you should look fine.
Hope that helps in your shopping choices !