I am also a 36 H, and have lost 20 lbs without a single inch coming off my bust. So, no, losing weight is not a solution to this particular problem.

Check the seams. It may be possible to let the jacket OUT just a bit in certain places, but it depends how wide the seam is. Back when clothes were hand-sewn, there might be as much as an inch of fabric on the hidden side of the seam; now it’s often much less. But an extra half-inch can make all the difference. I usually have my jackets taken in a bit at the waist and let out a bit at the hips.

I think in most circumstances you can get away with a jacket that is not a standard, matching, structured suit jacket. I recommend experimenting with non-matching jackets because then you can focus on finding individual items that fit (pants and skirts in neutral colors and seasonless wool fabric) and contrasting jackets that also fit, perhaps with stretchier, more forgiving fabrics or cuts that tend to work better. I think women have a lot more leeway than men – as long as you look put together and structured, you aren’t limited to a “suit.”

In court, who knows – some judges will complain about wearing pants, but I think most probably wouldn’t care if you wore a non-suit.

I almost never button my standard suit jackets, even in meetings. But I have a few jackets that I can and do button. One is a formal suit jacket that I had tailored and still looks really frumpy (it was done when I was this size, but after gaining and losing weight, I now carry the same weight in different places – yay!). I wear that if I’m going to court. I also have one tweed jacket that goes with an A line skirt and mysteriously fits my hourglass figure perfectly (I believe there was a little tailoring when I bought it). It’s my favorite suit, but not formal enough for court.

Finally, on my short, curvy figure, short jackets that have Peter Pan style collars and clearly are intended to be buttoned all the way from bottom to neck seem to look cute (these are less formal and contrast with my pants).

I wouldn’t call what KK did “acknowledging” something. It was really pretty off-topic. The post was about whether a jacket needs to close in order to fit. As numerous posters have pointed out, many people who are not overweight still have issues with finding jackets that can close properly. Also, those of us who need to lose weight know it; it’s not like KK’s wisdom is going to teach us anything. An no one had said in the posts “oh, well now that I know my jackets don’t need to close, I’ve realized I look perfect and no longer need to lose weight!” So the post about how we’d all look better if we just lost weight was not a response to anything that had been said in either the post or the comments, it was not informative, and it was predictably upsetting to many.

That said, I agree that swearing at her is unnecessary. Swearing is kinda like saying “clearly” in a legal brief – if you find yourself wanting to do it, chances are there are more convincing (and nonoffensive to other readers) words to express your strong opinion.