A bustline is an arbitrary line encircling the fullest part of the bust or body circumference at the bust. It is a body measurement which measures the

circumference In geometry, the circumference () is the perimeter of a circle or ellipse. The circumference is the arc length of the circle, as if it were opened up and straightened out to a line segment. More generally, the perimeter is the curve length arou ...

of a woman's

torso The torso or trunk is an anatomical terminology, anatomical term for the central part, or the core (anatomy), core, of the body (biology), body of many animals (including human beings), from which the head, neck, limb (anatomy), limbs, tail an ...

at the level of the

breasts The breasts are two prominences located on the upper ventral region of the torso among humans and other primates. Both sexes develop breasts from the same embryology, embryological tissues. The relative size and development of the breasts is ...

. It is measured by keeping a

measuring tape A tape measure or measuring tape is a long, flexible ruler used to measure length or distance. It usually consists of a ribbon of cloth, plastic, fibreglass, or metal (usually - hard steel alloy) strip with linear measurement markings. Types Ta ...

horizontal and wrapping it around the body so that it goes over the

nipple The nipple is a raised region of tissue on the surface of the breast from which, in lactating females, breast milk, milk from the mammary gland leaves the body through the lactiferous ducts to Breastfeeding, nurse an infant. The milk can flow th ...

s and under the

arm In human anatomy, the arm refers to the upper limb in common usage, although academically the term specifically means the upper arm between the glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint) and the elbow joint. The distal part of the upper limb between ...

s. In relation to a woman's

garment Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...

, the bustline is the outline or shape of a woman's bust, or the part of the garment which covers the breasts, such as a dress with a fitted bustline.Dictionary.com
/ref> The bustline is an important measure in women's

clothing size Clothing sizes are the sizes with which garments sold off-the-shelf are labeled. Sizing systems vary based on the country and the type of garment, such as dresses, tops, skirts, and trousers. There are three approaches: * Body dimensions: Th ...

s. A full bust is another term for the bustline measure but is also commonly used to refer to a breast with a cup size of at least C.

Other measures

These measures are usually taken when taking measurements for the bustline of a woman's

, especially if the garment is to be

form-fitting A form-fitting garment is an article of clothing that tightly follows the contours of the part of the body being covered. A feature of Modern Western societies is the popularity of form-fitting clothing worn by women, compared to equivalent male ...

at the bust. * A high bust is a measure of a woman's torso above her breasts. * An under-bust is the measure below the breasts.

References

Anthropometry Sizes in clothing Body shape {{Measurement-stub

Other measures

See also

References