I found books on how to dress in college and my early career (ironically when I was wearing a military uniform and could apply NONE of the advice on what I could wear to work) and read them cover to cover. I still check those out and read them as I age and my body has shifted in weight and the distribution of it....still not going to be considered flat chested any time soon, though....
Would you mind telling us the titles of the books you found useful? I'd love to know how to dress in a way that is flattering for someone with a large bust without being overexposed.
Several of them are out of print - I was getting better advice in the 1980s...when I was in my late twenties and a 36" bust that no longer works thirty years later, as a grandmother. There is more available now on dressing as an older woman - being at the tail end of the Baby Boom means that there is a LOT more stuff available NOW than there was when the early Boomers were the same age!
Fabulous Fit by Judith Rasband - the HOAX (for body shapes) - was one - there were also patterns in the fabric stores marked with the appropriate letter codes for body shapes. Some are "universal" and others work BEST on the suggested body types, others should NEVER (well, hardly ever) be put on the body shapes they are not suggested for. If you are costuming a play, the way things fit and the colors do influence the audience's perception of that character....
One suggestion was that underwear below the waist should fit or be slightly loose - no panty lines that way and the clothing should allow the wearer to sit down without anything becoming too tight to breath...which can mean looser for larger sizes as the larger body expands more when sitting down than a smaller person with less flesh on the bone - bones don't expand. Flesh does...
The main idea is to get your hips and bust/shoulders to look pretty much the same apparent width when dressed, even if the garment flares below the hips a bit. Slightly loose is more attractive than slightly tight...way too loose & baggy looks like you're trying to make sure no one notices that you are either VERY skinny, VERY plump, or VERY pregnant....
The other books - I would have to find the file folder with my old notes, if they've survived eight(?) moves since 1985 (military & retirement), a flooded basement (a foot of water), and a recent A/C drain overflow in the sewing room. I can't find a lot of things as I was not the only one emptying the storage closet...VorSon doesn't know what he was hauling out of there, so if I ask him where the bolt of stabilizer, the upholstery fabric, and my various pattern & other file boxes went - he points at the stack of "stuff" he piled in the corner of the guest room....