Bra Measuring - The Perils of Size Charts and "Plus Four"

We've discussed the subject of bra fitting on many occasions here on the Brastop blog - from how to go about properly measuring yourself, to how to get fitted and invest in bras that conform to your body size and shape.

The importance of proper bra fitting can never be overstated or under-emphasised - for health reasons, comfort reasons, your posture, your well-being, self-confidence - and, let's not forget, your purse can suffer if you waste money on bras that don't fit.

However, far too many people still rely on the "plus four" method of measuring for a bra, and it continues to surprise us that so many companies and high street retail outlets are still favouring a method of determining your bra size based on a series of body measurements and a calculation that has it's roots in the 1950s.

Take the photograph above, for example - sent to us by one of our regular readers, Jo.

Jo visited her local House of Fraser store today, having first consulted the "How to get your perfect fitting bra" guide on their website, which relies on the "plus four" measuring method of determining your bra size.

Jo followed the instructions carefully, took down all the measurements - as guided - and then visited the store, whereby she picked out a Freya Lauren bra in the size recommended to her from the chart - a 36F.

She also picked out an identical Freya Lauren bra in her actual size - 30J - which was based on a proper fitting, and some of Jo's own personal knowledge of how bras should actually fit.

The results are quite startling - particularly in the middle image at the top (the side-on shot), which shows how badly the fit of the cups are (Jo's boobs are spilling out from the tops of the cups and the underwire is digging in to the side of her breast tissue) - and the rear image, which shows the band riding up high on Jo's back. In the front-on image, you can see how the join in the middle of the bra is pulling away from Jo's sternum.

In comparison, the image of an identical bra in 30J is pretty much a perfect fit - her breasts are fully encased in the cups, the centre-gore is flat against her breastplate, in the side-on view, there's no double-boobage - and in the rear view, the band is low across her back.

We're going to be running this as a regular feature here on the blog - relying on images from our readers and our bloggers to highlight the ridiculous nature of the "plus four" method, and highlighting the websites and stores that continue to rely on it as a method of figuring out which bra to invest your hard-earned cash in.

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