Over the past 10 years or so I’ve had to change my bra size a couple of times, and sometimes it’s a little unclear whether I’ve changed size or my bras are just old and stretched out, so I can kind of see the point of owning a fit kit. You don’t have to run off to be professionally fitted whenever your bras seem like they’re not fitting right anymore.
But the only thing special about this kit is the set of cups, while IME the thing that’s a lot more likely to fluctuate due to weight gain/loss is my band size. I can measure that with an ordinary tape measure. What can be confusing about traditional bra sizing is that the cup size is relative to the band size. For instance, the actual cups on a 34D and a 36C are the same. So if a woman gains a bit of weight around the middle but her breasts stay exactly the same size, she can’t just go up a band size but has to go down a cup size too. It looks like Jockey’s system treats cup size independently of band size, which seems sensible but does mean that a woman wouldn’t even need to fit herself using the sample cups a second time unless her breasts really did change size.
I don’t think the $60 price tag for the actual bras is astonishing. I’ve never paid that much for a bra, but I always get them on sale. I know I’ve seen bras with the regular price of $40-$50 before, so if these Jockey bras are good and come in otherwise hard-to-find sizes then there are probably plenty of women who’d consider them worth the price. I wouldn’t pay that much for a bra if I hadn’t tried it on myself first, though. Even if the fit kit is perfect at helping you determine cup and band size, the straps could still be uncomfortable or the fabric scratchy or something.
I don’t know, it seems like a pretty good idea to me.
The Victoria’s Secret around here is terrible. My conspiracy theory is that they are told to squeeze anyone into a bra there, even if they are larger than the biggest bra they sell. For anyone that they can actually fit, it seems to be a bit random whether or not they actually get a reasonable size.
And, as Lamia mentioned, you can keep it at home to check your breast size over time.
My only problem is, why does one need the full set?
Chances are, a person who is currently a 38 EE is never going to need the tiniest cups they sell. So why include them?
Maybe they should just send 5 cups for $10 instead of 10 for $20.
That occurred to me as well. If their target audience were 12 year olds who’d keep the kit for life then maybe a full range of cup sizes would be helpful, but an adult woman’s breasts are unlikely to go from an A cup to a DD+ (or vice versa) without surgery.
I’m not sure I really get this. Ok I’m not a woman, but it looks like the old system took into account chest/body size - and breast size (volume). The “new” system seems to do that too. 55 combinations doesn’t seem that much if you take into account both. I think they would have been better off naming them A, B, C, D, with maybe a number after them to indicate shape or in between sizes. I don’t really see that they are taking into account shape. They need to have a better explanation.
I’m all into customized whatever - but this seems pretty amateurish for “eight years” of research.
Actually, the old system did not really take volume into account. You see, all a “B” cup signifies is that your bust measurement is 2" greater than your band size. if you have a band size 36 and a bust measurement of 38, you are a B cup. However, if you have a band size of 38 and a bust measurement of 40, you are also a B cup, but your breasts, volumewise, are larger than the 36B.
Let’s say our 38B gal loses some weight, but only in the band area, so now she takes a 36 band, but her breasts stay the same 40" measurement. Suddenly, that’s a 4" difference, and our former 38B is now a rather buxom-sounding 36D! However, volumewise, her breasts are still the same size!
This is how you get all those “98% of women wear the wrong bra size” statistics. For example, most department stores do not carry much at all above a DD cup. When you can’t afford or find the 36F (or DDD, or whatever they call it…that’s another rant), but you can find that same volume cup size in a 38D, you’ll probably go for it and just wear the band on the smallest hooks because, while perhaps not the most supportive, it’s better than nothing.
What Jockey is doing is divorcing the cup measurement from the band measurement. To do that, they have to give you “measuring cups”. It’s kind of a neat idea, actually.
I was thinking the same thing. Perimeter sizes from, say, 28 to 40, at increments of two, is 6 sizes. Cup sized AAA AA A B C D DD DDD is 8, times 6 is 48, in the sizing systems currently in use. Putting in an expander for odd numbers 28-40 raises the combinations to 96, which rises to 192 if there is a style choice for formed (for sag) or unformed (no sag).
From what I’ve read about getting professionally fitted, I’d be kind of shocked if Jockey was able to make a self-measuring kit that was worth two cents, let alone $20. Heisenberg rears his head and laughs at people who try to measure their own chest size…
Even “high end” stores like Nordstrom have fitters of variable quality. I’ve been there twice in my life with no change in breast or body size and gotten two wildly different sizings (including one band size that was 4 inches too large).
So yeah, while the optimal solution would be for women to be fitted at a boutique by highly experienced professionals, that simply isn’t an option for many, so hopefully this will be a good second choice.
(Although I remain skeptical and eagerly await reviews.)
I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before, but when I asked the saleslady at Nordstrom’s for my favorite bra in a 44DD, she told me that I should be wearing a 42DDD. I was wearing a sweater and coat at the time! Sho’nuff, she was absolutely right.
If they had a pro fit you with the fancy model cup thingies, that might be worthwhile. I kind of doubt that standing in the bathroom sticking yarmulkes on your tits will yield accurate results.
No offense, but how do you know she was absolutely right?
Most women are wearing the wrong bra size. Most women do not know that and will say their bra fits fine.
No professional in the world can accurately size you through a sweater.
I don’t have a dog in this fit so I’m not sure why I’m defending this company so strongly, but there is a lot of misinformation about bras out there.
It’s not the price. I pay $60 or more for quality bras. I just cannot imagine going through the hassle of ordering a kit, then ordering the bra and hoping it fits.
I generally get myself fit at Nordstrom. The ladies at my store know their stuff. They measure you correctly, something that’s hard to do yourself. They know they various brands and styles. They ask questions and they know the answers to your questions. Then you get to try on as many brands, styles and sizes. AND, if you don’t find something you like, you’re not obliged to pay anything. I generally purchase my everyday bras there. Wacoal or Chatelle are my go-to brands and run $60 to $80. But I get good quality bras. Occasionally, I will purchase a “fun” bra at Victoria’s Secret, but my size is not easy to find.
I get that they are divorcing the cup from the band, but that is a matter of naming confusion - there are still these combos that SOMEONE will fit into. Mens shoes (dont know about women) work this way too (well sort of) - an E width of an 11 is greater than an E width of a 10. Not exactly the same thing, but if you know about this - you can compensate.
The same thing could be done with existing system and a lookup table - sure some cup sizes might not even “exist” in some combos - but that doesn’t make it worse - just more confusing.
Also - are bra sizes really that accurate? I would assume they differ from manufacture to manufacture - and even model to model.
To use the shoe analogy - Allen Edmonds has about 10 different types of “lasts” for shoes. I take a 10eee for some up to 11.5 e for others. This is just one manufacture - and I have at least four sizes with them. Luckily they tell you which shoes use which lasts so that you can get an idea (if you know your fit on one) - which size to use.
Exactly, that’s why I see no point in getting measured. I’ve done that, it never helped me find a bra. It just told me what I was supposed to be. Fat lotta good. You still need to try on every. single. bra. in the entire bloody shop. I hate bra shopping.
I own bras sized 34B to 36D. My friend who worked in a bra shop doubted they fit so I let her check, she concluded they do. The 36D is just the one, it’s a very good strapless bra and the only one I’ve ever had that really works. It looks tiny, nothing like a 36D. But there you. Oh, and I got measured for that, and it wasn’t close to what I measured as, as the lady in the shop admitted. I think that was in John Lewis.
I’m a huge fan of the recent interest in finding ways to better fit women in comfortable, supportive bras. But this seems a little gimmicky to me. I’ll be interested to read reviews of the system, though. Hopefully this will be a helpful tool for some women. But for people like me who know a bit about bra fitting and have a good idea of their size range (I’m sure I’m one of the two smallest cup sizes available from Jockey, although they arent making bands in my size), no point.
Even if you’re not so far outside standard sizes, using a commonly available ‘sister size’ isn’t much of a solution. Due to the shape of my breasts, it’s not really about volume for me - if it was, I could comfortably wear 32As or 30Bs (since it’s not like I need the support of a band that actually fits snugly on my 26" ribcage). But underwires in those sizes are painfully narrow, to the point that wearing them for a short time gives me lasting breast soreness. If I want a ‘real’ bra that fits, I need to order 28Cs online from the tiny handful of brands who actually make that size.
And yes, the actual size and fit of a bra, regardless of the letters and numbers on the label, varies pretty vastly between styles and brands.
And what about those of us who do not have a matched set? Shock (the left) is a DD-DDD depending on where I am in my monthly cycle, while Awe (the right) is a D-DD.
At this point, I’m thinking we need some sort of modular cup and band system.
