That being said, it is both good and bad at the same time. Naturally, I first tried it out by entering in my own measurements, and voila, it returned my correct bra size. However, I decided to test it with a variety of different measurements, to get a feel for its consistency. I entered in 25 inches for the rib measurement and 35 for the bust measurement, for which it returned the size 30E, which will be too large for a person with a 25 inch ribcage. I also tried it on the other end of the spectrum and the results were only marginally more acceptable. Here is what I think this thing is doing: for rib measurements under 28 inches, it is adding 4 to 5 inches to the underbust measurement, and for larger rib measurements, it is adding 2 to 3 inches. One quite silly contradiction that occurs with this is that a 27 inch ribcage is recommended a larger band than a 28 inch ribcage.
It seemed pretty wonky to me to begin with and I wondered why it would be adding all kinds of inches? Then it occurred to me that I believe this app was developed by Polish bra fitters, and one of the most important things in Polish bra fitting is to have the firmest underbust measurement possible. The prevalent bra fitting advice in Poland is to exhale all the air from your lungs and take the absolute tightest underbust measurement possible. For me, this decreases my measurement by a whopping two inches, which may well make all the difference in the world when using this calculator. Out of curiosity, I then clicked the help button, which took me to a FAQ page. Here is an excerpt from the page:
"Most professional bra-fitters nowadays say that after getting the measures [sic] done it is usually wise to go down [in] the band size (and up a cup size), especially if you are larger-busted."
Although this measuring technique obviously must be considered in order to use this calculator, there are some other excellent stand-alone features. Probably one of the best features is a size troubleshooter, which can be particularly useful for sizing down one band, as quoted in the FAQ above. After the calculator generates a bra size based on your measurements, there is an additional screen that will help you troubleshoot problems with the recommended size. For example, if the band feels too big, or is riding up, it will suggest smaller band sizes, with the appropriate cup sizes for you to try. I think this alone is useful. Another useful feature is size conversion between all the major sizing systems: UK, US, Continental, French, Australian and Japanese, as well as sizing charts that are specific to individual brands. The sizing charts for individual brands could be wildly useful, just because there is so much variation in sizing systems between brands.
Altogether, it's your call whether you think this app could be useful for you and at only $1.99 USD, it's not expensive. I'd be interested in seeing if this works for people when they use the Polish method of taking the underbust measurement, although I do believe that this calculator will be too unreliable for those with sub-28 rib measurements, as well as those with ribcages above 32 inches. However, if you want to reliably find your bra size and don't need all the other bells and whistles of this app, THIS is the best calculator I've found so far.
*photos are from Stanikomania and the official bra-fitter website
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