{ "collection_window_start": "2026-08-22", "records": [ { "brand_slug": "thirdlove", "brand_name": "ThirdLove", "native_system": "US", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": "0.5 in (half-cup sizes marketed)", "source_url": "https://www.thirdlove.com/pages/bra-size-chart", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "image + JS widget", "extraction_method": "NONE — chart is a PNG (cdn.shopify .../size_chart.png); calculator is a JS widget; no numeric body-measurement table in HTML", "usable": false, "notes": "FINDING: top-3 US DTC brand publishes its core chart only as an image. Page meta states '32 to 44 band, AA to H'; the same brand's wireless-size-chart page shows a 30–48 grid — the brand's own pages disagree on range. Method text instructs bust−underbust difference; band derivation (whether inches are added) is not stated numerically anywhere in page text." }, { "brand_slug": "wacoal", "brand_name": "Wacoal (America)", "native_system": "US", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": "1 in per letter (implied by diff method; not numerically published on official page)", "source_url": "https://wacoal-america.com/pages/bra-fit-calculator", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "JS widget (official); brand text states range", "extraction_method": "NONE for measurement rows — official calculator is a widget; official find-your-fit page states range in prose ('band sizes 30 to 46 and cup sizes A to I')", "usable": false, "notes": "FINDING (channel inconsistency): Wacoal's Amazon-syndicated sizing chart (z-ecx.images-amazon.com, Wacoal-branded) instructs a HIGH-BUST band method ('under your arms, high on your back, across the top of your chest; if odd add 1\"') — a different method from the underbust-based widget on wacoal-america.com. Same brand, two contradictory published methods across channels. Range per official prose: bands 30–46, cups A–I." }, { "brand_slug": "panache", "brand_name": "Panache", "native_system": "UK", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://www.panache-lingerie.com/fit-guide", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "JS-rendered page (BigCommerce); no machine-readable chart in HTML; conversion table exists as stockist-syndicated HTML tables", "extraction_method": "NONE from primary (JS shell only); stockist-syndicated conversion tables transcribed for comparison, flagged as secondary", "usable": false, "notes": "FINDING (syndication conflict): two stockist-republished versions of Panache's official conversion chart disagree — prettywomancleethorpes.com/pages/panache-size-guide maps UK 28 → FRANCE 70 (FR column shifted one row), while shopblums.com/pages/panache-size-chart maps UK 28 → FRANCE 75 (arithmetically standard). At least one syndicated version of the brand's chart is wrong. Primary explainer (us.panache-lingerie.com/journal/the-bra-size-table-explained) is cookie-walled to the fetcher. Range per brand-adjacent primary text: UK bands 28–46(–50 in one syndicated table), cups B–K." }, { "brand_slug": "victorias-secret", "brand_name": "Victoria's Secret", "native_system": "US", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": "1 in per letter (per aggregator transcriptions of the widget; unverifiable from primary HTML)", "source_url": "https://www.victoriassecret.com/us/pink/bras/how-to-measure", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "JS application (page serves a 'Loading…' shell; no content without JS)", "extraction_method": "NONE from primary; secondary aggregators transcribe bust-range rows (e.g. size.ly: 34B = 36–37 in bust) — recorded as SECONDARY, not brand-published", "usable": false, "notes": "FINDING (range ambiguity): secondary sources attribute conflicting ranges to VS — '30A–40DDD' (whatismysize), '30–44 AA–G plus 28-band styles to I' (size.ly), '30A–44DDD' (older aggregators). The brand's own page renders nothing without JS, so none of these can be checked against a primary numeric chart. The most-searched sizing brand in the US publishes no machine-readable chart." }, { "brand_slug": "chantelle", "brand_name": "Chantelle (US site)", "native_system": "FR (native); US notation on us.chantelle.com", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://us.chantelle.com/guide/bra-underwear-size-fit-guide", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "slider widget (primary); measuring prose is machine-readable, mapping is not", "extraction_method": "PARSED measuring method from primary (underbust 'round to nearest whole number', bust likewise; result via slider widget). Numeric mapping: NONE from primary.", "usable": false, "notes": "FINDING (three-way stockist conflict): US stockists publish mutually inconsistent 'Chantelle' charts — sheerlingerie.com maps 26–28 in → band 30 (a +2/+4-flavored ladder) with a 4-inch bucket (35–39 in → 38); shopblums.com has OVERLAPPING buckets (35–39 → 38 and 39–41 → 40: a 39 in underbust maps to two bands) and a US cup column running DD–DDD–DDDD–H; mcelhinneys.com publishes a clean arithmetic notation table with US letters DD–DDD–G–H. At least two of the three cannot both be right, and the brand's own page — which instructs a no-addition underbust method — adjudicates none of it, because its mapping lives inside a widget." }, { "brand_slug": "parfait", "brand_name": "Parfait", "native_system": "US-primary with explicit UK dual labels (brand site); UK-primary per one stockist — see notes", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://parfaitlingerie.com/pages/bra-size-calculator", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "'move the dot' widget (calculator); PDP size buttons carry explicit dual notation; owner-provided PDP screenshots on file", "extraction_method": "TRANSCRIBED from brand PDPs (owner screenshots, 2026-08-22) + brand pages via search: cup buttons read 'US C–UK C … US DDD–UK E, US G–UK F, US H–UK FF, US I–UK G, US J–UK GG, US K–UK H, US L–UK HH' — arithmetically standard alignment. Bands per style: Elissa 28–42 (C–L), Bliss 32–40 (C–K).", "usable": false, "notes": "POSITIVE PRACTICE (first observed in dataset): every PDP size button dual-labels US and UK letters explicitly and correctly — the transparency the rest of the industry outsources to conversion folklore. QUIRK: the wireless 'Simplicity' line maps band+cup pairs into an alpha system WITH A PLUS FORK (S / S Plus / M / M Plus … 3X Plus) — two sizing philosophies inside one brand by construction type. FINDING (notation-primacy conflict): Canadian stockist nowthatslingerie.com/size-chart-parfait states 'All our Parfait products are listed in UK sizing … 36G US/Canada = 36F UK' — the exact OPPOSITE primacy of the brand's own US-lettered PDPs. A customer ordering 'G' from the stockist versus the brand site receives cups TWO letters apart in volume. INCLUSION NOTE: brand added at site owner's request (HauteFlair carries Parfait); not among the original 57; recorded under the identical schema and standards as every other brand — logged here for methodological transparency." }, { "brand_slug": "triumph", "brand_name": "Triumph", "native_system": "EU (int'l); AU site publishes cm difference table with UK-flavored letters", "band_rows": [ { "label": "65", "underbust_min": 63, "underbust_max": 67, "unit": "cm" }, { "label": "70", "underbust_min": 68, "underbust_max": 72, "unit": "cm" }, { "label": "75", "underbust_min": 73, "underbust_max": 77, "unit": "cm" }, { "label": "80", "underbust_min": 78, "underbust_max": 82, "unit": "cm" }, { "label": "85", "underbust_min": 83, "underbust_max": 87, "unit": "cm" }, { "label": "90", "underbust_min": 88, "underbust_max": 92, "unit": "cm" }, { "label": "95", "underbust_min": 93, "underbust_max": 97, "unit": "cm" }, { "label": "100", "underbust_min": 98, "underbust_max": 102, "unit": "cm" }, { "label": "105", "underbust_min": 103, "underbust_max": 107, "unit": "cm" }, { "label": "110", "underbust_min": 108, "underbust_max": 112, "unit": "cm" } ], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [ { "label": "AA", "value_min": 10, "value_max": 12, "unit": "cm overbust−underbust", "basis": "au.triumph.com published ladder" }, { "label": "A", "value_min": 12, "value_max": 14, "unit": "cm overbust−underbust", "basis": "au.triumph.com published ladder" }, { "label": "B", "value_min": 14, "value_max": 16, "unit": "cm overbust−underbust", "basis": "au.triumph.com published ladder" }, { "label": "C", "value_min": 16, "value_max": 18, "unit": "cm overbust−underbust", "basis": "au.triumph.com published ladder" }, { "label": "D", "value_min": 18, "value_max": 20, "unit": "cm overbust−underbust", "basis": "au.triumph.com published ladder" }, { "label": "DD", "value_min": 20, "value_max": 22, "unit": "cm overbust−underbust", "basis": "au.triumph.com published ladder" }, { "label": "E", "value_min": 22, "value_max": 24, "unit": "cm overbust−underbust", "basis": "au.triumph.com published ladder" }, { "label": "F", "value_min": 24, "value_max": 26, "unit": "cm overbust−underbust", "basis": "au.triumph.com published ladder" }, { "label": "G", "value_min": 26, "value_max": 28, "unit": "cm overbust−underbust", "basis": "au.triumph.com published ladder" }, { "label": "H", "value_min": 28, "value_max": 30, "unit": "cm overbust−underbust", "basis": "au.triumph.com published ladder" } ], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": "2 cm per letter (published)", "source_url": "https://au.triumph.com/pages/how-to-measure", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "html-table (AU primary, numeric); int.triumph.com size-charts page prose+tables; stockist bust-range table (nowthatslingerie) also numeric", "extraction_method": "PARSED from primary AU page (cup ladder + band buckets via stockist mirror of the international chart: 63–67→65 … 108–112→110)", "usable": true, "notes": "FIRST USABLE NUMERIC PRIMARY IN DATASET. Arithmetic for worked example 33″/37″ (83.8/94 cm): band 85 (83–87 bucket) — agrees with EU house math; cup diff 10.2 cm → Triumph AU ladder assigns AA (10–12 bucket). House/EU convention assigns ~B–C for the same diff (12–13→B, 14–15→C). One primary chart, 2–3 letters below the conventional assignment — a real grading divergence, not notation. AMBIGUITIES (recorded, not resolved): bucket boundaries overlap at every edge (10–12 then 12–14: 12 maps twice); the AU ladder runs AA A B C D DD E F G H (UK-flavored double-D) on an EU-band brand; stockist bust-range table has overlapping cup columns at 65 band (AA 75–77 vs A 75–79). Triumph's own tip says measure overbust 'loosely' — loose overbust inflates diff, partially offsetting the small-graded ladder; the chart doesn't quantify 'loosely.'" }, { "brand_slug": "freya", "brand_name": "Freya", "native_system": "UK", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://www.freyalingerie.com/row/en/size-guide/", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "primary: UK-native conversion tables + prose (B–K stated); SYNDICATED chart at Target (Bare Necessities fragment) is a numeric +4/+5 method table", "extraction_method": "PARSED syndicated numeric method (digitalcontent.target.com … bare-necessities/freya-generic-bra.html): 'odd underbust +5, even +4' with worked examples (29″→34 band); primary states UK underband sizing directly", "usable": true, "notes": "STRONGEST SPECIMEN IN DATASET — same brand, two published methods four bands apart. Freya's own site: UK underband sizing (a 33″ underbust → UK 32–34 band; with 37″ bust → ~34C/D). Freya-branded chart syndicated at Target (authored by Bare Necessities): 33″ odd → +5 → 38 band — the full legacy +4/+5 method, live at America's largest mass retailer in 2026, attributed to a modern UK-fitting-school brand. One body, one brand, ~4 bands and ~3 cups of divergence depending on which of the brand's charts you read. Also: the 80% wrong-size figure appears on Freya's own size-guide page as marketing, uncited — relevant to newsroom section F/G. Stockist editorial (cesoirlingerie): 'Elomi and Freya tend to be generous in band and cup' — recorded as secondary fit-lore, not measurement. Cup rows of the Target chart not fully captured in this pass — flagged for follow-up fetch." }, { "brand_slug": "elomi", "brand_name": "Elomi", "native_system": "UK", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://www.elomilingerie.com/row/en/elomi-size-guide/", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "primary: UK/international conversion tables + prose ranges; Target-syndicated numeric chart uses +4/+5 method", "extraction_method": "PARSED prose ranges from primary; syndicated method table parsed from digitalcontent.target.com … bare-necessities/elomi-generic-bra-chart.html", "usable": true, "notes": "FINDING (brand contradicts itself on its own domain, three ways): size-guide page says cups 'D – KK, band 32 – 48'; the advice FAQ on the same domain says 'cup size D – K'; the homepage banner says 'up to an LL cup.' Three different cup ceilings (K / KK / LL), all brand-published, all live. Blum's-syndicated conversion table shows bands 32–46 (a fourth range). FINDING (systemic — upgrades the Freya specimen): the Elomi chart Target hosts, authored by Bare Necessities, carries the IDENTICAL '+5 if odd, +4 if even' legacy instruction as the Freya one — same template, same worked example (29″→34). The +4/+5 method is not one stray chart; it is a syndication TEMPLATE that Bare Necessities stamps onto modern UK brands' charts at America's largest mass retailer, overriding each brand's own stated method at the point of sale." }, { "brand_slug": "skims", "brand_name": "Skims", "native_system": "US (numbered lines); alpha bundles on stretch lines; NikeSKIMS collab publishes its own underbust×cup alpha grid", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://skims.com/pages/size-guides", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "html size-guide hub + calculator widget; chart rows referenced ('find your size on the size chart above') but not captured this pass — follow-up fetch flagged", "extraction_method": "PARSED prose ranges from primary surfaces; method via primary instructions relayed in secondary walk-through (underbust rounded; 'if even, that's your band' — implying odd rounds up, not +4)", "usable": false, "notes": "FINDING (brand's own page disagrees with itself): the size-guides hub's meta description says bras run '32A to 44D'; the same page's underwire section says 'band & cup sizes 32B to 44G'; secondary aggregators publish '32A–44DDD.' Two ranges on one brand page, a third in circulation. QUIRK: three sizing philosophies under one brand — numbered band/cup on structured lines, alpha 'jump sizes' bundling multiple band+cup combos on stretch lines (brand's own blog explains jump-sizing), and the NikeSKIMS collaboration publishing a separate underbust×cup → XXS–4X grid on nike.com. A shopper meets three different 'Skims sizes' depending on product and storefront." }, { "brand_slug": "fantasie", "brand_name": "Fantasie", "native_system": "UK per ROW site and all retail; 'US underband and cup sizing' per the brand's own US site", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://www.fantasie.com/us/en/size-guide/", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "conversion tables + prose on brand domains; no body-measurement rows on primary", "extraction_method": "PARSED prose from both brand domains (us/en and row/en) + retail PDPs", "usable": false, "notes": "FINDING (cross-market notation flip on the brand's own domains): fantasie.com/us/en states 'Fantasie lingerie and swimwear use US underband and cup sizing'; fantasie.com/row/en and every retail listing (Walmart PDP: 'Fantasie uses UK cup sizes'; eBay: 'US 38I / UK 38G') treat Fantasie as UK-native — which it is, as a Wacoal-group UK house. The US site relabels UK-graded garments as 'US sizing' rather than converting, so an American reading the brand's own size guide is told the letters are US letters while the garments are graded in UK letters two steps apart above DD. Same 80%-wrong-size marketing boilerplate as sibling brands Freya and Elomi (Wacoal-group template). No Bare-Necessities/Target fragment surfaced for Fantasie this pass — template verification pending." }, { "brand_slug": "marks-spencer", "brand_name": "Marks & Spencer", "native_system": "UK", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "none published on primary", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://www.marksandspencer.com/content/how-to-measure-bra-size", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "none — primary guide is fit-check heuristics only (no tape method, no numeric chart)", "extraction_method": "PARSED primary: page titled 'How to Measure Bra Size' contains no measurement method — band/cup/gore fit checks only; sizing via in-store fitting or online tool", "usable": false, "notes": "FINDING: the UK's largest bra fitter publishes NO numeric self-measurement method — its 'How to Measure Bra Size' page teaches fit checks and routes to in-store fitting or the online tool, whose mapping is unpublished. SECONDARY ALLEGATION (recorded as such, unverified from primary): brasizecalculator.com's 2025 walkthrough reports the M&S online fitting tool 'adds four inches to the band,' consistent with long-running community reports of +4 outcomes; the tool's arithmetic cannot be checked because no chart is published — which is precisely the point. Secondary sources also disagree on M&S range (28–46 A–H 'and beyond' vs AA–K). Historical note for newsroom: M&S publicly retired the +4 tape method in 2012; whether the current tool's outputs match that retirement is unverifiable from published material." }, { "brand_slug": "playtex", "brand_name": "Playtex", "native_system": "US (US operation); UK/EU per European operation — same brand name, different sizing regimes by licensing region", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": "1 in per letter (per primary bra-finder prose)", "source_url": "https://www.playtexbras.com/bra-finder", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "primary US: bra-finder tool + reference chart (band-addition step not visible in extractable text); playtex.eu publishes a selectable size table; Kohl's + Target host Playtex-branded charts", "extraction_method": "PARSED primary prose (subtract band from bust, reference chart; sister math standard); Target fragment parsed", "usable": true, "notes": "FINDING (the +4/+5 template's third instance — and a new path): Target's Playtex 18 Hour chart (digitalcontent.target.com … /playtex-18-hour-bras/bra.html) carries the IDENTICAL 'odd +5, even +4' instruction and identical fix-it copy as the Bare-Necessities-authored Freya and Elomi fragments — but under Playtex's own path, not BN's. Either Target's intimates template stamps the legacy method across ALL vendors, or Hanes natively uses it and BN copied the Hanes house text; either way the method is systematic at Target across at least three major charts. ALSO (cross-market identity split): 'Playtex' operates as a US brand (Hanes US, US letters) and a separate European operation (playtex.eu) with its own chart; secondary guides even describe Playtex as 'a UK band-and-cup system, cups B–F' — the same brand name resolves to different sizing regimes by continent. Primary US bra-finder's band-addition step is not visible in extractable text — whether the tool adds inches is unverifiable from published material; flagged, not assumed." }, { "brand_slug": "curvy-kate", "brand_name": "Curvy Kate", "native_system": "UK", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff (via stockist-syndicated brand guide); AU stockist publishes an underbust-cm → body-size matrix", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://bravobraboutique.com/pages/curvy-kate-bra-and-brief-size-guide", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "brand guide reaches shoppers almost entirely via stockist syndication (Bravo, NowThatsLingerie, Blum's, Kohl's); primary curvykate.com chart did not surface in results", "extraction_method": "TRANSCRIBED from stockist-syndicated brand copy (consistent across stockists: EU 70 back = UK 32, US DDD = UK E — arithmetically standard); Blum's hosts the Scantilly band×cup→alpha matrix", "usable": true, "notes": "Syndicated conversions check out arithmetically (EU70→UK32, US DDD→UK E — correct standard table; the UK label's ~4–5in offset from raw underbust is the system's embedded legacy, not a Curvy Kate error). SPECIMEN (alpha-bundling at full-bust depths): the Scantilly bralette matrix maps bands 30–42 × cups DD–HH into S–2XL — a 40DD and a 38F and a 36GG all become 'L' — the Knix/Skims bundling pattern extended into deep cups, where volume differences inside one alpha bucket are largest. AU stockist (curvybras.com) publishes a real cm matrix (82–87cm → AU 16 ≡ UK 38 — consistent). No Target/BN fragment surfaced for Curvy Kate — template chain remains Freya + Elomi (BN-authored) + Playtex (own-path)." }, { "brand_slug": "bali", "brand_name": "Bali (Hanes)", "native_system": "US", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": "1 in per letter", "source_url": "https://www.onehanesplace.com/measure-bra-size", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "primary (One Hanes Place, Hanes' own retail site): prose method + cup chart; Target hosts a Bali-branded +4/+5 chart; Kohl's hosts alpha 'Smart Sizes' chart", "extraction_method": "PARSED primary: 'hold the tape snugly around your ribcage, just below your bust … if it's an odd number, round UP to the next even number' — modern no-addition method; band range per primary prose: Bali 34–50, Lilyette to DDD and G", "usable": true, "notes": "FINDING (vendor contradicts its own syndication): Hanes' own retail site instructs the MODERN method — band = snug underbust rounded up, no inches added — while the Bali chart Target hosts (digitalcontent.target.com … /beauty-by-bali/regular.html) instructs '+5 if odd, +4 if even.' Same corporate owner, same brand, opposite methods, simultaneously live — which eliminates the possibility that the Target template reflects the vendor's real method. Bands to 50 per primary is among the widest US mainstream ranges." }, { "brand_slug": "maidenform", "brand_name": "Maidenform (Hanes)", "native_system": "US", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": "1 in per letter", "source_url": "https://www.onehanesplace.com/measure-bra-size", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "three concurrent charts across three retailers: modern prose method (One Hanes Place), +4/+5 fragment (Target, bare-necessities path), and a full HIGH-BUST × bust numeric grid (Boscov's PDF)", "extraction_method": "PARSED all three: OneHanesPlace prose; Target fragment (bare-necessities/maidenform-bra-s-m-l-xl-xxl.html) identical +4/+5 template text; Boscov's PDF grid ('Above the Bust' → band 32–48, bust column → cup, e.g. bust 37 at band 36 → 36A)", "usable": true, "notes": "THE DECISIVE SPECIMEN — one brand, THREE published methods at three retailers, all live: (1) Hanes' own site: modern (33″/37″ → 34C); (2) Target: legacy +4/+5 (33″ → 38 band → ~38A); (3) Boscov's: HIGH-BUST band (above-bust measurement sets band; ~36 → with 37″ bust → 36A/B). The same body receives 34C, ~36A, or ~38A depending on which Maidenform chart she reads — spanning three bands and three cups within one brand's official retail materials. Combined with the Wacoal-at-Amazon high-bust chart, the mechanism generalizes: RETAILER SYNDICATION TEMPLATES, not brand methodology, author most of the sizing instructions Americans actually encounter — and they disagree with the brands and with each other." }, { "brand_slug": "warners", "brand_name": "Warner's (Wacoal America)", "native_system": "US", "band_rows": [ { "label": "34", "underbust_min": 29, "underbust_max": 30, "unit": "in" }, { "label": "36", "underbust_min": 31, "underbust_max": 32, "unit": "in" }, { "label": "38", "underbust_min": 33, "underbust_max": 34, "unit": "in" }, { "label": "40", "underbust_min": 35, "underbust_max": 36, "unit": "in" }, { "label": "42", "underbust_min": 37, "underbust_max": 38, "unit": "in" }, { "label": "44", "underbust_min": 39, "underbust_max": 40, "unit": "in" } ], "cup_method": "bust_table", "cup_rows": [ { "label": "34B", "value_min": 35.5, "value_max": 36.0, "unit": "in overbust", "basis": "underbust 29-30" }, { "label": "34C", "value_min": 36.5, "value_max": 37.0, "unit": "in overbust", "basis": "underbust 29-30" }, { "label": "34D", "value_min": 37.5, "value_max": 38.0, "unit": "in overbust", "basis": "underbust 29-30" }, { "label": "36B", "value_min": 37.5, "value_max": 38.0, "unit": "in overbust", "basis": "underbust 31-32" }, { "label": "36C", "value_min": 38.5, "value_max": 39.0, "unit": "in overbust", "basis": "underbust 31-32" }, { "label": "36D", "value_min": 39.5, "value_max": 40.0, "unit": "in overbust", "basis": "underbust 31-32" }, { "label": "38B", "value_min": 39.5, "value_max": 40.0, "unit": "in overbust", "basis": "underbust 33-34" }, { "label": "38C", "value_min": 40.5, "value_max": 41.0, "unit": "in overbust", "basis": "underbust 33-34" }, { "label": "38D", "value_min": 41.5, "value_max": 42.0, "unit": "in overbust", "basis": "underbust 33-34" }, { "label": "40B", "value_min": 41.5, "value_max": 42.0, "unit": "in overbust", "basis": "underbust 35-36" }, { "label": "40C", "value_min": 42.5, "value_max": 43.0, "unit": "in overbust", "basis": "underbust 35-36" }, { "label": "40D", "value_min": 43.5, "value_max": 44.0, "unit": "in overbust", "basis": "underbust 35-36" }, { "label": "42B", "value_min": 43.5, "value_max": 44.0, "unit": "in overbust", "basis": "underbust 37-38" }, { "label": "42C", "value_min": 44.5, "value_max": 45.0, "unit": "in overbust", "basis": "underbust 37-38" }, { "label": "42D", "value_min": 45.5, "value_max": 46.0, "unit": "in overbust", "basis": "underbust 37-38" }, { "label": "44B", "value_min": 45.5, "value_max": 46.0, "unit": "in overbust", "basis": "underbust 39-40" }, { "label": "44C", "value_min": 46.5, "value_max": 47.0, "unit": "in overbust", "basis": "underbust 39-40" } ], "adds_inches": true, "inches_added": 4.5, "cup_increment": "1 in per letter (overbust vs band)", "source_url": "https://warners.com/pages/size-chart", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "html numeric grid on brand's own PDP fit guide (underbust + overbust ranges per size); mirrored verbatim by stockists", "extraction_method": "PARSED full grid (17 cells transcribed): e.g. 34B = underbust 29–30″, overbust 35.5–36.0″", "usable": true, "notes": "FINDING (the inventor of cup sizes still publishes the +4 chart): Warner's introduced A–D cups in 1935; its own 2026 chart maps underbust 29–30″ → band 34 — the +4/+5 addition embedded numerically in the brand's primary, not a retailer template. Cup letters are graded against the LABEL band, not the body (34C = overbust 36.5–37 on a 29–30 underbust — a 6.5–8″ body difference labeled 'C'). Worked example 33″/37″: underbust 33 → band 38; overbust 37 falls below the 38B floor (39.5) → ~38A/off-chart — matching the Target template's output and 4 bands from the modern method's 34C. FINDING (sibling-brand method split inside one corporation): Wacoal America's Wacoal brand instructs the modern underbust method on its calculator, while its Warner's brand publishes the +4 grid — same parent, opposite methods, both primary. With Wacoal-at-Amazon's high-bust chart, one corporation now accounts for three contradictory published methods. Chart range is modest (34–44, B–D core); a secondary source claims 'bands 28 to 56' — recorded as unsupported by any primary." }, { "brand_slug": "natori", "brand_name": "Natori", "native_system": "US", "band_rows": [ { "label": "28", "underbust_min": 24, "underbust_max": 25, "unit": "in" }, { "label": "30", "underbust_min": 25, "underbust_max": 26, "unit": "in" }, { "label": "32", "underbust_min": 27, "underbust_max": 28, "unit": "in" }, { "label": "34", "underbust_min": 29, "underbust_max": 30, "unit": "in" }, { "label": "36", "underbust_min": 31, "underbust_max": 32, "unit": "in" }, { "label": "38", "underbust_min": 33, "underbust_max": 35, "unit": "in" }, { "label": "40", "underbust_min": 36, "underbust_max": 39, "unit": "in" }, { "label": "42", "underbust_min": 40, "underbust_max": 42, "unit": "in" }, { "label": "44", "underbust_min": 43, "underbust_max": 44, "unit": "in" } ], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": true, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://www.sheerlingerie.com/pages/size-chart-natori-bras", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "primary natori.com size-guide page exists but rows not extractable this pass (flagged); stockist-published brand-attributed numeric ladder transcribed (SHEER)", "extraction_method": "TRANSCRIBED stockist-published Natori band ladder in full; Blum's publishes a second, different Natori grid (dress-size-aligned, overlapping ribcage buckets '23–25'/'24–25')", "usable": true, "notes": "SPECIMEN (the sliding-scale addition): the Natori-attributed ladder's band-minus-underbust offset SHRINKS as size grows — +3.5″ at band 28 (24–25→28), +4″ at 38 (33–35→38), +2.5″ at 40, +1″ at 42, +0.5″ at 44. A non-uniform mapping under which sister-size arithmetic cannot hold: moving one band step changes the implied body by anywhere from 1″ to 4″. The ladder also has a COVERAGE GAP — 26–27″ underbusts map to no band (25–26→30, then 27–28→32) — and irregular bucket widths from 1″ to 4″. Blum's second Natori grid disagrees with SHEER's and overlaps its own ribcage buckets. Note on attribution: SHEER publishes DIFFERENT ladders for Natori and Chantelle, so its charts are per-brand (plausibly brand-supplied) rather than one house template — recorded as stockist-published, brand-attributed. Range per secondary: core 30B–38DDD, Plus line to 44G." }, { "brand_slug": "aerie", "brand_name": "Aerie (American Eagle)", "native_system": "US (band/cup) + alpha bundles on bralettes/sports", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://www.ae.com/us/en/content/help/aerie-size-chart", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "official size-chart help page (rows not captured this pass — flagged); brand blog with staff replies provides documentary evidence", "extraction_method": "PARSED brand-domain blog threads (#AerieREAL, staff replies on record) + official help page located", "usable": false, "notes": "FINDING (chart lags stock, on the brand's own domain, in the brand's own words): customers on Aerie's official blog report 'the bra size chart ends at 36 inches for band measurements' and staff reply 'we do have size 40 band' — the published chart's coverage contradicts actual stock, confirmed by the brand. FINDING (unrebutted +4 characterization): a customer states 'Aerie seems to use a +4 bra sizing method … the chart goes only up to DD'; the official staff reply apologizes and announces new sizes without disputing the method claim — recorded as a customer claim with brand response, both on ae.com, both quotable with URL. Alpha-bundling guidance from staff ('32DD → S … snug fit: small, looser: medium') documents the band/cup→alpha collapse in the brand's own support voice. Secondary guides contradict each other on Aerie's method (modern underbust per one; 'runs large, size down a band' per another) and on range (30–40 A–DDD vs staff-announced 42 bands and G/H cups)." }, { "brand_slug": "knix", "brand_name": "Knix", "native_system": "three systems in a decade: retired Evolution 1–8 (+/++), current alpha-plus XS…XXXXL++ (letter≈band, plus signs add cup depth), and standard US 28–48 A–H on the 2024 WingWoman relaunch (99 sizes)", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff (WingWoman); tool-gated mapping (alpha-plus)", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": "1 in per letter (per brand blog method)", "source_url": "https://knix.com/pages/how-to-measure-to-find-your-bra-size", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "on-site size guide + calculator; alpha-plus mapping is TOOL-GATED (no static conversion table exists to publish or check); Nordstrom hosts a live PDF of the RETIRED 1–8 numbered grid", "extraction_method": "PARSED brand blog method (band = underbust, diff = cup); retired 1–8 grid transcribed from Nordstrom's live PDF (sizeguides/3408_sizeguide.pdf)", "usable": false, "notes": "NEW SPECIMEN CATEGORY (system churn + chart afterlife): Knix has run three sizing systems in roughly a decade, and the retired one still circulates — Nordstrom's live size-guide PDF today publishes the discontinued Evolution 1–8 grid, so a shopper googling 'Knix size chart' in 2026 lands on a major retailer's official document for a system the brand no longer uses. Syndicated charts have no expiry date; retirement upstream does not propagate downstream — the same mechanism that keeps the +4/+5 method alive at Target. ALSO: the current alpha-plus mapping is tool-gated — 'there is no static conversion table' — making the brand's primary sizing unpublishable and uncheckable by design. QUOTABLE (brand admits the incoherence): Knix's own sizing blog states that 'nuances like whether to add inches to the band size can be hotly debated across brands' — a vendor acknowledging on the record that the industry disagrees about the most basic step of measurement. SITE INTEGRATION FLAG: brasize.ai's own /bra-brands/knix/size-chart/ (built Phase V from earlier dossier data) presents the 1–8 bundles as current — now known stale; must be updated to the alpha-plus + WingWoman reality in the 1.3 integration pass." }, { "brand_slug": "cuup", "brand_name": "Cuup", "native_system": "US labels; PROPRIETARY measurement basis (underbust × single-breast cross-cup arc)", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "cross-cup arc — not bust circumference", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://www.shopcuup.com/cp/bras/cuup-size-charts/", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "on-page chart mapping underbust × cross-cup to size (rows not captured this pass — follow-up flagged); fit quiz + video 'Fit Therapist' sessions as primary sizing channels", "extraction_method": "PARSED primary method prose in full: underbust taut after exhale; then 'lay the measuring tape at the center of your chest, measure across the fullest part of your breast, stopping where the breast tissue ends at your side' — a single-breast arc, center-front to side", "usable": false, "notes": "NEW SPECIMEN (a different coordinate system entirely): Cuup is the only brand recorded so far whose cup dimension is NOT a torso circumference — it measures a single-breast ARC (center to side), which folds root width and projection into one number. Consequence for the dataset's core question: 'what size does Cuup's chart assign to a 33″/37″ body' is UNANSWERABLE IN PRINCIPLE — the standard two measurements do not determine a Cuup size, and no arithmetic conversion between systems can exist. Cross-brand 'conversion' to Cuup is therefore always an approximation regardless of who publishes it. (Fairness note: an arc is arguably more shape-aware than a circumference diff — this is divergence, not error, and is recorded as such.) ECOSYSTEM DATAPOINT (vendor's own case study, recorded as marketing claim): Cuup's fit quiz 'represents 17% of total store revenue' with a 44% email-capture rate — sizing confusion operates as a monetized acquisition channel, which is context for why tool-gated sizing (Cuup, Knix alpha-plus, VS, Chantelle) keeps replacing published charts." }, { "brand_slug": "savage-x-fenty", "brand_name": "Savage X Fenty", "native_system": "US (band/cup) + alpha XS–4X", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://help.savagex.com/hc/en-us/articles/360040647351-How-can-I-tell-which-size-to-buy", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "NO CENTRAL CHART — brand's official answer is 'reference the size guide on each individual product page'; main site cookie-walled to non-JS access", "extraction_method": "PARSED official help-center policy; range statement exists only as Amazon PDP boilerplate ('Band sizes 30-46 & cup sizes A-H, XS-4X')", "usable": false, "notes": "NEW SPECIMEN (chart fragmentation — the collection unit doesn't exist): Savage X Fenty publishes no unified size chart; sizing is per-product-page by official policy, so there is nothing central to collect, check, or hold the brand to — coverage claims are unverifiable by design. The brand's range statement lives on Amazon boilerplate rather than any brand-owned chart page. HISTORICAL (press-documented): at the 2018 launch — the most-watched lingerie debut of the decade — the chart defined 1X=XL, 2X=XXL 'etc' with no inch measurements for any alpha size; media criticism of the missing body mapping is on the record (cafemom, May 2018). CORPORATE: the European operation runs under 'Lavender Lingerie GmbH,' another licensing-shell split of one brand across markets. ECOSYSTEM NOTE for newsroom sources: crowdsourced garment-measurement databases (e.g. Bratabase) exist and thrive precisely because brand charts fail — shoppers measure the bras themselves; the de facto sizing reference for this brand is community data, not the vendor." }, { "brand_slug": "soma", "brand_name": "Soma (Chico's)", "native_system": "US", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff vs CALCULATED band (addition implied but never stated)", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": "1 in per letter", "source_url": "https://www.soma.com/store/blog/how-do-bra-sister-sizes-work", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "fit tool (widget, mapping unpublished) + app calculator + blog method articles; no numeric chart found on brand domain", "extraction_method": "PARSED brand-domain prose across three pages: blog method article, sister-size guide, and fit-tool instructions", "usable": false, "notes": "FINDING (the hidden step, admitted in a parenthetical): Soma's own sister-size guide instructs 'subtract your band size (THE NUMBER YOU CALCULATED, NOT THE RAW UNDERBUST MEASUREMENT) from your bust' — an explicit on-domain admission that Soma's band is a calculated figure different from the underbust, while nowhere on the brand's pages is the calculation itself published. The addition step exists, is load-bearing for their cup math, and is undisclosed; the fit tool that performs it is a widget. Fitting-community sources (Billy's Bras) state outright that 'Soma's +4 sizing has been criticized' — recorded as secondary corroboration of what the parenthetical implies. Secondary sources also disagree on range (32A–46I vs 32–42 A–G). Method fragments differ across the brand's own three pages (blog: 'round up to nearest half inch'; tool: band 'just below your bra band' — measured OVER the worn bra, a third variable no other brand introduces)." }, { "brand_slug": "simone-perele", "brand_name": "Simone Pérèle", "native_system": "FR/EU (single-letter cups); internal numeric sizes on some lines", "band_rows": [ { "label": "32", "underbust_min": 25.5, "underbust_max": 28, "unit": "in" }, { "label": "34", "underbust_min": 28.5, "underbust_max": 30, "unit": "in" }, { "label": "36", "underbust_min": 30.5, "underbust_max": 32, "unit": "in" }, { "label": "38", "underbust_min": 32.5, "underbust_max": 34, "unit": "in" }, { "label": "40", "underbust_min": 34.5, "underbust_max": 36, "unit": "in" }, { "label": "42", "underbust_min": 36.5, "underbust_max": 38, "unit": "in" }, { "label": "44", "underbust_min": 38.5, "underbust_max": 40, "unit": "in" } ], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": true, "inches_added": 5, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://us.simone-perele.com/pages/global-size-guide", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "primary global-size-guide page exists (rows not extractable this pass — flagged); three stockist-published numeric charts transcribed, mutually inconsistent", "extraction_method": "TRANSCRIBED: SHEER band ladder (full); Bra Genie cup-conversion table; Lingerie Perdu internal-number map", "usable": true, "notes": "THREE SPECIMENS IN ONE BRAND'S SYNDICATION: (1) SHEER's ladder is legacy-flavored (+4.5 to +6.5 offsets) with an irregular 2.5″ first bucket and half-inch COVERAGE GAPS at every boundary (28.1–28.4″ maps to no band) — SHEER's third distinct per-brand ladder, confirming its charts are brand-supplied rather than one house template. (2) The Bra Genie's conversion table inflates US letters to DDDD, DDDDD and DDDDDD (as EU G/H/I equivalents) — a live retail document using six-D American cup notation, the above-DDD naming chaos made visible. (3) Lingerie Perdu maps SP's internal numeric sizes so that ONE garment number spans wildly different bodies — 'Size 3 = 95A / 95B / 90C / 85D / 90D' — numeric bundling where a single SKU size covers two bands and four volume classes; its band table also repeats the overlapping-bucket error (39″ maps to two bands). The brand's own global guide exists but its rows resisted extraction — the checkable numbers all live downstream, and downstream disagrees with itself three ways." }, { "brand_slug": "bravissimo", "brand_name": "Bravissimo (Wacoal, acquired Sept 2024)", "native_system": "UK", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "NONE — fit-by-eye is house policy", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://www.wardrobeoxygen.com/bravissimo-virtual-bra-fitting/", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "none by design — no published measurement-to-size mapping; sizing via in-person/virtual fit-by-eye (documented consistently 2015–2026 in first-person accounts and forum reports)", "extraction_method": "PARSED first-person documentation across a decade: fitters size by eye from the worn bra and profile, explicitly without tape ('no tape measure was needed'; Mumsnet: 'they've always done me by eye')", "usable": false, "notes": "NEW SPECIMEN (the anti-chart, as policy): the UK's flagship full-bust fitter's official method is fit-by-eye — a major vendor whose position is that tape-and-chart is NOT how size is found. Fairness note: professional fitters broadly agree eye-fitting outperforms tape, and our own methodology calls calculators starting points — this is a defensible philosophy, recorded as divergence-by-design, not failure. Consequence for the dataset: nothing exists to collect; 'what does Bravissimo's chart say about 33″/37″' has no answer because no chart exists on purpose. DOCUMENTED OUTCOME VARIANCE: a reviewer wearing Chantelle 38DDD was eye-fitted to Bravissimo 36F — one body, two vendor regimes, two bands and multiple letters apart, both 'correct' within their systems (recorded from the published first-person account). CORPORATE (major upgrade to the intra-group finding): with the Sept 2024 acquisition, the Wacoal group now contains FIVE sizing philosophies simultaneously — Wacoal (modern underbust), Warner's (+4 grid), Freya/Elomi/Fantasie (UK letters, with the US-site relabeling wrinkle), Wacoal-at-Amazon (high-bust), and Bravissimo (no measurement at all). One corporation, five answers to 'how do you find your size.'" }, { "brand_slug": "calvin-klein", "brand_name": "Calvin Klein", "native_system": "US (US market); UK letters on UK site; alpha on bralettes", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": "1 in per letter — but see off-by-one conflict", "source_url": "https://www.thehut.com/blog/buyers-guide/calvin-klein-underwear-fit-guide/", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "CK-attributed method guides syndicated at retailers; no numeric chart found on brand's own domain this pass", "extraction_method": "PARSED two CK-attributed ladders: TheHut (0″=A, 1″=B, 2″=C … 6″=DDDD) and NowThatsLingerie/sizedepo (1″=A, 2″=B, 3″=C … 6″=DDD)", "usable": true, "notes": "FINDING (off-by-one ladders — and one contradicts itself in a single paragraph): two syndicated CK fit guides use cup ladders shifted one inch apart (0-based vs 1-based), so the same 3″ difference is a D at one retailer and a C at another. Better: TheHut's guide states a worked example — '34 band, 36 bust, 2 inches: this would suggest a B cup' — IMMEDIATELY above its own printed ladder assigning 2″ = C. The document disagrees with itself within one paragraph. The DDDD notation appears again (6″ = DDDD). Regional split: CK's UK site sells in UK letters, US in US letters, bralettes in alpha; secondary ranges disagree (30A–38DD vs 30–40 AA–DD). One of the world's most recognizable apparel brands has no findable numeric chart on its own domain — its sizing exists as mutually contradicting retailer syndications." }, { "brand_slug": "bare-necessities", "brand_name": "Bare Necessities (retailer / chart publisher)", "native_system": "n/a — publishes charts for other brands", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "authored +4/+5 template", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": true, "inches_added": 4.5, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://digitalcontent.target.com/itemcontent/sizecharts/htmlfragments/women-intimates/bare-necessities/freya-generic-bra.html", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "authored HTML fragments hosted at Target under /bare-necessities/ paths, one per brand", "extraction_method": "PARSED (evidence gathered across prior records): identical '+5 if odd, +4 if even' template text confirmed on BN-authored fragments for Freya, Elomi and Maidenform", "usable": true, "notes": "RECORDED AS A CHART PUBLISHER, not a garment brand — and arguably the single most consequential entity in the dataset: Bare Necessities authors the legacy +4/+5 template that Target hosts under multiple brands' names, including UK brands (Freya, Elomi) whose own methodology is direct underband sizing. The largest US online bra retailer is, through syndication, the most widely distributed publisher of the retired method — stamped onto brands that never used it. Newsroom note: this is a checkable, named-entity mechanism — three live URLs carry the identical text with identical worked examples." }, { "brand_slug": "anita", "brand_name": "Anita", "native_system": "EU (international single-letter cups); D-multiplier notation on some markets' labels", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff; B2B doc also publishes a HALF-CIRCUMFERENCE alternative", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://b2b.anita.com/en/how-to-fit", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "manufacturer B2B fitting documentation (primary, professional-grade) + clean stockist conversion tables", "extraction_method": "PARSED B2B primary: standard underbust+bust method PLUS 'Method 2': 'slightly lift the naked breast, measure from the breastbone to the centre of the back, deduct 2 cm, then double' — a half-torso arc doubled, for soft/asymmetric tissue", "usable": true, "notes": "TWO SPECIMENS: (1) second alternative measurement geometry in the dataset — Anita's professional fitting doc publishes a half-circumference bust method (sternum-to-spine, minus 2 cm, doubled) alongside the standard one; like Cuup's arc, it is defensible engineering (isolates one breast's contribution, handles droop) and it means even a single manufacturer's own documentation contains two bust definitions that can disagree on the same body. (2) THIRD above-D notation genus: The Bra Genie's Anita table uses D-MULTIPLIERS — 2D, 3D, 4D, 5D, 6D as the E/F/G/H/I tier — so the ecosystem now demonstrably writes the same cup three ways: letter-strings (DDDD), continued letters (F, G), and D-multipliers (4D). Range per secondary: UK 30–52 bands (52! — specialist/post-surgery lines), AA–K; conversions in stockist tables are arithmetically standard." }, { "brand_slug": "empreinte", "brand_name": "Empreinte", "native_system": "FR/EU — but four expert sources attribute four different system/range combinations; see notes", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": "≈3 cm per letter (community-measured) — a third grading pitch vs UK 2.5 cm and EU 2 cm", "source_url": "https://www.bratabase.com/browse/empreinte/reviews/", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "no extractable primary chart this pass; label-printed conversions + measured community data + consistent stockist fit-lore", "extraction_method": "PARSED community-measured cup depths (30F ≈ 26 cm, 30G ≈ 29 cm → 3 cm steps) and a first-person fitting report of the label anomaly", "usable": false, "notes": "THE CONNOISSEUR SPECIMEN: (1) brand-printed nonstandard conversion — a fitted customer reports Empreinte's own 75E label cross-references 'equivalent to 30E,' where standard conversion makes FR 75 a UK 28: the manufacturer prints a band conversion one step off the standard table on the garment itself. (2) A third cup-grading pitch: community-measured ≈3 cm per letter (vs UK 2.5, EU 2) — so an Empreinte F diverges progressively from everyone else's F as sizes grow, which is exactly why the stockist lore 'size down a cup from UK' is UNUSUALLY CONSISTENT across four independent retailers (a useful control: the ecosystem converges when a brand's deviation is real and stable). (3) Expert-source chaos: four specialist sources attribute four different system/range combinations to the same brand ('EU 65–105 C–H' / 'UK-style bands 28–48, French letters' / 'bands 30–38 C–H' / 'regular European, true to size') — the most technically revered brand in lingerie cannot get a consistent system attribution from its own expert ecosystem." }, { "brand_slug": "primadonna", "brand_name": "PrimaDonna (Van de Velde)", "native_system": "EU (continental single-letter cups); US site converts", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://www.primadonna.com/en-us/us-measurement-and-size-table-conversion", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "primary US conversion page with modern method prose ('snug measurement around your rib cage … no addition'); conversion table on page", "extraction_method": "PARSED primary method in full; intra-line fork documented via detailed stockist guidance (annesax.com)", "usable": true, "notes": "SPECIMEN (live intra-line template fork — system churn without resolution): PrimaDonna classic and PrimaDonna Twist run DIFFERENT fit templates (Twist: same band, one cup down), and PrimaDonna SWIM changed templates mid-line — some swim ranges now follow the classic block while others still follow the Twist block, so the same brand's swim collection simultaneously contains two incompatible size templates and the customer must know which range predates the change ('a 75E in classic = 80E or 75F in the old-template ranges'). Unlike Knix's retired system, both templates remain live. CORPORATE (ecosystem note): Van de Velde — maker of PrimaDonna, Marie Jo, Sarda — also owns Rigby & Peller and Lincherie, i.e. the manufacturer owns the famous fitting RETAILER; relevant context for who authors 'independent' fitting advice in the premium tier." }, { "brand_slug": "marie-jo", "brand_name": "Marie Jo (Van de Velde)", "native_system": "EU (continental single-letter cups — 'no double cups: a DD needs an E')", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://embraceluxurylingerie.co.uk/sizing-guide/", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "triage-grade: sibling of PrimaDonna under the same VdV templates; stockist lore identical for both ('fairly true to size, no double sizes'); commercial listings show UK-relabeled market copies (a Marie Jo sold as '40D, Size Chart: UK')", "extraction_method": "PARSED stockist sizing guidance (identical wording applied to PD and MJ) + commercial-listing relabeling evidence", "usable": false, "notes": "Triage record: shares Van de Velde's continental convention and templates; the notable datapoint is market relabeling in commerce (EU-graded garments circulating with 'Size Chart: UK' declarations), the same cross-market notation drift documented at Fantasie and Parfait, here at the luxury tier." }, { "brand_slug": "gossard", "brand_name": "Gossard", "native_system": "UK (cm-based measuring on primary)", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "bust_table (lookup grid: underbust row → chest column → size)", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://www.gossard.com/how-to-measure", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "numeric lookup table on brand's own domain (firm underbust in cm → band; row across to chest measurement → cup) — rows to transcribe in a follow-up fetch", "extraction_method": "PARSED primary method prose; table confirmed present on primary", "usable": true, "notes": "Largely a CONTROL CASE (clean modern primary): firm cm underbust, lookup grid, UK native, brand states 'all sizes quoted are UK sizes.' Minor range drift between brand ('back sizes 30–44, A–G') and its retail partner ('28–44, A–G' / secondary 'A–H'). QUOTABLE GOOD PRACTICE: Gossard publishes a dress-size sanity check — 'if you're a UK size 12 but wear a 38 back you are most likely wearing the wrong bra size' — a cheap self-diagnostic no other recorded brand offers." }, { "brand_slug": "pour-moi", "brand_name": "Pour Moi", "native_system": "UK", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://www.pourmoi.co.uk/fittingroom/ConversionCharts.aspx", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "full international conversion charts published openly on brand domain (bands, cups, swim, clothing, suspenders)", "extraction_method": "PARSED primary conversion-chart hub", "usable": true, "notes": "CONTROL CASE: UK native (30–44, A–J per secondary), open published conversions, in-store fitting offered — no contradictions surfaced this pass. The dataset needs these clean entries as much as the specimens: 'brands CAN do this properly' is part of the honest finding, and the count of clean-vs-contradicting primaries is itself a headline number." }, { "brand_slug": "berlei", "brand_name": "Berlei", "native_system": "AU (dress-size bands + UK-style letters)", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff (via dial calculator)", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://www.berlei.com.au/bra-size-calculator", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "dial calculator (AU domain) + separate size-guide page (global domain); size-charts page exists, rows uncaptured this pass", "extraction_method": "PARSED both brand domains' measuring instructions in full", "usable": false, "notes": "FINDING (one brand, two domains, OPPOSITE tension instructions): berlei.com.au instructs the underbust tape 'as tight as possible' — the tightest instruction in the dataset — while berlei.com instructs 'snug, but not so tight that it digs in.' Tape tension alone moves an underbust reading 1–2 inches, i.e. a full band size, so the same brand's two sites will hand the same body different bands before any chart is even consulted. ANALYSIS NOTE (new axis for 1.2d): the dataset now documents a TENSION SPECTRUM across brands — 'snug' (most), 'firmly' (Gossard, Triumph), 'as tight as possible' (Berlei AU) — meaning 'underbust' is not one number but a family of numbers depending on whose instruction is followed; method variance begins at the tape, before arithmetic. SYSTEM NOTE: AU bands are dress-size numbers (8, 10, 12…) with UK-style letters — its own band genus, correctly handled by our converter." }, { "brand_slug": "bendon", "brand_name": "Bendon (Bendon / Fayreform / Pleasure State)", "native_system": "AU/NZ (dress-size bands + UK-style letters)", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://bendonlingerie.com.au/bra-fitting-101/sizing-chart", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "triage-grade: primary sizing-chart pages exist (Bra Fitting 101 hub + master size chart); rows resisted extraction this pass — follow-up flagged", "extraction_method": "LOCATED primary chart pages; content JS/nav-heavy in non-JS extraction", "usable": false, "notes": "Triage record: multi-brand NZ/AU house (Bendon, Fayreform, Pleasure State) with a maintained fitting hub and in-store fitting culture; no contradictions surfaced this pass, no numerics captured. Marked for follow-up extraction of the master chart if the fixed-body analysis wants an AU datapoint beyond Berlei/Triumph-AU." }, { "brand_slug": "amoena", "brand_name": "Amoena (post-mastectomy specialist)", "native_system": "EU/US by market; primary method is half-circumference geometry", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "half-circumference doubled, then legacy-mapped — arithmetic printed in full on primary", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": true, "inches_added": 5, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://www.amoena.com/ca-en/about-us/lingerie-and-swimwear-measuring-guide/", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "primary measuring guide with worked example + breast-form conversion chart; regional variants of the same pages", "extraction_method": "PARSED primary worked example in full: half-measure from mid-chest under the remaining breast to the spine, doubled (14½ × 2 = 29 underbust; 17½ × 2 = 35 overbust) → stated result '34B' — a +5 band mapping printed openly", "usable": true, "notes": "Recorded with the care the category deserves — this is post-surgical fitting, and design choices here can have clinical rationale (looser bands over healing tissue; half-measures because one side may be absent). Two factual observations, stated without judgment: (1) Amoena's primary publishes BOTH a half-circumference geometry (the Anita 'Method 2' approach, here as the standard) AND a legacy +5 band mapping, with the arithmetic shown — the only brand in the dataset to print its addition step in a worked example, which is at least transparent. (2) DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THE BRAND'S OWN REGIONAL PAGES, in a document that sizes a prosthesis: amoena.com/global's breast-form guide states 'bra size 34B … converts to a size 4 breast form' while amoena.com/ca-en's version of the SAME worked example states 'size 5.' Identical sentence, different number, and the number selects a prosthesis. Flagged factually for the dataset; if the newsroom uses this, it should be framed as an errata-worthy inconsistency the brand would likely want to fix, not as a gotcha — and given the audience, we should consider notifying Amoena directly before publication as a good-faith step." }, { "brand_slug": "hunkemoller", "brand_name": "Hunkemöller", "native_system": "EU numbering in home markets; INCH bands (30–48) on international/UK sites — market-dependent", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff (calculator)", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://www.hunkemoller.com/bras/bra-size-calculator", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "calculator (widget) + size-chart page; method prose machine-readable", "extraction_method": "PARSED primary calculator prose (band 'level and snug'; bust 'not too tight'; bands 'displayed as a number in inches, 30–48')", "usable": false, "notes": "Triage: Europe's biggest lingerie chain runs EU numbering at home and inch bands internationally — the cross-market numbering flip at high-street scale. Its calculator page also leads with the '80% wear the wrong size' claim, uncited (Dutch meta text) — see dataset meta tally: the statistic is industry marketing furniture." }, { "brand_slug": "intimissimi", "brand_name": "Intimissimi", "native_system": "IT/EU — contemporary Italian retail standardizing on EU labels; traditional IT numerics persist on some labels", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff (calculator)", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://www.intimissimi.com/us/findyoursize/", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "calculator + product size guide; method prose machine-readable", "extraction_method": "PARSED primary: band tape 'AS TIGHT AS POSSIBLE'; bust 'close but not too tight'", "usable": false, "notes": "TENSION SPECTRUM: Intimissimi joins Berlei AU at the maximum-tension end ('as tight as possible') — two majors on two continents instructing a band measurement 1–2″ below the 'snug' majority before any chart applies. SYSTEM DRIFT NOTE (integration flag for our IT pages): secondary sources report contemporary Italian retail standardizing on EU cm labels while the traditional IT numeric convention (1ª–12ª) persists on some labels — our locale/IT content should teach BOTH realities explicitly rather than the numeric convention alone." }, { "brand_slug": "etam", "brand_name": "Etam", "native_system": "FR", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://us.etam.com/LP_guide_tailles_2022.html", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "static size-guide pages (2022-dated asset still live) with machine-readable method prose", "extraction_method": "PARSED primary: band 'tightening well' (firm); published rounding DIRECTION: 'if you hesitate between two sizes, choose the larger one'", "usable": false, "notes": "Adds the third instruction variable: ROUNDING DIRECTION. Etam publishes 'when in doubt, size up'; Skims' relayed rule is 'if even, that's your band' (round to even); Chantelle says 'round to nearest whole number'; Bali says 'round up to the next even number.' Four published rounding rules that assign different bands to the same 33.4″ tape reading. Instruction variance now has three documented axes — tension, rounding, and posture/garment (Soma's over-the-bra) — all upstream of notation and grading." }, { "brand_slug": "lise-charmel", "brand_name": "Lise Charmel", "native_system": "FR", "band_rows": [ { "label": "FR75", "underbust_min": 58, "underbust_max": 62, "unit": "cm" }, { "label": "FR80", "underbust_min": 63, "underbust_max": 67, "unit": "cm" }, { "label": "FR85", "underbust_min": 68, "underbust_max": 72, "unit": "cm" }, { "label": "FR90", "underbust_min": 73, "underbust_max": 77, "unit": "cm" }, { "label": "FR95", "underbust_min": 78, "underbust_max": 82, "unit": "cm" }, { "label": "FR100", "underbust_min": 83, "underbust_max": 87, "unit": "cm" }, { "label": "FR105", "underbust_min": 88, "underbust_max": 92, "unit": "cm" }, { "label": "FR110", "underbust_min": 93, "underbust_max": 97, "unit": "cm" }, { "label": "FR115", "underbust_min": 98, "underbust_max": 102, "unit": "cm" }, { "label": "FR120", "underbust_min": 104, "underbust_max": 107, "unit": "cm" }, { "label": "FR125", "underbust_min": 108, "underbust_max": 112, "unit": "cm" }, { "label": "FR130", "underbust_min": 113, "underbust_max": 117, "unit": "cm" } ], "cup_method": "bust_table", "cup_rows": [ { "label": "FR90A", "value_min": 87, "value_max": 89, "unit": "cm bust", "basis": "underbust 73-77" }, { "label": "FR90B", "value_min": 89, "value_max": 91, "unit": "cm bust", "basis": "underbust 73-77" }, { "label": "FR90C", "value_min": 91, "value_max": 93, "unit": "cm bust", "basis": "underbust 73-77" }, { "label": "FR90D", "value_min": 93, "value_max": 95, "unit": "cm bust", "basis": "underbust 73-77" } ], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": "2 cm per letter", "source_url": "https://www.lingerieromeoetjuliette.com/en/blogs/la-cabine-dessayage/guide-des-tailles-lise-charmel", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "full numeric FR grid (underbust buckets × per-cup bust ranges, bands FR75–130 / EU60–110), brand-attributed, identical across two independent French stockists", "extraction_method": "TRANSCRIBED grid (consistent across lingerieromeoetjuliette + erika-lingerie); band buckets match the standard EU 5cm ladder exactly", "usable": true, "notes": "BEST CONTINENTAL NUMERIC PRIMARY-GRADE CHART IN DATASET — and it exposes a baseline problem: LC's cup ladder puts a 12–14 cm bust−underbust difference at cup A, while the widely-cited 'EU convention' (aggregator ladders) puts 12–13 cm at B. The French house and the reference calculators disagree by ~one letter about what the EU convention IS. ANALYSIS CONSEQUENCE (must be stated in methodology v1.1): there is no single authoritative EU cup ladder to normalize against — our decomposition must declare its baseline (our published house formulas) explicitly, because 'the standard' is itself contested between primary houses and reference sites." }, { "brand_slug": "aubade", "brand_name": "Aubade", "native_system": "FR", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "bust_table (stockist-syndicated brand guide with worked example)", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://www.erika-lingerie.com/pages/guide-des-tailles-aubade", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "stockist-syndicated brand guide with worked example; brand's own site chart not captured this pass", "extraction_method": "PARSED worked example: '75 cm underbust … corresponds to FR 85 (EU 70), because 75 is between 73 and 77'", "usable": true, "notes": "PREMIUM-TIER FIXED-BODY DIVERGENCE: Aubade's syndicated table maps underbust 73–77 cm → FR 85 / EU 70, while Lise Charmel's maps the SAME 73–77 cm bucket → FR 90 / EU 75 (the standard EU ladder). Two French luxury houses, one body, one full band apart by their own tables — consistent with Aubade's reputation for firm couture bands, but published as flatly different mappings of identical measurements. This is grading variance in its purest form: same units, same bucket edges, different label. SIDE NOTE: the guide's English translation inverts terminology ('chest size is measured at the tip of the breasts … bust measurement is taken below the chest') — translation-layer noise as one more way instructions degrade across borders." }, { "brand_slug": "nike", "brand_name": "Nike", "native_system": "alpha (XS–4X) + cup letters A–G with printed US equivalences: E (DD), F (DDD), G (DDDD)", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "single-breast cross-cup ARC — the Cuup geometry, mainstreamed", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://www.nike.com/size-fit/womens-bras", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "interactive fit tool + conversion charts on primary; method prose fully machine-readable", "extraction_method": "PARSED primary: band measured 'around the bra's bottom band, just under the breast' (over the worn garment — second such instruction after Soma); cup measured 'from the center of your chest to where your breast tissue ends on one side (where an underwire should sit)'", "usable": true, "notes": "TWO UPGRADES TO EXISTING SPECIMENS: (1) the single-breast arc is not a boutique quirk — the largest sportswear company on earth uses the Cuup geometry as its primary cup measurement, so the industry's measurement-basis split (circumference vs arc) runs straight through its biggest player. (2) Nike formally adopts continental letters WITH printed US equivalences — 'E (DD), F (DDD), G (DDDD)' — a major US brand publishing the letter-to-D-string mapping on its size page, simultaneously legitimizing both notations and the DDDD string. Secondary (MAAREE's comparative guide, an industry participant): 'Nike recommends sizing up 1–2 underband sizes; cups are measured smaller' — recorded as a competitor-published characterization." }, { "brand_slug": "lululemon", "brand_name": "Lululemon", "native_system": "band/cup on structured styles + alpha (2–20 numeric / XS–XXL) with published band→alpha conversion", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff (with gore-compression instruction on EU site)", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://shop.lululemon.com/help/size-guide/womens-bras", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "primary size-guide pages (US + EU variants); alpha conversion published ('a 34 band → medium or 10')", "extraction_method": "PARSED both regional primaries", "usable": true, "notes": "THE INCOMMENSURABILITY DISCLAIMER — a brand stating its own sizes don't translate: Lululemon's EU guide says outright 'this measuring technique is to find your sports bra size, NOT the size of an underwire bra,' plus a unique instruction ('press into the centre front of your bra with your tape before you begin' — compress the gore). A major vendor formally declaring that sports-bra size and underwire size are different quantities for the same body — which is honest, and which quietly concedes the dataset's thesis: 'your size' is method-dependent, even within one company's own product wall. Regional variance: the gore-compression step appears on the EU guide but not the US one — the same brand's two regions measure differently. Secondary lore: bands run small, size up if borderline." }, { "brand_slug": "wacoal-japan", "brand_name": "Wacoal Japan", "native_system": "JP (JIS L 4006)", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff (2.5 cm steps from AAA per JIS)", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": "2.5 cm per letter from AAA (JIS)", "source_url": "https://bra-calculator.com/bra-size-calculators-by-country/japan-bra-size-calculator/", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "triage: JIS-standardized; brand primary in Japanese not fetched this pass", "extraction_method": "PARSED JIS-standard documentation via reference sources; validates our Phase U /bra-size/jp/ cluster's letter-shift and 2.5 cm teaching", "usable": false, "notes": "JIS L 4006 — Japan is the only market in this dataset with a codified NATIONAL STANDARD for bra sizing (cm bands on the EU ladder; 2.5 cm cup steps from AAA). Consequence, per multiple sources: the Japanese ecosystem broadly converges — the one market with a standard is the one market where brands roughly agree. SYSTEM-LEVEL CONTROL CASE for the analysis: standardization works where it exists; the variance documented across this dataset is a policy outcome, not a law of nature. AMENDMENT to the Wacoal record: with wacoallingerie.com/row declaring 'at Wacoal we use UK underband and cup sizes,' the Wacoal BRAND now runs three notation regimes by continent — US letters (America), UK letters (Europe), JIS (Japan) — on top of the US operation's method contradictions already recorded. Minor emblem: Blum's syndicated Wacoal chart contains a literal typo in its Japan row ('65 70 75 88 85')." }, { "brand_slug": "peach-john", "brand_name": "Peach John (Wacoal Holdings)", "native_system": "JP (JIS) — with imported US notation; see notes", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://www.bratabase.com/browse/peach-john/vs/brand/wacoal/", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "triage: JP primary not fetched; community measurement database documents the notation import", "extraction_method": "PARSED community documentation: 'note the introduction of DD, DDD cups shifting now E cups match to F cups — people buying by US sizes will now be confused'", "usable": false, "notes": "THE COUNTER-FLOW SPECIMEN: Peach John imports US D-string notation (DD, DDD) INTO the JIS-standardized market, shifting letter alignment and breaking the local convention — American notation chaos exported into the one system that had none. CORPORATE: Peach John is wholly Wacoal-owned, which brings Wacoal Holdings' simultaneous sizing philosophies to SIX — modern-US (Wacoal America), +4 grid (Warner's), UK letters (Freya/Elomi/Fantasie/Wacoal Europe), high-bust (Wacoal-at-Amazon), no-tape (Bravissimo), and now US-notation-in-Japan (Peach John). One holding company now contains, internally, nearly every failure mode this dataset documents." }, { "brand_slug": "triumph-japan", "brand_name": "Triumph Japan", "native_system": "JP (JIS)", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff (JIS)", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": "2.5 cm per letter (JIS)", "source_url": "https://bra-calculator.com/bra-size-calculators-by-country/japan-bra-size-calculator/", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "triage: JIS-standardized per reference sources; JP-language primary not fetched", "extraction_method": "reference-source triage", "usable": false, "notes": "Triage record within the JIS control context. Notable only by contrast with Triumph's own AU chart (recorded earlier): the same brand's Japanese market operates under a national standard while its Australian market publishes overlapping buckets and a nonstandard ladder — brand behavior tracks the regulatory environment, which is the policy takeaway in one brand." }, { "brand_slug": "la-perla", "brand_name": "La Perla", "native_system": "IT numeric (Size 1, 2, 3…) on labels; resale market converts by hand", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://www.thelingerieaddict.com/2021/12/la-perla-luxury-bra-lingerie-review.html", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "triage: brand primary not extractable this pass; IT-numeric labels documented across resale listings ('Size 2 ≈ 34B/34C', '32A = Italy Size 1' — resellers attach conversion charts themselves)", "extraction_method": "PARSED resale-market label documentation + specialist review", "usable": false, "notes": "CONFIRMS THE ITALIAN DUAL REALITY from the Intimissimi record, from the other side: while Italian retail standardizes on EU labels, La Perla garments circulate with traditional IT numeric sizes (1, 2, 3…) that even professional resellers must convert by hand — and their conversions disagree (the same 'Size 2' glossed as 34B and 34C in different listings). Specialist review documents the luxury-range ceiling (most styles stop at D/E). Our IT locale's both-systems teaching is exactly right for this market." }, { "brand_slug": "yamamay", "brand_name": "Yamamay", "native_system": "IT/EU (per reference sources: contemporary Italian retail on EU labels)", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://bra-calculator.com/bra-size-calculators-by-country/eu-bra-size-calculator/", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "triage: no extractable primary or notable secondary surfaced in searches this pass", "extraction_method": "reference-source triage only", "usable": false, "notes": "Triage record for denominator completeness: listed by reference sources among Italian brands standardized on EU sizing; no findings claimed. Honest gap — recorded as 'no checkable chart found in English-language search', which is itself a data point for the accessibility axis." }, { "brand_slug": "boux-avenue", "brand_name": "Boux Avenue", "native_system": "UK", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://thelingerieadvisor.com/brands/boux-avenue-bra-size-guide/", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "triage: UK availability chart via specialist secondary; brand primary not fetched this pass", "extraction_method": "secondary triage", "usable": false, "notes": "Triage: UK high-street native (UK letters incl. double-cup DD+ progression), bralettes alpha, no contradictions surfaced. Leans control-case." }, { "brand_slug": "shock-absorber", "brand_name": "Shock Absorber", "native_system": "UK (30–40, A–HH)", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": "1 in per letter, UK ladder printed in full to HH", "source_url": "https://www.shockabsorber.ca/size_chart", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "primary size chart with complete printed cup ladder (1″=A … 12″=HH) and worked example (39−36=3 → 36C)", "extraction_method": "PARSED primary in full", "usable": true, "notes": "Mostly clean modern primary — band = measurement rounded UP TO EVEN (a fourth published rounding rule variant), full UK ladder printed with double letters, consistent worked example. Two footnotes: the '80% of women are wearing the wrong size bra' line appears again (EIGHTH carrier — tally updated), and a Swedish stockist's Shock Absorber guide gives different guidance ('measure tightly … this should simply give your bra size' + 'go up one or two sizes depending on effect') — stockist-layer drift on an otherwise clean brand." }, { "brand_slug": "harper-wilde", "brand_name": "Harper Wilde", "native_system": "US (32–42, A–F structured; S–6XL bralettes)", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": "1 in per letter", "source_url": "https://harperwilde.com/pages/size-guides", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "primary size guides + method blog; machine-readable", "extraction_method": "PARSED primary method (snug ribcage band, 1″-per-cup)", "usable": true, "notes": "Largely clean modern DTC primary. One footnote: 'grab your best-fitting bra' — measurements taken over a worn bra, the THIRD such instruction (Soma, Nike, Harper Wilde) — the over-garment posture is becoming a documented US-DTC pattern, adding garment thickness as a systematic variable." }, { "brand_slug": "le-mystere", "brand_name": "Le Mystère", "native_system": "US — but published ladder skips DD entirely; see notes", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "diff", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": false, "inches_added": 0, "cup_increment": "1 in per letter", "source_url": "https://lemystere.com/pages/fit-guide-1", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "primary fit guide with worked example (37−34=3 → 34C); band rounded to nearest even", "extraction_method": "PARSED primary in full", "usable": true, "notes": "NOTATION FORK ON HOME SOIL: Le Mystère's own published ladder runs '3 inches is a C cup, 4 inches a D cup, 5 inches an E cup' — a US brand whose primary omits DD entirely and goes straight to continental E at 5″ (the Natori pattern, but stated in the method itself rather than a chart column). A US shopper who 'knows' she is a 34DD has no size in Le Mystère's stated system — she is a 34E — and nothing on the page says so. Also measures over a non-padded worn bra." }, { "brand_slug": "cake-bravado", "brand_name": "Cake Maternity / Bravado Designs (nursing pair)", "native_system": "US/alpha hybrid by style", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "HIGH-BUST band (above the breasts, under the armpits) + bust with gore compression", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://bravadodesigns.com/pages/fit-guide", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "Bravado primary fit guide (machine-readable); Cake fitting-room hub located; stockist syndications consistent", "extraction_method": "PARSED Bravado primary: band measured 'above your breasts … around your back and under your armpits'; syndicated versions add 'press down between them' on the bust pass", "usable": false, "notes": "COMPLETES THE FAIRNESS ARCHITECTURE for alternative geometries: nursing is the third product domain (after mastectomy/Amoena and sports/Nike-Lululemon) where a non-underbust geometry is standard practice for stated physiological reasons — here the high-bust band, because the ribcage expands through pregnancy and the underbust is unstable. The analysis can now say precisely: alternative measurement geometries CLUSTER in categories with clinical rationale (nursing, post-surgical, high-impact sport); what the dataset flags is not those geometries but their unexplained leakage into mainstream fashion charts (Wacoal-at-Amazon's high-bust syndication) where the rationale doesn't travel with the method." }, { "brand_slug": "herroom", "brand_name": "HerRoom (retailer / chart publisher)", "native_system": "n/a — US-sizes retailer; publishes per-brand guides AND its own normalization layer", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "UNIVERSAL CUP SIZING (UCS): proprietary cross-brand cup normalization (D1, D2, D3…)", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://abcnews.com/Business/herrooms-universal-sizing-chart-demystifies-larger-bras/story?id=16102383", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "retailer-invented normalization system covering 150+ brands, press-documented since 2012, live on site", "extraction_method": "PARSED press documentation (ABC News) + retailer positioning", "usable": false, "notes": "THE MARKET'S OWN VERDICT — strongest proof-by-behavior in the dataset: a major US lingerie retailer found inter-brand cup notation so incompatible above D that it INVENTED ITS OWN SIZING SYSTEM (UCS: D1–D9) to be able to sell 150+ brands at all, with the founder stating the problem on the record: 'a woman may wear a 36G in one brand but a 36FF in another … most women don't know there's a difference.' When the retail layer must build a translation layer to move product, brand-level incompatibility is established by market behavior, not by our analysis. Prime newsroom citation; also a competing normalization approach worth acknowledging in methodology v1.1 (UCS normalizes labels; our approach publishes formulas)." }, { "brand_slug": "figleaves", "brand_name": "Figleaves (retailer / chart publisher)", "native_system": "n/a — UK-letters-first retailer", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "publishes per-brand guides; UK convention primary", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://bestbrasizecalculator.com/en/uk-bra-size-to-us/", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "triage: documented by reference sources as listing UK letters first; per-brand guide pages not audited this pass", "extraction_method": "secondary triage", "usable": false, "notes": "Triage publisher record for denominator completeness: UK-letters-first cross-brand retailer; no findings claimed this pass." }, { "brand_slug": "nordstrom", "brand_name": "Nordstrom (retailer / chart publisher)", "native_system": "n/a — US department store; publishes fit guide + cup-conversion PDF; hosts brand PDFs", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "publishes conversion charts + per-brand assets", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://www.nordstrom.com/sizeguides/1946_sizeguide.pdf", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "fit-guide hub + standalone cup-conversion PDF + hosted brand size PDFs", "extraction_method": "LOCATED assets; PDF rows not extracted this pass", "usable": false, "notes": "Publisher record. Already implicated once in the dataset: Nordstrom hosts Knix's RETIRED 1–8 numeric chart as a live PDF — the 'chart afterlife' specimen — demonstrating the retailer-hosting layer's role in keeping dead sizing systems in circulation after brands abandon them." }, { "brand_slug": "hauteflair", "brand_name": "HauteFlair (retailer / chart publisher) — RELATIONSHIP DISCLOSED", "native_system": "n/a — multi-brand lingerie retailer publishing per-brand size guides", "band_rows": [], "cup_method": "publishes per-brand guides (standard retailer practice)", "cup_rows": [], "adds_inches": null, "inches_added": null, "cup_increment": null, "source_url": "https://www.hauteflair.com", "access_date": "2026-08-22", "chart_format": "per-brand size-guide pages typical of specialist retail; NOT independently audited in this pass", "extraction_method": "none this pass — see notes", "usable": false, "notes": "TRANSPARENCY: HauteFlair is owned by the owner of this site (brasize.ai). Recorded under the identical publisher rubric as Bare Necessities, HerRoom, Figleaves and Nordstrom for denominator completeness, with this relationship stated wherever the record is used — same precedent as the Parfait inclusion note. Its size-guide pages have NOT been audited in this collection pass; before any newsroom publication that scores chart publishers, HauteFlair's guides must be audited to the same standard as every other publisher, and any findings reported identically. A dataset that graded competitors but not the owner's retailer would be exactly the credibility failure the attribution audit exists to prevent." } ], "mechanism_finding": "TARGET +4/+5 TEMPLATE — five for five: identical 'odd +5 / even +4' text with identical worked examples confirmed on Target-hosted charts for Freya, Elomi, Maidenform (bare-necessities/ paths), Playtex (playtex-18-hour-bras/ path), and Bali (beauty-by-bali/ path). Hanes' own retail site simultaneously instructs the modern no-addition method, proving the template does not reflect vendor methodology. Every bra size chart checked on target.com to date carries the method professional fitters retired over a decade ago.", "eighty_pct_tally": [ "freya (size-guide marketing)", "elomi (advice FAQ)", "fantasie (size-guide marketing)", "thirdlove (blog: '80% of women are wearing the wrong bra size')", "cuup (quiz vendor case study: '8 in 10')", "knix (chart page: 'a whopping 80%')", "hunkemoller (calculator page, Dutch meta)", "shock-absorber (size chart: 'as 80% of women are wearing the wrong size bra')" ], "citable_industry_witnesses": [ "MAAREE (sports-bra brand) publishes an 11-brand method-comparison admitting inter-brand chaos, incl. 'Runderwear adds 4 inches' and Nike size-up guidance — maaree.com/blogs/news/11-bra-brands… (accessed 2026-08-22)" ] }