When the Lingerie Industry Finally Ditches the Tape Measure

Since launching The Bra Fitting Course in 2006, I have trained retailers, doctors, and bra fitters using my fitting-by-eye approach, developed through years of industry experience and Master’s-level research into bra design and fit.

So naturally, I was fascinated to read the article and to see such a major retailer publicly stepping away from the traditional tape measure method.

Because the reality is this:

The tape measure was developed around a very different era of lingerie design, a time when bras were often constructed from rigid, non-stretch fabrics with limited cup sizing and heavily structured silhouettes. Think of the classic non-wired bras of the 1950s, designed using panels and construction methods that behaved very differently from modern bras.

Today’s bras are completely different.

We now work with:

And yet many bra fitters still rely heavily on systems developed decades ago.

That is one of the reasons I have never used a tape measure when teaching bra fitting. Because no tape measure can fully assess:

Bra fitting is not simply about numbers and letters.

It is about observation, experience, comfort, and understanding how a bra behaves on a real person.

One part of the Times article I both agreed and disagreed with was the discussion around fitting room anxiety. I completely understand why many women dread bra fittings, and my current research into sensory-sensitive bra fitting confirmed many of those fears.

For some, the idea of standing semi-undressed in front of a stranger holding a tape measure can feel deeply uncomfortable and very intimidating. But I disagree with the idea that this discomfort is unavoidable. A professional bra fitting should never feel clinical, embarrassing, or exposing.

For twenty years, I have taught a more respectful approach to bra fitting, one where the customer remains at ease, stays dressed throughout the process (wearing a bra) and communication is calm and professional. There is absolutely no need for the wearer to completely strip off during the fitting process. None whatsoever.

One of the biggest misconceptions in bra fitting is the belief that measuring automatically equals accuracy.

It doesn’t.

A tape measure alone cannot determine whether a bra truly fits correctly unless the fitter also understands:

This is especially important today as more conversations emerge around sensory comfort and how differently women experience bra discomfort.

A technically perfect fit that feels intolerable to the wearer is not a successful fitting.

For those bra fitters who want to help the infamous 80% of women who are wearing the wrong bra size, perhaps the pivotal question is this:

Do we truly understand what comfort means for the person standing in front of us in the fitting room? As not only are we all different shapes, sizes, heights, and body types, comfort is personal.

And ultimately, a bra that feels uncomfortable, regardless of what the label says, is not the right bra for that wearer.

If the customer leaves feeling worse than when she came in, overwhelmed, uncomfortable, or perhaps embarrassed, as The Times article began to suggest, the experience may actively put her off seeking a professional bra fitting ever again, which is a shame, but I can understand their fear.

What interested me most about The Times article is not simply that M&S is changing its bra fitting approach. It is that the wider lingerie industry finally seems ready to question whether traditional tape-measure bra fitting methods are enough.

And while bra fitting by eye may sound new to some, for me it has been at the heart of my bra fitting training for the past twenty years.

I’m glad the conversation is starting to change, but there is more to do, to ensure that the fitting process truly delivers a better experience so we can all encourage more women to have the confidence to wear the right bra.