ThirdLove Told Me I Should Be Wearing a Bigger Bra (And They Were Right)

I had no idea.  I mean, I always thought I was wearing the right sized bra, but according to ThirdLove’s app to help women accurately measure their bra size, I was way off.  And I’m not alone.  Approximately 80 percent of women are wearing the wrong sized bra, but ThirdLove has found a way to change that.

The app, which launched officially in November on iOS, promises to accurately measure a woman’s bra size with a snapshot of their torso in a tightly fitted tank top.  Once you download the app, it instructs you on what you’ll need to do in order to get an accurate measurement.  As for the security, the company said that the photo-processing is done natively with 128-bit encryption and photos are stored in their secure database.

Once you start the measurement process, the app walks you through a tutorial using a polite voice instructing you on how you should hold your phone and how you should stand.  First, you need to stand facing a full length mirror with your phone at your belly button facing the mirror.  The app will command you to adjust your phone toward the mirror or away from the mirror to get the correct angle.  Once you have the phone at the right angle, it tells you to hold still and takes a snapshot.  Then, you do the same steps while taking a profile shot.

Once it’s finished, it calculates your correct bra size.  Mine came back about 1 1/2 sizes larger than the current bra I wear.  I thought that it must have measured incorrectly, so I did the whole thing over again.   The result?  The same bra size recommendation.  So, I sent away for the bra they recommended, so I could write this article.

I have to admit, I was very skeptical.  How is it possible that an app can take an image of your torso in the comfort of your own home and accurately predict your correct bra size? The technology is very hush, hush, but according to co-founder Dave Spector, who we caught up with at SXSW, it involves advanced computer vision which can accurately measure a 3D object using a 2D image.

Spector, a former partner at Sequoia Capital, started the company with his wife, Heidi Zak.  Seven patents later, the imaging technology can measure your curves to offer bras in special half sizes, so bras feel like they are custom-fit.   The company offers bras, panties and camisoles and are planning on offering more products in the future.  Bras are priced at $49 and up and come in a variety of colors and trims.  ThirdLove is working on an Android app, which should be available soon.

I have to say, they really do feel like they are custom fit.  Today, I received my ThirdLove bra in the mail and it fits like a glove.  I didn’t know what I was missing.  I am seriously shocked- in a good way.  I will never again have to walk into a tiny fitting room with a large-breasted German woman named Helga to measure my chest.  Thank you, ThirdLove, thank you.