An improved fitting system for bras was eight years in development. Daniel Borris for The New York Times

Jockey International, a major American textile manufacturer, has devised a set of 55 new bra sizes to address a lament as old as the bra itself: many don't fit.

Jockey has spent eight years developing the new measurement system, which the company says takes into account the shape of a woman's breasts, not merely bust size. The Jockey Bra, formally introduced May 30, is a mass-market answer to custom fittings that have become popular in boutiques and high-end department stores.

The lingerie industry itself pushes the notion that off-the-shelf bras often don't fit well. The bra manufacturer Wacoal, for instance, says about 8 out of 10 women wear the wrong size.

Until now, however, standard sizes have barely changed, although their range has expanded. Cup sizes are based on two measurements - the breast at its fullest point, minus the rib cage measurement. The difference in those measurements determines cup size. But Jockey says that doesn't consider different breast shapes.

The company scanned 800 women for torso measurements and breast sizes. Researchers followed women as they chose bras, and heard "complete dissatisfaction about every aspect of the bra purchasing process, from the inaccuracy to the way you get measured," said Dustin Cohn, the company's chief marketing officer.

The result: 10 cup sizes. "Our bras don't necessarily get bigger, bigger, bigger, but in different proportions - they get larger, but in different shapes," Mr. Cohn said.

To fit the bras, Jockey uses a kit with 10 plastic cups in varying shapes, along with a measuring tape. Customers are meant to try on the cups, then measure their rib cage. Someone with a 34-inch (86 centimeters) rib cage and medium-size breasts might wear a 5-34 or a 6-34, for instance.

Charla Welch, who reviewed the fitting process on her blog, The Bra Crusader, said the plastic-cup approach "wasn't very comfortable."

The sizing kit costs online customers $19.95, although it includes a $20 coupon, plus a money-back guarantee of fit. Other companies that sell difficult-to-fit items send customers try-on versions at no cost.

"Essentially they're being asked to shell out cash upfront to be part of this experiment," said Jennifer O'Brien, director of strategic planning at Laird & Partners, an advertising agency. "At least for the introductory phase, I would think that would be free. You want to remove as many barriers as possible to get people engaged with this, because it is a new world."

And the bra itself costs $60, more than those of many competitors, despite its functional looks and a limited choice of colors: beige, white or black.

Sally Tomkins of Jockey said the company was selling the bra only online and in its boutiques to try to get women to understand what is behind it. "It's always a risk when you change something that's been in the market for a very long time," she said, "but not only are we changing the fit, we're changing the whole product."

The New York Times

(China Daily 06/30/2013 page10)