ThirdLove lingerie app calculates your bust size using two iPhone SELFIES

April 8, 2014 by admin
Filed under Latest Lingerie News

Up to 80 per cent of woman are allegedly wearing the wrong bra size
ThirdLove app claims to measure more accurately than a seamstress

By
Annabel Fenwick Elliott

Published:

17:27 EST, 7 April 2014

|
Updated:

17:50 EST, 7 April 2014

Inconvenient, fussy, and at times downright awkward – words most women would acquaint with getting a bra fitted in-store.

This is what inspired a frustrated San Francisco-native and ex-Google marketer, Heidi Zak, with the help of a former NASA scientist, to develop ThirdLove, an app that can accurately calculate your bra size using only a handful of carefully posed selfies.

‘Eighty per cent of women wear the wrong bra size,’ Kelly Boynton, a representative for the company tells MailOnline. ‘Our sizing technology is accurate to a half inch which, based on our testing with focus groups, is more accurate than a seasoned tailor using measuring tape.’

Innovation: ThirdLove, an app created by ex-Google marketer Heidi Zak, claims it can accurately calculate your bra size using three carefully posed selfies

The app uses computer vision technology,
which analyzes body size in relation to the iPhone’s size – a science
that took over a year to perfect under the direction of Aran Nefian, an
engineer once contracted by NASA.

Ms Zak started the company a year ago with her husband, venture capitalist Dave Spector – a business partnership which works ‘really well’ for the couple, according to Ms Zak. She was previously a Google marketing manager and before that, she was director of retail giant Aeropostale.

With a keen interest in pairing fashion with technology, Ms Zak hired designer Ra’el Cohen, who has been busy producing several lingerie lines for the ThirdLove, using its own sizing method, to create bras which start at $39 on their website.

Get ready: The process was slightly complicated and took a while to get our head around, but we were guided through it step-by-step by an automated female voice

Time for a selfie! The app uses computer vision technology, which analyzes body size in relation to the iPhone’s dimensions

Fresh take: ThirdLove found gaps in industry standard sizing and has designed a range of their own label bras accordingly, which come in half sizes

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The FEMAIL team were highly skeptical that taking a few selfies could produce a ‘prefect’ bra size, but I was taken through the process step-by-step by an encouraging, automated female voice.

A total of two photos are captured in front of the mirror, one from the front and one from the side, and though I stripped down to my bra, as suggested, it is optional to wear a tight fitting T-Shirt if you’d prefer.

I’m assured the entire measurement process runs through a computer, not a human, and the photos are stored on a secure, security-audited server.

I was surprised to be told I was a 33F by their sizing, a hop and a skip away from my usual 32E, and unfortunately ThirdLove politely informed me that they didn’t yet carry my slightly unusual size.

Studies have indicated that up to 80 per cent of women are wearing the wrong sized bra, perhaps in part due to the frustrating business of getting fitted properly

‘We are just getting started but extending our size range is very much part of our plan,’ Ms Boynton assured me. Our deputy editor also test-drove the app and had better luck, coming out as a 29B1/2 and chose a nude, lacy bra for $64 from the online store.

The bra arrived within three days and much to her surprise, and the fit was ‘absolutely perfect’ she says, adding that it was incredibly comfortable and really did feel as though it had been molded specifically to her shape.

Entirely sold on the concept, and eager to order again from ThirdLove once they stock my size, I spoke to Ms Boynton more about what makes the technology so compelling.

Result: Our tester was thrilled with her customized bra, similar to the one pictured, for $64, reporting that it fitted her ‘perfectly’

‘We’ve done a lot of in-house testing with focus groups and have found that when a human is measuring, there is a high likelihood of human-error,’ she explains, with examples ranging from the placement of the measuring tape, to the customer’s fidgeting or breathing in or out.

Speaking of ThirdLove’s sizing methods, Ms Boynton points out that the industry standard sizes are ‘limited’ and ‘there are gaps.’ Many women, our own tester included, apparently fall in between cup sizes.

The ThirdLove app certainly worked for us, but could this really spell the future of bra shopping?

Hands on approach: High-end boutique, Intimacy, is skeptical than an app can measure up to an in-person fitting

One high-end lingerie boutique chain we spoke to had concerns. Intimacy, whose bras cost anywhere from $75 up to over $250 each, trains its stylists to a high standard and prides itself on its one-on-one customer experience.

‘There is much more to fitting a bra properly than picking up a size,’ Katie Cornett, a stylist at the New York store explains. ‘Even if a woman gets a bra in the correct size, without being shown how to adjust herself, she may think they are fit improperly.’

Ms Cornett added that educating a woman on how to adjust herself is an extremely important part of the fitting process. ‘It is almost impossible to do this correctly and comfortably without having someone to help you and show you how,’ she adds.

Variation: My stylist explained that there are large discrepancies in women’s sizes and styles offered, so it is best to be assessed by a trained professional in order to find the right bra

Eager to find out if she was right, I visited the New York Intimacy store to get a private fitting. Having been incorrectly measured recently, with tape I should add, at Victoria’s Secret and sold a bra that is far too uncomfortable to wear, I was highly impressed with the service at Intimacy.

Aside from the rather unforgiving lighting in the changing room – essential, I’m told, for getting a good look at me – my stylist was charming and knowledgeable and I learned a great deal from the visit.

As with the team at ThirdLove, she frowned on using a tape measure and insisted that sizing by (a highly trained) eye was the best way to go.

Luxury: This tester visited Intimacy’s New York store, pictured, and was met with a highly professional and informative stylist and a wide selection of lingerie

She explained the importance of getting the straps adjusted correctly; something I thought I had down, but with a few quick alterations, she transformed how the everyday bra I was already wearing felt and I instantly noticed a shift in my posture.

She also informed me that one of the most common issues she sees is women wearing the back bands too high on their backs and that ultimately, there is such a disparity between women’s bodies and the different styles available, that nothing can beat an in-person fitting.

After some lengthy experimentation with a variety of the brands that Intimacy stocks, I walked out with a beautiful red set of lingerie for $200 and a $76 sports bra so unbelievably supportive – my stylist had me doing jumping jacks – that I’m at least telling myself I will be seeing a lot more of the treadmill from now on.

Pricier option: I walked away with a well-fitted bra and matching panties, similar to the one pictured, which set me back $200

While most of us have experienced the discomfort of wearing the wrong sized bra, as far as medical science is concerned, it’s a problem which can lead to more long-term issues.

Many experts have already linked badly fitting bras with poor posture and spinal problems, as well as breathing problems, abrasions and breast pain.

Osteopath and expert voice on the matter, Jon Morton-Bell warns: ‘If a woman is bending forward because of insufficient breast support, the trapezius overstretches and causes headaches.’

Back health: The consequences of wearing an ill-fitting bra have been well documented by the medical community and include back pain, poor posture and even headaches or stomach issues

‘All nerve roots come from the back; so stomach upsets and fatigue are common by-products of bad back health,’ he added.

Having tested both ThirdLove; the high-tech app experience and Intimacy; the custom bra-fitting service, the jury is still out. If you are lucky enough to be one of the sizes ThirdLove currently stocks, you could be happily surprised by how well their bras fit, and for a reasonable price.

If you are willing to take the time to visit one of Intimacy’s impeccably trained experts – and to invest substantially more in the cost, your game-changing bra could well be waiting.

You can download the ThirdLove app here.

And you can locate your nearest Intimacy store here.