Sizing, measured
A 42″ bust is a size 12 at Eloquii and a 16 at Gap
Same body. Same measurement. Four different numbers on the label. We read six brands' own published size charts — and found out why your size can go down when you shop plus-size.
If you've ever measured yourself properly, checked a brand's size chart, ordered the size it told you to, and had it arrive completely wrong — this is for you. And before we go further: that wasn't you doing it badly.
The standard advice is measure, check the chart, order that size. Millions of women have followed it exactly and still ended up with a returns label. The reason is that a size chart tells you what one brand means by a number. It tells you nothing about what a different brand means by the same number. The gap between them is far bigger than most people realise.
So we stopped theorising and pulled the actual numbers.
The answer: anywhere from a 12 to a 16
We took the published women's tops charts from six brands and asked one question: if a woman has a 42-inch bust, what size is she at each?
| Brand | Her size | That size covers |
|---|---|---|
| Eloquii | 12 | 41–43″ |
| Lane Bryant | 14 | 42″ |
| Torrid | 14 (1) | 42–44″ |
| Aritzia | XL | 40.5–42″ |
| Gap | 16 (XL) | 42″ |
| Banana Republic | 16 (XL) | 42.25″ |
Read the top and bottom rows again. The same woman is a size 12 at Eloquii and a size 16 at Gap. Not because one shirt is roomier — because the two brands start counting from completely different places.
What size are you at these brands?
Enter your bust measurement in inches. We'll run it against all seven published charts — including any that don't have a size for you.
Not sure how to measure? Around the fullest part, tape level, arms down. Full guide →
Want this for every brand you shop?
We cover dresses, denim, bottoms and outerwear too — and bust alone doesn't decide your size. Get your full profile free.
Free. No subscription, ever. Unsubscribe in one click.
Why the number goes down at plus-size brands
This surprises people, because the assumption runs the other way. If you're shopping plus-size, you expect bigger numbers.
But plus-size brands build their charts on a different starting point. A straight-size brand's grid runs from very small to moderately large, so by the time it reaches a 42-inch bust it's near the top of its range — a 16, an XL, the end of the rail. A plus-size brand's grid is built for that body from the start, so 42 inches sits in the lower-middle. Eloquii's chart keeps going to a 69-inch bust. At that scale, 42 is a 12.
Same body. One brand treats it as an edge case, the other as the middle of the room. The number is telling you about the brand's assumptions, not about you.
The mirror image: what a "size 14" actually means
| Brand | Size 14 fits a bust of |
|---|---|
| Gap | 40.25″ |
| Banana Republic | 40.25″ |
| Old Navy | 41″ |
| Lane Bryant | 42″ |
| Torrid | 42–44″ |
| Eloquii | 43–45″ |
Nearly five inches of difference behind one identical number. Five inches is not a rounding error — it's the difference between a shirt that closes and one that doesn't.
And sometimes there is genuinely no size for you
"I'm between sizes" is usually said as if it's a fact about your body. Often it's a fact about the chart. Grids step, and the steps leave holes:
| Brand | The jump | Uncovered |
|---|---|---|
| Old Navy (tops) | 14 ends 41″, 16 starts 43.5″ | 2.5″ |
| Aritzia (tops) | XL ends 42″, XXL starts 43.5″ | 1.5″ |
| Birdy Grey (dresses) | XXL ends 43″, 1X starts 46″ | 3″ |
If your bust is 44 inches, Birdy Grey does not make a size for you. Not slightly off — no size at all. Meanwhile Lane Bryant covers 42 inches to 68 inches without a single gap. The body that "isn't a size" at one brand is unremarkably mid-range at another.
What to do with this
Your size isn't a property of your body. It's a property of the pairing — your measurements and that brand's chart. "I'm a 14" isn't a fact. "I'm a 14 at Old Navy and a 12 at Eloquii" is.
If you're near the top of a straight-size range, look across the line. The number will likely be lower, the fit better, and the grid won't run out from under you.
Check the chart's edges, not its middle. That one check explains an enormous number of returns.
Stop doing this brand by brand
Answer a few questions once. See your exact size in every brand we cover — including the ones that don't have a size for you.
Find my fit — freeFree to see your top matches · $9.99 one-time for the full ranked list · no subscription, ever
Method & sources
All figures come from each brand's own published size guide, stored with its source URL. Body measurements in inches, women's tops, except where a dresses chart is stated. Ranges are shown where the brand publishes ranges. Retrieved July 2026 — brands revise charts, so figures may change.
What this article deliberately does not claim: we haven't measured garments, and we're not saying any brand's chart is wrong about its own clothes. Every brand here is internally consistent. The problem is there's no standard between them, and shoppers absorb the difference.