Fashion

Sizing conversions, fabric quantities, alterations and the running cost of a wardrobe. 29 calculators.

Cost per wear is the page worth running before a purchase rather than after. A $400 coat worn twice a week through five winters works out under a dollar a wear. A $60 shirt worn three times is $20 a wear. The arithmetic is trivial and the conclusion is often the opposite of what the price tags suggest, which is why the phrase “buy cheap, buy twice” survives.

Bra size exists because the standard method is genuinely confusing and the sister-size relationship is the part nobody explains. Cup volume is relative to band size, not absolute, so a 34C and a 36B hold about the same volume. If a band is too loose, going down a band means going up a cup to keep the fit. That single rule solves most of the “nothing fits” problem.

Size conversion pages carry a warning worth repeating: international conversions are approximate and brands vary within a country more than countries vary from each other. A UK 12 and a German 40 are nominally the same, and two UK 12s from different labels frequently are not. Use the measurement in centimetres where a brand publishes one, and treat the label number as a starting point.