Women are often faced with the less-than-ideal choice of buying a bra that doesnt fit or taking out a second mortgage to pay for one that does. Even worse: Shelling out big bucks doesnt seem to guarantee youll be wearing the right size.

I know because I recently visited two high-end retailers and a Victorias Secret to get measured. At one of the high-end stores, I was fitted for a 32G that cost $168. At another, I was declared a 30GG. And at Victorias Secret, the fitting room associate put me in a laughable 36D.

On some level, women are used to this. We know that the size we wear in shirts and jeans will vary from retailer to retailer and brand to brand. But when the same is true of bras, it feels particularly galling .

Even in the same company, sometimes the bras all run differently, and a 34B [in one style] is not the same as another 34B, Linda The Bra Lady Becker told HuffPost. The two boutiques bearing her name one in New York City and one in New Jersey are beloved for their highly trained staff and their comprehensive inventory of more than 275 bra sizes.