The professional fashion designers use design knowledge to create clothes.
Others can use this knowledge to choose clothes and put outfits together, that
help them look their best.
Using design knowledge to your advantage is not about changing what you are. It
is about learning to use design to make the best of your appearance. While a new
outfit can’t change physical characteristics, the right design can bring out the best
in anyone!
To choose clothing that emphasizes their best features, people need to keep body
height, shape and size in mind.
FRAME: Two people of the same height and weight may look very different
because of their frame. Body frame, the skeletal structure of the bones is usually
described as small, medium, and large.
SIZE RATIOS:
Comparing areas of the body is another way to look at stature.
IN the picture you see how the waist divides the upper and lower portions of the
body. Two people of equal height may not have the same ratio between these
two areas. One might have a long upper body and short legs, the other may have
a short upper body and long legs.
GEOMETRIC SHAPE: A common way to think about body shape is
geometrically. Of course, with so many different height and sizes possible, these
shapes can have many variations among people.
Triangle: Narrow shoulders and wide hips
Inverted triangle: wide shoulders and small hips
Rectangle: about the same width at the shoulders, waist and hips
Hour glass: about the same at chest and hips and smaller at the waist.
Whatever your body height, shape and size, clothing can change
your appearance with design illusion. A person who wants to
look thinner in the thighs can choose a clothing design that helps
create that illusion.