Undergraduate Research

Dressed to the Form: An Examination of Dress Form Asymmetry and Its Relation to Garment Fit

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Abstract

Dress forms have been used throughout history to reference the fit of the garment while working on it. When clothing was marketed to the masses, the abstracted-form dress form was born to reflect an average. With the current advancements in 3D body scanning technology, dress forms have seen another evolution towards more realistic forms. Nonetheless, the dress forms currently used do not fully represent body variations and diversions from the average. Moreover, pattern making methods focus on developing patterns from one side and using symmetrical halves to create the other side. However, the human body is not perfectly symmetrical. Therefore, the present study examined the ways a women’s romper created with a standard symmetrical dress form would differ from those created with a custom 3D body scanned dress form of the same measurements. The differences that emerged as a result of seven drapes were visually evaluated to determine what draping processes translated into the most realistic, best-fitting garments.

Keywords: dress form, fit, apparel design, Body asymmetry

How to Cite:

Forstenhausler, L. N. & Baytar, F., (2020) “Dressed to the Form: An Examination of Dress Form Asymmetry and Its Relation to Garment Fit”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 77(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.12140