Body shapes and apparel fit for overweight and obese women in the US: the implications of current sizing system

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eonyou Shin ◽  
Elahe Saeidi

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to categorize the whole body shapes of overweight and obese females in the US and examine apparel fit based on the current ASTM sizing standards related to the body shapes categorized.Design/methodology/approachBody scan data from 2,672 subjects were used. To categorize their whole body shapes using 97 body measurements, principal component analysis with varimax rotation, a hierarchical cluster analysis and K-means cluster analysis were used. To compare the ASTM sizing standards for plus sizes (curvy and straight) and missy sizes (curvy and straight), five body parts (bust, under bust, waist, top hip, hip) using the formula for fit tolerance (measurement plus half of the interval) were compared with the ASTM sizing standards to determine the size appropriate for each body part.FindingsFive whole body shapes among overweight and obese females in the US were categorized: Rectangle-curvy; parallelogram-moderately curvy; parallelogram-hip tilt; inverted trapezoid-moderately curvy and inverted trapezoid-hip tilt. When the body measurements in each body shape were compared with the current ASTM sizing systems for both misses and plus sizes, four-fifths or more of overweight and obese female adults in the US would find it difficult to obtain a perfect fit for both tops and bottoms.Originality/valueIdentifying whole body shapes among overweight and obese women in the US contributes significantly, as it will help apparel companies that target the markets of larger women develop a new sizing system. This study is the first attempt to analyze fit by comparing the ASTM sizing charts with body measurements in each body shape group. Further, the study contributes to the body-related literature by filling gaps in missing whole BS categories among overweight and obese females.

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 297-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wookyung Lee ◽  
Haruki Imaoka

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to classify body shapes using angular defects instead of sizes.Design/methodology/approachA large amount of dimensional data from a national anthropometry survey was analysed, and a basic pattern and its polyhedron were also used to create a three‐dimensional body shape from three body sizes. Using this method, the sizes were converted into nine angular defects.FindingsThe authors could define the factors explaining body shape characteristics and classify the body shapes into four groups. The four groups could be characterised by two pattern making difficulties of the upper and lower parts of the body as well as by two proportions, of waist girth to bust girth and bust girth to back length. Furthermore, depending on the age, the authors could understand body shape by the angle made.Originality/valueUsing a polyhedron model, the angles could be calculated using an enormous existing data set of sizes. An angular defect serves as an index to indicate the degree of difficulty for developing a flat pattern. If an angular defect of the bust is large, it is difficult to make a paper pattern of a bust dart. On the other hand, if an angular defect of the waist is large, it is easy to make a paper pattern of a waist dart. Thus, each body shape could be simultaneously characterized by two difficulty indices and two proportions of sizes.


2017 ◽  
Vol 88 (18) ◽  
pp. 2055-2075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rong Liu ◽  
Xia Guo ◽  
Qiujin Peng ◽  
Le Zhang ◽  
Terence T Lao ◽  
...  

Poor fit has become one of reasons for high non-compliance in the use of garments made of compression textiles in venous deficiency treatments. A novel methodology to categorize lower body shapes and sizes has been established via three-dimensional digital anthropometric technology in this study based on 208 Hong Kong subjects aged 40–60 years. Three new parameters were introduced to classify body shapes, namely the “A-angle” for assessing the “alignment” of lower extremities, the “cosine values of the key angle” at the turning point for below-knee shape determination, and “gradient” for above-knee shape categories. The mathematical simulation via the interpolation function was employed to explore the characteristics of shape variation trends with the involvement of dynamic interactions of both circumferences ( Cir) and heights ( Hei) of lower extremities. The clustering analysis quantitatively segmented the sample population into three stratified leg morphologies (i.e. diamond, inverted trapezoid, and balanced leg shapes) in terms of the determined anthropometric landmarks along the lower extremities, in which the C ir( s) of the brachial ( cB1), calf ( cC), and thigh ( cF) exhibited most obvious differences among the clustered lower limbs. The created stratified shape-driven sizing system and methodologies further involved the body shape classifications into the Cir-based size categories to cater for diverse body morphologies in product size selection, thus improving dimensional fitness and accurate treatment using compression textiles in practice.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
In Hwa Kim ◽  
Hyunsook Han ◽  
Su-Jeong Hwang Shin

PurposeThe purpose of study is to investigate effectiveness of pattern technique in relation to the use of anthropometric references for drafting women's basic bodice patterns by assessing characteristics of pattern formation, quantification of wearing ease on the transverse plan and actual ease distribution on body forms.Design/methodology/approachThree pattern drafting techniques were analyzed, which have different frequency of using direct body measurements for pattern formulation. Ease quantification and wearing ease distribution were evaluated on the two different body forms: a young female body and a heavy woman body. Women's basic bodice patterns were drafted with YUKA CAD and virtually draped on the two body forms with CLO 3D. Rapidform was used to evaluate garment appearance. Areal ease and its distribution were assessed. A deviation map was used for wrinkle analysis.FindingsCompared to the pattern formation derived from few anthropometric references, patterns using sufficient anthropometric references provided overall better fit for the different body forms. Ease distribution without considering body arcs was found to be a cause of garment fit problems. Patterns with little or no ease caused transverse fine wrinkles and skewed side seams. Pattern techniques those used linear equations caused problems on the bust because the formulation could not reflect bust protrusions in relation to the body torso shape differences.Originality/valueThis study revealed characteristics of pattern formulae and linear equations in relation to anthropometric references and body shapes. The findings may be effective in developing algorithm of the customized pattern formation in the industry.


2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-64
Author(s):  
Youngsook Kim ◽  
Hwa Kyung Song ◽  
Susan P. Ashdown

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze petite women’s body size and figure and investigate whether current petite sizing charts accurately reflect actual petit size women’s bodies. This study also categorizes petite women’s body shapes and suggests primary body measurements as a base size for each shape. The ultimate goal is to suggest fundamental body measurements for apparel companies to modify and improve their sizing. Design/methodology/approach – This study used data from SizeUSA data to compare body measurements of 18-35-year-old petite women to regular women. The authors compared the results to measurement differences between petite and regular sizing charts of 14 apparel companies. Then, using the principal component analysis and cluster analysis, the authors classified petite women’s body shapes. Body measurements for each body type are contrasted with the current petite sizing charts, and then, the authors present differences as suggestions for modification and improvement of petite sizing. Findings – Industry sizing system do not generally represent average petite size women preciously except for stature. Within the petite women, four body types were identified (top petite: 30.0 percent, bottom petite: 30.8 percent, regular petite: 23.6 percent, and plus size: 15.4 percent). Of the four groups, the ASTM D7878 generally represented the “top petite” sizing. Originality/value – It is the first to analyze the industry petite sizing system utilizing population data and focus petite sizing for women aged 18-35. The authors believe this study could draw attention of the apparel industry, providing companies with ideas of how to improve their petite sizing for young women.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0254785
Author(s):  
Suyong Song ◽  
Stephen Baek

The association between physical appearance and income has been of central interest in social science. However, most previous studies often measured physical appearance using classical proxies from subjective opinions based on surveys. In this study, we use novel data, called CAESAR, which contains three-dimensional (3D) whole-body scans to mitigate possible reporting and measurement errors. We demonstrate the existence of significant nonclassical reporting errors in the reported heights and weights by comparing them with measured counterparts, and show that these discrete measurements are too sparse to provide a complete description of the body shape. Instead, we use a graphical autoencoder to obtain intrinsic features, consisting of human body shapes directly from 3D scans and estimate the relationship between body shapes and family income. We also take into account a possible issue of endogenous body shapes using proxy variables and control functions. The estimation results reveal a statistically significant relationship between physical appearance and family income and that these associations differ across genders. This supports the hypothesis on the physical attractiveness premium in labor market outcomes and its heterogeneity across genders.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ran-i Eom ◽  
Yejin Lee

PurposeThe use of shoulder protectors is strongly recommended when carrying objects on the shoulder to ensure the health and safety of workers. Thus, this study aimed to develop and verify an ergonomic shoulder protector that considers human body shape and carrying posture from an ergonomic perspective. Ultimately, this study will present a shoulder protector with enhanced fit and safety for carrying workers at construction sites.Design/methodology/approachThe shoulder protector was designed and printed using three-dimensional printing technology with variable side neck points and shoulder point heights to reflect the human body's shoulder line shape and to position the carried object stably on the shoulder. The developed shoulder protectors were evaluated in terms of their fit according to the work posture of the carrier, adherence upon motion and durability through structural analysis.FindingsThe design of the shoulder protector for carrying workers followed the shoulder line. It is best placed above the side neck point by 1.0 cm and above the shoulder point by 2.0 cm. Its length is slightly shorter than the human shoulder for superior fit and safety.Originality/valueThe final shoulder protector (FSP) for carrying workers reflects the body curvature while enhancing fit and safety by considering activity and protective factors. As functional studies and evaluations on the need for protectors are scarce, this study provides fundamental data in the evaluation of protective gears.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bingfei Gu ◽  
Wenping Lin ◽  
Junqiang Su ◽  
Bugao Xu

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on solving a fit problem associated with female pants by taking into account the body shape of crotch curves. The patterns of customized pants could be altered with the distance ease (DE) distribution along the crotch curve. Design/methodology/approach Four pairs of pants with different crotch ease allowances were designed based on a standard mannequin, and used to study how the DE was distributed along the crotch curve at a given ease allowance. The unclothed mannequin and the four pants, which were dressed, respectively, on the mannequin, were scanned consecutively by a body imaging system. The crotch curve of the unclothed mannequin was superimposed on that of each clothed mannequin to exhibit the differences in radial distance so that the DE distribution could be measured. Findings Through the regression analysis, the prediction models were established to express the relationships between the DE and the ease allowance. These models could be used to estimate the DEs along a crotch curve to reflect its asymmetrical shape when a total allowance was selected. The crotch curves on the pant patterns could be then modified by adding the predicted DEs to the scanned crotch curve. Originality/value This study demonstrated a new pattern alteration approach to achieve a better fit for customized female pants based on the 3D scanning data. This approach can be extended to pattern alterations for men’s pants and other shape-critical products.


2013 ◽  
Vol 328 ◽  
pp. 89-92
Author(s):  
Zheng Liu ◽  
Ji Tuo Li ◽  
Guang Chen ◽  
Guo Dong Lu

For acquiring the body measurements precisely and conveniently, this paper presents a forecast method with character parameters. The character parameters are chosen based on factor analysis. The nonlinear model based on radical basis function net builds the correlation between the character parameters and the detailed measurements. Through measuring a few character parameters easily we can obtain the whole body detailed sizes. This technology can be used in and benefit the clothing manufacture and human modeling.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1199 (1) ◽  
pp. 012019
Author(s):  
S Sivák ◽  
S Maláková

Abstract The development of modern machines and means of production is characterized by ever-increasing performance parameters with decreasing equipment weight. When designing large gears, it is also necessary to consider the influence of the body shape of the gear wheel. The body shape of gear wheel must meet the basic requirements of stiffness and strength with the lightest possible construction of the gear wheel body. The work is focused on large gears, made with relief. Such gears can be forged, cast, or made by welding. The shape of the gear wheel body depends on several factors such as the size of the wheel, the material, the method of manufacture or use. The paper provides an overview of the body shapes used by large spur gears. These body shapes of spur gears will be the subject of further research, where suitability will be assessed based on stiffness of teeth and wheel weight.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document