Page 14 - Anthropometry, Apparel Sizing and Design

New directions in the field of anthropometry, sizing and clothing fit 9

Fig. 1.2 Body shapes of Plus size men.

for each body shape. For example, while designing clothes for senior citizens, a
designer need not use the same block pattern as is used to design for younger women.
The increase in curvature of back and change in bilateral symmetry of the body of
women with age can be quantified and visualized from the scans. A deeper under-
standing of variations in shoulder shapes and angles can help solve fit problems that
are common in the shoulder area of women (Ashdown and Na, 2008).
A scanning survey of plus-size men in Germany conducted by Morlock et al.
(2016) provides an insight into the high variability existing in the shape of bodies
of plus-size men. It is clear from the scans that several body shapes exist within
the plus-size group and it cannot be treated as a single homogeneous group. As seen
in Fig. 1.2, the shape and curvature of chest, upper back, hip, and abdomen area is
different for each size group. The abdomen starts to hang after a certain size, and this
changes the body morphology altogether. It is obvious that each one of these body
shapes requires a different pattern shape for the garment to give a good fit. Detail dis-
cussion on size charts for plus-size men and women can be found in Chapter 16 of this
book. Such shape data of real bodies can be used to redefine body morphotypes and
redesign patterns to accommodate the varied body shapes found in each group.
Another application of 3-D scans has been demonstrated for the study of body-
shaping garments. While these garments are being used extensively by customers, lit-
tle is known about the actual sculpting effect these garments have on the body. In an
interesting study, Klepser et al. (2018) used 3-D scans to measure changes in body
geometry brought about by shaping garments. Cross sections of scans of users with
and without the shaping garments show the bridging, compression, and silhouette
smoothing effect of shaping products. Results underline the importance of material
properties, body geometry, and body tissue on shaping effects. Crucial information
about which areas of the body are shapeable, and quantitative data regarding the
shapeability of various types of garments can provide useful inputs to designers of
shapewear.
Applications of 3-D shape data in the field of medical devices and prosthetics as
well as assistive devices have also been explored. Veitch et al. (2012) used body scan-
ning to study the complex 3-D geometry of the female breast in preoperative breast