Page 226 - Anthropometry, Apparel Sizing and Design

220 Anthropometry, Apparel Sizing and Design

distribution of air gap in the “clothes—avatar” system (Lage and Ancutiene, 2017).
Summarily, the fit evaluation is conducted objectively and subjectively in real and
virtual environments, from which the criteria of good fit and pattern adapting
approaches can be achieved.

9.3 Indicators of fit and balance

There are three main factors that influence the fit of RTW clothes:

(1) construction of the pattern block;
(2) clothes manufacturing (cutting, sewing, heat-moisture treatment, etc.);
(3) fullness of consideration of the textile material properties.
To evaluate fit and balance, the following indicators are used:
(1) the visual destruction of the outline shape, not in accordance with traditional styles;
(2) the appearance of stress folds or unnecessary creases that were not planned or designed;
(3) the differences between the 3D shape of the body and clothes parts of shoulder area;
(4) the bottom line isn’t parallel to the floor (if the designed bottom line should be parallel);
(5) the edges and seams don’t follow the anthropometrical levels or lines in accordance with the
design;
(6) the bending of edges and seams under forces arising in clothes;
(7) nonconcordance between the clothes parts in a dynamic state; usually, this evaluation needs
expert opinions and some special devices to record and parameterize the changes in the
clothes due to movement.
The indicators listed are used for balance evaluation in the static state (Aldrich, 2008).
The number of indicators that can be used for evaluation of fit and balance depends on
function and the planned level of clothes quality.
The most serious issue is to find the cause of any defects that appear. Sometimes the
defect has several causes, which can reflect many small mistakes arising step-by-step
from the pattern-block making to the clothes production. Fig. 9.1 shows how two main
elements of the system “male-garment” and “female-garment” could be attached one
to another with imbalances arising from two different causes (see Chapter 10).
As a result of the nonconcordance shown in Fig. 9.1, the side seam isn’t perpen-
dicular to the floor (the angle between side seam and vertical line is not zero) and
the bottom isn’t parallel to the floor (a similar angle can also be measured). Besides
these indicators of imbalance and misfit, the back is located too close to the buttocks.
For the imbalance in Fig. 9.1A, the cause is the inadequacy between the width of the
body and the clothes at the waist and hip levels due to the special male morphology.
For the imbalance in Fig. 9.1B, the front length is shorter than the corresponding body
measurement due to the sloping posture.
All defects of the pattern block can be divided into two groups in accordance with the
causes of their appearance. The defects of the first group take place when the pattern
block parameters are bigger or smaller than the corresponding body measurements, usu-
ally in the horizontal direction. If the pattern dimension is much smaller than the body
measurement, stress folds will arise in the clothes. If the pattern dimension is much