Garment Fitting
Garment Fitting is how well the garment conforms to the wearer’s body. It is influenced by fashion trends, personal preferences, the usage and the function of the garment.
Five Elements of Garment Fitting
Five elements are used to evaluate the fitness of the garment. They are grain, set, balance, line and ease.
Grain
Garments must be cut on grain. The lengthwise grain of the fabric must run parallel to the length of the body and the crosswise grain must run perpendicular to the body. Otherwise, garments will not hang straight. The seamlines may twist.
Set
The garment with good set will be worn smoothly on the wearer’s body without any set
wrinkles. Set wrinkles are always found on the oversize or undersize garments.
Balance
The good garment must look symmetrically balance at the front or back view. The centre lines of the garment and the body must be aligned. Unbalanced garments worn unevenly on wearers will show poor postures.
Line
The structural lines of the good garments must follow the natural lines of wearers. Out-of-line garments will show poor postures and wearers will not feel comfortable.
Ease
Ease refers to the amount of roominess in a garment. Garments require adequate ease to provide sufficient room for body movement and show the designed style. Lack of ease will effect the movement of wearers.
About Ease
Ease is the measurable difference between measurement of the body and measurement of the garment.
The garments have two types of ease:
1. Wearing ease
2. Design Ease
All garments must contain wearing ease to allow for movement and livability. You cannot alter the garment based on this ease.
Wearing ease follows the basic rule that the wearer must be able to move bend, breathe, sit, raise arms and walk without the garment being overpulled, pinched, binded, stretched or strained beyond a natural relaxed position.
Rigid fabrics are hard and stiff. They require more wearing ease than stretch fabrics. Stretch fabrics may require less comfort allowances.
Design Ease defines the silhouette. It is over and above the wearing ease.
Fitted body has only wearing ease. The design ease gets added as the silhouette moves from semi fitted to slightly fitted to loosely fitted.
Some Wearing Ease Criteria
(I)
Women
1.5 to 2" wearing ease at bust
3/4" to 1" wearing ease at waist
2"-2 3/4" wearing ease at hips
(II)
Some people say that There is a minimum wearing ease that is 6 cm in the bust area, 2 cm in the waist and 4 in the hips
(III)
Areas to Add Wearing Ease (Smaller Figure) Larger Figure
Bust/Chest (2) 4
Waist/Belly/Underbelly (2) 4
Hips (2) 4
Thigh/Calf (2) 2 - 3
Upper Arm/Forearm/Wrist (2) 2
(IV)
Type of Garment Chest/Bust Ease Allowance
Shirt /Blouse 10~14 cm
Jacket 16~24 cm
Coat 20~28 cm
(V)
(V)
Mens
Fitted shirts: 1 1/2" to 2 1/2" wearing ease through the chest
Classic or standard shirts have - 3" ease
pants: 3/4" or 1" ease at the waistline
Pants : have 1 1/2" wearing ease through the seat.
Pants: must have min. 1" wearing ease through the thigh
According to Burgo (1998), there are three variable factors that determine ease allowance:
a. Silhouette- whether regular, fitted or loose.
b. Positioning of clothing with respect to proximity to the surface of the body
c. Thickness of the material (with thicker material, the fabric in the seam allowance occupies space and reduces ease)
As per positioning, there are five different degrees:
a. Zero Degrees- Clothing worn directly in contact with skin, e.g. underwear.
b. First Degree- Clothing worn directly on top of underwear
c. Second Degree- Clothing on top of the first degree
d. Third Degree- Very heavy weight clothing.
e. Fourth Degree- Clothing with lining such as fur and quilt.
Based on that the following tables gives the ease amount used for various degrees:
Garment Fitting is how well the garment conforms to the wearer’s body. It is influenced by fashion trends, personal preferences, the usage and the function of the garment.
Five Elements of Garment Fitting
Five elements are used to evaluate the fitness of the garment. They are grain, set, balance, line and ease.
Grain
Garments must be cut on grain. The lengthwise grain of the fabric must run parallel to the length of the body and the crosswise grain must run perpendicular to the body. Otherwise, garments will not hang straight. The seamlines may twist.
Set
The garment with good set will be worn smoothly on the wearer’s body without any set
wrinkles. Set wrinkles are always found on the oversize or undersize garments.
Balance
The good garment must look symmetrically balance at the front or back view. The centre lines of the garment and the body must be aligned. Unbalanced garments worn unevenly on wearers will show poor postures.
Line
The structural lines of the good garments must follow the natural lines of wearers. Out-of-line garments will show poor postures and wearers will not feel comfortable.
Ease
Ease refers to the amount of roominess in a garment. Garments require adequate ease to provide sufficient room for body movement and show the designed style. Lack of ease will effect the movement of wearers.
About Ease
Ease is the measurable difference between measurement of the body and measurement of the garment.
The garments have two types of ease:
1. Wearing ease
2. Design Ease
All garments must contain wearing ease to allow for movement and livability. You cannot alter the garment based on this ease.
Wearing ease follows the basic rule that the wearer must be able to move bend, breathe, sit, raise arms and walk without the garment being overpulled, pinched, binded, stretched or strained beyond a natural relaxed position.
Rigid fabrics are hard and stiff. They require more wearing ease than stretch fabrics. Stretch fabrics may require less comfort allowances.
Design Ease defines the silhouette. It is over and above the wearing ease.
Fitted body has only wearing ease. The design ease gets added as the silhouette moves from semi fitted to slightly fitted to loosely fitted.
Some Wearing Ease Criteria
(I)
Women
1.5 to 2" wearing ease at bust
3/4" to 1" wearing ease at waist
2"-2 3/4" wearing ease at hips
(II)
Some people say that There is a minimum wearing ease that is 6 cm in the bust area, 2 cm in the waist and 4 in the hips
(III)
Areas to Add Wearing Ease (Smaller Figure) Larger Figure
Bust/Chest (2) 4
Waist/Belly/Underbelly (2) 4
Hips (2) 4
Thigh/Calf (2) 2 - 3
Upper Arm/Forearm/Wrist (2) 2
(IV)
Type of Garment Chest/Bust Ease Allowance
Shirt /Blouse 10~14 cm
Jacket 16~24 cm
Coat 20~28 cm
(V)
(V)
Mens
Fitted shirts: 1 1/2" to 2 1/2" wearing ease through the chest
Classic or standard shirts have - 3" ease
pants: 3/4" or 1" ease at the waistline
Pants : have 1 1/2" wearing ease through the seat.
Pants: must have min. 1" wearing ease through the thigh
According to Burgo (1998), there are three variable factors that determine ease allowance:
a. Silhouette- whether regular, fitted or loose.
b. Positioning of clothing with respect to proximity to the surface of the body
c. Thickness of the material (with thicker material, the fabric in the seam allowance occupies space and reduces ease)
As per positioning, there are five different degrees:
a. Zero Degrees- Clothing worn directly in contact with skin, e.g. underwear.
b. First Degree- Clothing worn directly on top of underwear
c. Second Degree- Clothing on top of the first degree
d. Third Degree- Very heavy weight clothing.
e. Fourth Degree- Clothing with lining such as fur and quilt.
Based on that the following tables gives the ease amount used for various degrees:
