Heriot-Watt Uni's Textiles and Design School to answer female sartorial dilemmas

12 Jan '06

3 min read

Research carried out by Heriot-Watt (HW) University's School of Textiles and Design will answer one of the greatest female sartorial dilemmas - does my bum look big in this?

We've all been asked 'does my bum look big in this?' When getting ready to go out or going shopping with friends.

Having finished my PhD in pressure garments for burn scars I decided to find out, properly, once and for all - what is it exactly about some garments that makes bottoms look big and others that make bottoms look small?

It's also interesting that currently there is a trend to make bottoms look fuller when traditionally people tended to want to look smaller than they were.

There is much discussion in the popular media of garment styles and colours that flatter the body and it is generally accepted that enhancing body perception can improve wearers' confidence and self esteem.

However, the factors that affect perception of body size have never been fully investigated in a simple pedagogical manner. Therefore, neither designers nor consumers have access to scientifically established information that could enable them to design or select garments to enhance body size/shape perception.

This investigation will provide detailed and useable information that would enable textile and garment designers to design garments for women that would enhance the perception of their body size and shape (in line with changing trends for curvier/ straighter and bigger/smaller bodies).

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