Fashion Styling Objectives

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FASHION STYLING OBJECTIVES

1.  GET THE COLOURS RIGHT

Colour of clothes is critical in enhancing attractiveness.  The best colours are complementary to natural colouring.  A person can wear almost every   colour as long as it is the best hue, value, intensity and undertone for the natural colouring.

Physical effects of colour should be considered

Need to consider the power of colour as a silent communicator of associated and symbolic messages, i.e. body language.

Need to select the correct colours and then put together winning combinations.

Assess colour profile (tonal characteristics - deep, light, bright, muted, warm and cool and colour direction (seasons) by developing a palette of colours.

Colour palette should include neutrals, basics and accent colours depending on your colours

2. BALANCED SILHOUETTE

Dress in garments whose silhouettes are the same as your natural body shape.  Any combination of clothing pieces can be worn as long as the overall silhouette resembles a natural extension of your body shape.  In you wish to enlarge or reduce your body shape colour can assist you:

You need to effectively change your natural silhouette by visually creating an entirely new fashion form using techniques to rebalance width proportions on your body.  This may mean narrowing or widening the shoulders, waist or hips by using appropriate line treatment.

The illusion of proportions can be created by positioning horizontal style lines that are incorporated within different garment designs at different positions along the body or by using colour illusions to create proportional contrast.

3. FABRIC CHOICE

The draping properties of a fabric affect how good the figure looks in the clothes.

Crisper fabrics - more lightly woven, fall in straight lines and can make a figure look bulky and add extra volume.

Loosely woven fabrics - fall in soft folds and are known for their soft draping properties,

can be less rewarding for a fuller figure.

Texture of fabric - adds softness to the line of the garment and add also add volume or

bulk.  Therefore, account must be taken to ensure that too much texture does not create

excessive volume to those parts of the body that need to be minimised.  Heavy tweeds,

knits, wide corduroy, quilted fabrics and velvets can make a fuller figure appear larger.

Fabrics such as fine jersey knits or lycra which cling to body contours reveal every curve

and bump.

Visual balance - Aim to create a better visual balance between the upper and lower body by varying the amount of volume.

Surface quality of the fabric -  For example, compare the difference between matt and

shiny fabrics.  Shiny fabrics reflect the most minor figure curve.  This has to do with the

way that light is reflected more effectively from a smooth surface.  Shiny fabrics like satin,

taffeta, brocade, sequins or metallics add width.

4. TRICK THE EYE

It is possible to highlight a person's attention to a specific spot on your body.  Conversely, a focal point can also be used to shift attention away from a non-flattering region of the body.  This can be achieved by skilfully using colour, shape, line, repetition, texture, print or accessories to capture attention or act as a diversion mechanism.  Focal points can also be created using jewellery, belts, scarves, shawls, buttons, draping or other design detail on a garment.  They can also be used to add interest. Care should be taken when introducing accessories as  the perception of scale as to how one object appears in proportion to another object.  This principle can be used to minimise size and body features by surrounding a feature with space to optically diminish its size.