Development of Elderly Women's Dress Form According to Their Somatotypes for the Silver Apparel Industry

The purpose of this study is to develop a dress form for elderly women according to their somatotype to be used for improving the fit of garments and patterns. Analyzing each somatotype, there was a significant difference among the 4 somatotypes in most of measure items. Bend-forward Group had shorter front length items. Abdomen-fat Group had lower upper-body values than Average Group and similar lower-body values to Fat Group. In most items except height, Fat Group had the biggest values. Analyzing the mean cross-section according to the section measurement parts, no difference existed in shoulder part and under bust part. However, in upper bust, bust, waist, abdomen, high hip, and hip parts, a significant difference existed. Also, according to the results of the mean cross-section as well as the average cross overlap section for each somatotype, there was a significant difference among the four somatotypes. Thus, Abdomen-fat Group and Fat Group were similar, while Bend-forward Group and Average Group were alike. According to the increase of age, lower body tended to have more conspicuous changes. Analyzing the profile of somatotypes, there existed a obvious significant difference among the 4 somatotypes, implying that the characteristics of somatotype need to be reflected when to develop dress forms for elderly women. Therefore, these differences must be an essential factor in pattern design. Comparing the current dress form with the dress form developed with simulation, we could find that a dress form developed for elderly women which reflects the characteristics of body shape is much better than a dress form developed by simple size variation such as small, medium and large size divisions to improve the fit of garments and pattern designs.