• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.55 no.2 s.92
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• pp.1-17
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• 2005

The realistic plan to establish a silver market in the clothing industries has not taken concrete shape, although the interest in the establishment of a silver market targeting the aged as a new custom group Is gradually Increasing because the rapid development of science and medical technology in the 20th century has led to an extension of lift and improvement of living conditions. The specialized business which produces and sells the clothing for the elderly is of small number and most of the clothes for the elderly are manufactured and sold by the companies for women's clothing in which change the size or length of the original works rather than reflect the bodily features of the elderly. The findings indicated that domestic brands showed the coordinated concept of a suit of jacket and slacks or skirts while the clothes were formed with a variety of coordinations centering around single article in the U.S brands. But, there was no difference in the use of natural materials centering around cotton and silk etc. and in the use of embroidery, lace and decorative details between the two countries. The knit brands of knit suit style in Korea were formed with the items focused on pull over and cardigan twin set, while the U.S brands were mainly formed with the design of knit suit style. The domestic knit brands were mostly developed with complicated patterns and gorgeous colors, while most of the U.S. brands were presenting a single or two tone color suit style and evening one-piece dress with a simple and modern style. The sporty casual brands of sporty casual style in Korea had a variety of colors and patterns focused on function and comfort for diverse leisure activities and daily life, while the U.S brands were established to present a variety of styles with the items of single article because they had a separate brand for casual even though it was not a exclusive brand for the elderly This study has a meaning in the presentation of the design idea considering the bodily shape of the elderly compared to the ready-to-wear considering the size alone, by examining the characteristics of bodice according to the physical change of the elderly women, analyzing the design of madam brand and the style of the ready-to-wear, researching the general circumstances of the brand for the elderly women, and highlighting the necessity of the elderly clothing market.