Fit
As fit (seat) is defined as the adaptation of the shape of a garment or shoe to the human body. A good fit contributes to comfort .
Since every person has different body proportions in addition to different body dimensions, the size of the clothing alone does not allow any statement as to whether the clothing is optimally adapted to the body.
An optimal fit is achieved by custom-made products by a tailor or shoemaker .
In addition, different types (cut types) of garments are named as fits.
dress
When it comes to clothing, the fit is determined by different clothing sizes. The fit of clothing is strongly dependent on fashion , which is why the term fit has become common for different types and types of clothing. In women's fashion, a distinction is made between up to 142 fits.
An attempt is made to standardize clothing sizes by measuring average body sizes . In Germany this is carried out by the Hohenstein Institute . The resulting standard tables serve the designers as useful templates for finished measurement tables and thus also for the clothing sizes. Nevertheless, the sizes of the clothing vary from manufacturers to different manufacturers. In addition, there are no international standards, but many European countries maintain their own size specifications, adapted to the respective data and measurements that were collected.
Many fashion manufacturers offer size and fit charts to make it easier for customers in online shops to choose the right size. In women's fashion in particular, many big brands have tried in different ways to approach the problem and find an adequate and helpful solution for their customers. In a survey, 64.2% of respondents said that a good fit is very important when buying clothes.
Oversize and extremely tall people in particular often find it difficult to find clothes that fit well.
In contrast to shoes, the fit of clothing is mostly dependent on the cut of the garment. For example, skinny jeans require a different fit than Marlene trousers. Which garment fits best and offers the wearer the most comfortable fit and thus a high level of comfort also depends heavily on the figure type and individual aspects such as taste, personal preferences, trends, fashion consciousness and style.
Shoes
The problem with shoes is the fit
- Foot shapes deviating from the norm (wide feet, fleshy feet, high instep) or pathologically changed feet (e.g. arches and splay feet),
- more fashionable details (z. B. narrow toe, just shoes) oriented shoe forms, because oriented fußmorphologischen circumstances last shapes ,
- different foot proportions in different countries and regions (Italian and Japanese shoes are therefore often too narrow for northern Europeans),
- Infancy .
The problem is very complex and depends partly on the manufacturing industry, partly on the vanity of the shoe wearer themselves, as well as on their inexperience (in the case of children). Studies (EuroShoeProject 2001–2004) show that most consumers complain about the fit of the shoes. This is due, among other things, to the fact that most shoes are made in different shoe lengths, but not in different shoe widths (five different widths are required for each shoe length for an adequate supply). Medical statistical data also shows that the majority of the population in industrialized countries has foot problems (around 75–80%), which in turn can be traced back to well over 90 percent due to improperly fitting footwear.
And even a printed shoe size doesn't say much about the actual size. The manufacturers do not implement the specifications exactly. The lasts , according to which shoes are made, are often measured according to English sizes, which with their half sizes (7, 7½, 8, 8½ etc.) have a finer graduation than the sizes used in continental Europe (39, 40, 41 etc.) .). The result is rounding errors, duplication or gaps in size, etc., which manufacturers have to deal with.
While adults can relatively quickly find the desired model in a (apparently) suitable shoe size by trying on, children decide according to other criteria, such as appearance, color, etc. Children have different priorities. Since the child's foot is also significantly softer and more adaptable, children do not feel any pain when shoes are too short or too tight. This is often not noticed by the parents. (The usual thumb test proves to be inadequate.) But the foot will deform over time in a shoe that is too small, which can lead to permanent damage. In February 2005, the Deutsches Ärzteblatt found that an increasing number of young schoolchildren are already suffering from foot problems that limit mobility.
Often reinforced by current fashion trends, in that young girls in particular wear pointed shoes in the toe area that do not leave enough space for the toes and (especially when wearing heels 3 to 4 centimeters high) already develop hallux valgus in 14-year-olds ( Misalignment of the big toe). In China , until the 20th century, women's feet were deliberately crippled by binding them, as small feet were considered beautiful . If you look at the feet of European women and pay attention to the unnaturally crooked position of the big toe (hallux valgus), we are not immune to such dangers in the name of “beauty”. Because hallux valgus results on the one hand from the less pronounced connective tissue in women (partly hereditary), but on the other hand also from wearing shoe tips that are too narrow in the toe area and which have a negative effect due to high heels.
literature
- Guido Hofenbitzer: Made-to-measure cuts and fit : Pattern construction for women's fashion Volume 2 . 1st edition. Europa-Lehrmittel, 2013, ISBN 978-3-8085-6238-3 .
- Wieland Kinz: children's feet-children's shoes. Everything you need to know about little feet and shoes . 3. Edition. Self-published, 2005, ISBN 3-00-005879-6 .