| Author: | Li, Wang Hei |
| Title: | An investigation of design preferences and interrelationship between aesthetics and fitting concerns in Hong Kong menswear fashion |
| Degree: | Ph.D. |
| Year: | 2013 |
| Subject: | Men's clothing -- China -- Hong Kong. Fashion design. Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | Institute of Textiles and Clothing |
| Pages: | 276 p. : col. ill. ; 30 cm. |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | Owing to the emergent phenomena of androgyny, metrosexuality and new men in recent decades, meeting males' expectations and needs of menswear design no longer suffices. Modern men do not merely dress for physical comfort or utility. Now they are more fashion-conscious and value-driven and strive for better clothing performances in multiple facets. Our sizing system is commonly used for mass production today and offers the closest fit by producing various sizes. However, wearers' socio-psychological concerns are not taken into account during the development of the system, which may churn out ineffective fits. This study provides knowledge of menswear evaluation by taking into account men's physical and socio-psychological dimensions. A questionnaire survey and a wearing trial were carried out in this study with 143 males participating in the survey while 26 subjects of medium stature were invited to the trial. The main objectives of the questionnaire were to 1) examine predictors of menswear design preferences in terms of physical (i.e. BMI) and psychological dimensions (i.e. menswear functions and menswear involvement); 2) categorize young males into clusters in terms of design preferences; and provided findings for specimen-making in the wearing trial. The wearing trial examined criteria and determinants during respondents' evaluation of menswear while offering knowledge in finalization of size specifications for making of men's clothing items (i.e. T-shirts, shirts, jackets and pants). Statistical analyses (e.g. factor analysis, cluster analysis correlation, multiple regression, and ANOVA with Scheffe tests) were undertaken. The subjects were divided into 3 clusters: 1) Fashion & Masculine; 2) Low-Function Value; and 3) Camouflage & Comfort; in which they were identified as having different clothing preferences as they had unique characteristics in clothing functions and levels of fashion involvement. By using multiple regression, styling attributes (dependent variables) were suggested to be predicted by physical and socio-psychological dimension (independent variables). Regarding subjects' responses to performances of specimens in terms of aesthetics and fitting, aesthetics and comfort were identified as two main criteria by factor analyses. While based on the subjects' preferences for and expectations of menswear design, the final set of size specifications was created for various clusters of local young men. This study sheds light on researches on modern menswear, provides understanding of fit satisfaction and knowledge of sizing beyond physical dimensions, and lays an empirical foundation for further study about menswear design. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | open access |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b26391004.pdf | For All Users | 13.49 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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