Fashion Basics: Flattering Proportion

As I mentioned in the post identifying the five design elements, proportion is somewhat confusing to many women, and the one that is probably the most important to your pocket book.  It is also responsible for many of our styling triumphs or mistakes.  Simply put,  equal proportions are not desirable in a garment; in color or design elements. Uneven proportion; a long top with a short skirt, a short top with a long skirt, etc. are usually the most flattering on your body.  For those of you who were art students, you may remember that as long ago as Greek and Italian craftsmen ruled the art world, proportion was an element of pleasing design. The generally recognized balance of proportions for overall pleasure to the eye was a 3 to 5 ratio, or an easier ratio of one to two, which almost as well.  This art principle still holds true today, tomorrow, and forever more. 

What does this mean?  For those of you who are at least as old as I am, It was  "a rule" that your hat, gloves, shoes, and handbag all were the same color  You might have had a fur collar or other elements of the garment that were the same color as the accessories.  (Most of the time a woman looked like she had been immersed in a dye vat!-that was the "in" trend.)  Many times this look was also enhanced by the addition of eye shadow and nail polish n the same shade!! .. Fortunately, that "trend" passed.  (I must say, my own style does keep a bit of that coordination in mind; I like a bit of the "pulled together" look that some "matchy-matchy" brings to the table-and it is my style personality; although not at all in the current vogue, it is a flattering look for my figure type).

Another look that has always been in the fashion mainstream is the ensemble that is based on two colors such as a white blouse, a black skirt, white tights, and black shoes.  This too much 50-50% too balanced mix is even more pronounced if it is worn with a black hat. that composition (called "patrician" at one time) ALWAYS the proportions of a black skirt, and a white blouse will be enhanced with a black sweater and neutral or black tights and black shoes rather than a white sweater and white tights with the same skirt, blouse, and black shoes.  Too even a distribution of colors does not work as well as the ratio mentioned above. (You see the same effect in gardening when planting vegetation too evenly) 

The "golden mean" as the proportion ratio is called, has been  an artistic visual value since ancient times and is prevalent in all art forms.  (gleaned from six years of art classes as a young woman)  This rule holds true to color proportion, size proportion, etc.  Simply put, if you are wearing a long jacket, it usually looks better over a short skirt; if you are wearing a short jacket, it looks better over a long skirt., and a long skirt almost always looks better tucked in,  HOWEVER,( another one of the big howevers, )the color of your hose, if the same as the color of your skirt, extends the proportion, as does the color of a neck scarf,  your hair if worn around the face etc. to the top garment. 

Anyway, fashion should be a bit of fun, not just scientific arrangement, however, keeping proportion  close to the 1:2 two ratio (actually, 2:3) will make an outfit appear much more "effortless", and is almost always more pleasing to the eye.