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1.1 Body Measurement

Body measurement plays a vital role in better fitting of garments to the human body. Hence, it is crucial for a designer or dressmaker to have better knowledge of body anatomy as well as the correct procedure for taking body measurements. For efficient fabric utilization in the cutting room, the designer should know the size and shape of the body for which the designing has to be done, and it begins with the eight head theory (Adu-Boakye et al. 2012).

1.1.1 Body Anatomy

The father of tailoring, Mr. Wampon, drew seven imaginary lines across the body structure for the purpose of easy measurement in tailoring. The complete body structure was lengthwise divided into eight equal parts, which is known as the eight head theory. This theory has become the foundation of all fashion drawing and for understanding the body shape and structure for fashion (Adu-Boakye et al. 2012).

1.1.1.1 Eight Head Theory

According to this theory, the normal body structure is considered 5′4″ height. This body is divided into 8 parts in which each part is 8″ in length. A development of this theory is the ten head theory, which is used for all fashion drawing. This figure is referred to as fashion model figure. In this system, the body structure is divided into ten equal parts or heads (Jacob 1988; AduBoakye et al. 2012). The bottom part of the body is longer compared to the eight head figure. The ideal height for this theory is taken to be 5′8″. The division of body structure in the eight head principle is shown in Figure 2.1.

1. Hair to chin: The garments are generally worn on the body through the head and hence hat or cap head measurements should be taken. The right place on the neck is the chin itself. Yoke measurements are