Length measurements on the body
Figure 5.4 These are the vertical measurements on the body and should be taken perpendicular to the floor. © Drawing author, courtesy of Historic Royal Palaces.
Description of the vertical body measurements
| MEASUREMENT | LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE VERTICAL BODY MEASUREMENTS | |
| (a) | Centre front | Taken at the front from the pit of the neck vertically to the required length, e.g. neck to the waist, neck to hipline, neck to the hem of the garment |
| (b) | Centre back | Taken at the back from the nape of the neck vertically to the required length, e.g. neck to the waist, neck to hipline, neck to the hem of the garment. |
| (c) | Front, shoulder to waist | This measurement is taken at the front from the centre of the shoulder over the bust point to the waist. It is not an absolutely exact measurement as it has to be taken from the ‘imagined’ centre of the shoulder at its highest point, but an acceptable reference point when preparing a mannequin. |
| (d) | Back, shoulder to waist | This measurement is taken from the centre of the shoulder vertically down the back to the waist starting at the same point on the shoulder used for the front shoulder to waist measurement.* It can be very useful when establishing the correct waistline position for your garment. *Alternatively, when the waistline of the garment is straight, a quick reference for the waist position on a mannequin can be made by measuring from the front waist to the back waist of the garment, taking the tape over the centre of the shoulder. By placing the tape over the mannequin’s shoulder and matching the end with the desired measurement, the waist position can be estimated. Often this will be above the actual waistline on the mannequin or bust form. |
| (e) | Sleeve,over-arm length | Measured with the arm bent. Starting at the top of the shoulder bone on the arm, down the arm, around the outside of the elbow to the wrist bone above the ‘little’ finger. |
| (f) | Sleeve, under arm length | Measured from the bottom of the armpit (the hollow under the arm) to the wrist bone with the arm straight. |
| (g) | Position of the bust point | Measured from the centre of the shoulder to the nipple. |
| (h) | Armhole depth | This measurement is taken from the top of the arm at the shoulder to the level of the bottom of the armpit. This again is an estimated measurement but useful when selecting a suitable arm size for your mannequin. It is a measurement that, on garments, is very variable depending on the fashion trends at the time the garment was made. |
| Armhole circumference (Not shown) | This measurement, also known as the SCYE, is not strictly a length measurement. It is an extension of the armhole depth and is measured over the top of the shoulder bone down the side of the arm and under the bottom of the armpit (the hollow under the arm). | |
The importance of the relationships between garment measurements
Measuring the horizontal circumferences and the vertical length measurements of the body is relatively easy but identifying the actual body shape requires understanding of how these measurements relate to each other.
In the previous chapter the importance of understanding garment silhouettes when assessing a garment’s date was discussed. The silhouette is created by the relationships between the body measurements – most importantly, the bust, waist and hips. Each period in history had its distinctive silhouette and consequently its measurements had their own unique relationships to each other.
The anchor for all of the torso measurements is the waistline and its relationship to the bust point the most distinctive feature of the silhouette. Underwear played a big part in creating the silhouette and the position of the bust point is directly related to the type of corset or bra fashionable at the time.
In the early 1800s the wearing of stays and early corsets pushed the bust point up to the top of the corset and above the natural level of the underarm. The waistline on dresses is very high, sitting just under the bust. Establishing the correct position for the waist of the garment in the correct relationship to the bust point is essential if the garment is to fit correctly on a mannequin.
By 1840 the bust becomes more rounded and slightly lower and the waist is more accentuated, back to its natural position on the figure and pulled in tightly by the corset, giving an hourglass silhouette.
By the 1890s longer corsets extend the body, moving the bust upwards again and creating a smooth line over the waist and hips.
The S-bend Edwardian corset again changed the body silhouette, pushing the bust forwards, flattening the front of the hips, tightening the waist, giving emphasis to the bust at the front and the hips at the back.
The corset of the 1920s flattened the bust, creating a long smooth silhouette from the shoulder to the hips, or was not worn at all.
The ‘up-lift’ bras of the 1950s again raised the bust point, creating a fuller wellsupported bust but with a slightly pointed profile.
The abandoning of any sort of bust support by some young women in the ‘Swinging Sixties’1 caused the bust to return to a more natural position.
The 1980s fitness craze again necessitated bust support in the form of Lycra.2 In 1994 the arrival of the new ‘Wonderbra’ again changed the bust profile and so the story continues. Establishing the correct height of the bust point and its relationship to the waistline is therefore essential to the correct interpretation of clothing of any period.