Posture, Stance And The Fit A Mirror Hides

Standard patterns assume a symmetrical, upright figure. Actual bodies differ from that assumption in consistent ways, and the resulting fit problems have recognizable signatures.

The pattern encodes a posture

A garment is drafted with the back cut longer than the front to accommodate the curve of the spine and the projection of the shoulder blades.

That relationship is set for an average stance. A person who stands with more forward curve needs more length in the back, and one who stands very erect needs less.

The mismatch does not show as a size problem. It shows as fabric collecting somewhere it should be smooth.

Wrinkles point toward the cause

Fabric pulls into diagonal folds that run toward the place where it is short, and pools into horizontal folds where it is long.

Horizontal folds across the upper back mean the back is longer than the body requires. Diagonal pulls from the shoulder blades outward mean it is shorter.

The same reading applies to a collar that stands away at the back and a jacket that rides up at the front, both of which are balance problems rather than sizing ones.

Shoulder slope varies more than width

Shoulders differ in how steeply they fall as well as how wide they are, and patterns are cut to a standard slope.

A more sloped shoulder leaves the garment sitting on the neck with the sleeve head collapsing, while a squarer one produces pulling at the neck point and a hollow underneath.

It is also common for a person's two shoulders to sit at different heights, which produces the same effect on one side only.

A mirror is a poor instrument for this

Looking in a mirror requires standing still and facing forward, which is a posture nobody holds otherwise.

People also unconsciously correct their stance when watching themselves, so the version in the mirror is not the one other people see.

A photograph taken by someone else, from the side and from behind, shows the garment on the stance actually held, and it is the single most useful fitting tool available at home.

Most of it is correctable

Balance adjustments, shoulder height and slope are routine tailoring on structured garments, since the shoulder seam and armhole are designed to be opened.

The work is not cheap, but it is the difference between a jacket that hangs cleanly and one that never looks right regardless of size.

Knowing the adjustment you need also transfers between garments, so a person who has learned their pattern of deviations can ask for the same corrections on every structured piece they buy.