A Mixed Methods Exploration of Expertise in Aesthetic Judgment of Apparel for Different Body Shapes

Researcher: Bolanle Dahunsi

Program: Wearable Technology Lab

Is expert knowledge of prescriptive relationships between body and garment attributes for “conventional” female consumers predictive of subjective aesthetic judgments of taste by young adult viewers?

With increasing growth in the fashion industry, consumers are faced with such a vast selection of clothing that it is difficult to select appropriate options. Most people rely on decision support systems such as apparel recommenders to simplify the purchase process. Existing purchase decision support systems rely on recommender systems in one form or another. Examples of such systems include the “items similar to” and “customers who bought this item also bought” sections found below a product while shopping online. 

Two main challenges with relying on such recommenders for apparel purchase decisions are 1) people with similar tastes may not necessarily look good in the same styles. 2) people prefer recommendations of serendipitous new items that would fit well with their existing wardrobe, rather than similar items to those they already own. Integrating physical features of users, garment characteristics, and aesthetic principles in apparel recommendations could increase the relevance and appropriateness of clothing recommendations and improve wardrobe utilization. Using a mixed methods approach, this research seeks to learn the requirements for building inclusive user profiles from professional stylists based on body shape and empirically assess differences or similarities in stylists’ prescriptive advice and young adult viewers’ aesthetic perceptions. 
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