In reference to length-balancing, which sometimes seems very complicated, I occasionally use the term “head-lengths”.
head-length = approximately 1/8 of total height
There is another, rather simpler, way of using these head-lengths.
Starting at the top, 7 points on your vertical self to be aware of:
- From visual top of head to chin: that is your actual head-length. If it’s more or less than 1/8 of your total height, there are ways to use hair-styling to adapt.
- From chin to a single head-length below is a good spot for construction details and other focal points or design elements. (Edited: this is not necessarily the same as either of the “focus on the face” balance points.)
- Drop down one more head-length (you are now a total of three head-lengths from the top) to find a great spot for a belt or waist detail.
- Here’s where I get into trouble: the next head-length down should be the top of the legs. On me, it’s two to three inches above the tops of my legs. I have a long rise! For most, this is a natural spot to have a jacket or top end.
- I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that the next head-length point down the body would be where mid-thigh shorts should end.
- Next down: knee length! Classic length for dresses and skirt.
- Seven head-lengths from the top or, easier to work with, a head-length up from the floor is the length I would choose for capris and mid-calf skirts. That makes sense with Dana’s fashion lab, combining different shoes with capris, doesn’t it?
Many all-time classic looks combine this use of head-lengths with Golden Mean length-balancing (either 3 to 5 or 2 to 3); a blouse tucked into a high-waisted knee-length skirt, for example. Playing with these proportions and varying them produces looks that surprise and maybe even provoke.
One more thing: I’m (almost) 5’6″ and a head-length for me is 8 1/4″. Is that helpful?
Edited: anybody catch that I forgot the 1/4″ on my own head-length?
Good lord, I’m so confused, lol. So how can you tell? DO you actually measure? How does this affect how you dress and all? I think I have a long rise too. I’m high-waisted with long legs, but recently I’ve determined that my rise is a little out of proportion as well. For that reason, “low-rise” jeans look awful on me, as do “high-waisted” jeans. I need something that cuts right at or barely beneath my belly button, but it’s HARD to find that nowadays.
dcrmom, my DKNY Soho jeans hit just beneath my belly button, and I have a long torso (but virtually no legs!).
Rebecca, I just decide visually! 😉
I’m a very visual person, so when this topic comes up, I usually read until my eyes glaze and then think, HUH? 🙂 Can you show us examples with pictures of what you’re describing? I think if I could see it I would grasp it much better.
dcrmom ~ I just measured once, the first time I went through the Triumph of Individual Style. Alot of people, like Wendy, just eyeball it. Also I think variations account for alot of things that people just do, or become part of their idiom, like people that always wear heels or never wear belts.
If I wore skirts or dresses all the time, I wouldn’t have to make any adjustments at all. Pants are always a little more complicated. The good news is that it’s not necessary to stress about getting everything exact to within fractions of inches, because things can be a little more interesting with slight variation.
With regard to selecting jeans and pants: I find that pants that are sold to hit just below the belly button end up fitting me like I think low-rise pants should fit. Low-rise is just out. Besides the ones Wendy mentioned, which I’ve heard wonderful things about, I’m told that Express jeans fit higher (and both my daughters have worn them successfully). When I shop for jeans, I pull out my tape measure and measure the rise. Anything under 9″ doesn’t warrant getting undressed.
I haven’t tried the long torso swimsuits yet, but I think I’m going to have to. Otherwise I need about a size 12, which won’t fit correctly in other ways. 😉
Oh, also, have you tried the zafu jeans fit finder yet?
Alyson ~ I’ll have to figure out how to do that with my (almost non-existent) technical skills. 🙂
Interesting post. I love finding technical reasons for why stuff looks good! I’m going to measure me up and see how I go!
Rebecca-What if you took a full legnth photo of a person, then opened it in a photo editor (ms paint or something more complex) and in a contrasting color (red? yellow?) literally drew lines across the photo at the end of each “head legnth”
It would be crude but effective.
There would be other, more elegant ways to do this with head shaped ovals stacked on top of each other right next to the persons form for example.
Hmmm. Those are good ideas. Believe it or not, I didn’t know you could do that with paint; but I know my daughters know how to use it. Possibly they could help me build a tower of 8 ovals that could be re-sized and laid over any picture.
I like it! Oh, now we’ll see how quickly I can get around to getting it done and how much of the rest of my life has to go on hold until then.
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I came across the “Fashion Fit Formula” and bought into it. I think it was money well spent. They won’t give you the formula but they have videos on how to measure and what measurements to send them and they will sent you a kit that, among other things, shows examples and tells you how many inches off the floor each skirt, capri, jacket should be on you. you can take a look at
http://www.fashionfitformula.com