Improving pant fit for women 55 and older through an exploration of two pant shapes

Relationships of sizing, body shape, and pattern shape to pants fit were explored for women aged 55 and older. Test pants were designed in two shape options (full/flat seat) in five sizes, produced, and tested on 176 participants in five states. Sizes were developed using ASTM D5586-94 data. Both participants and experts evaluated fit. Participants with flatter seat shape were significantly more satisfied with fit at the hip indicating that the introduction of a shape variable can improve satisfaction with fit for population segments with equivalent body shape variations. Experts were more critical, identifying areas of variation not addressed in the study. Results highlight the complexity of fit. Variations in body size, shape, proportion, and posture make creation of effective ready-to-wear sizing systems with a practical number of sizes difficult. Solutions to provide good fit may include creating sizing for a subset of mature women and developing custom fit methods.