Exploring female consumers’ preferred evaluative criteria for casual clothing purchases and the association with body shape

Abstract

The association between clothing fit and body shape is vital to purchasing satisfaction. However, scant research is available on female consumers’ use of this criterion to determine whether an apparel item will suit their body shape. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between female consumers’ perceived body shape and the evaluative criteria they frequently use when making casual clothing purchasing decisions. A group-administered questionnaire was used to collect purposeful and convenient data from 316 female respondents, aged 18–60 plus years, in Gauteng, South Africa. Respondents identified their perceived body shape using Style-Makeover body shape illustrations. They then indicated the importance/unimportance of pre-selected evaluative criteria relating to fit/sizing, style/design, colour/pattern, appearance, appropriateness/acceptability, comfort and fibre content/material when considering a casual blouse/top, skirt/trousers or a dress based on their body shape. Across all three clothing categories, fit/sizing and comfort were the most important evaluative criteria, statistically equally important and differ significantly from the proportions of other evaluative criteria for a casual blouse, skirt/trousers and dress. Women with a diamond body shape attach significantly more importance to the colour/pattern of a casual blouse/top, and women with an oval body shape found the styling/design of a casual skirt/trousers to be important. For a dress, significant associations were found between fit/sizing and women with an hourglass body shape, comfort and the triangle body shape, and colour/patterns and the rectangular body shape. These associations were small but significant, and South African fashion designers may need to consider that women with these body shapes may be less satisfied with current casual retail clothing designs, subsequently emphasizing where clothing fit needs to improve for certain prominent body shapes in South Africa.