Image consultants Terry Lee McCarthy,
left, and her mother Teresa McCarthy. |
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Image
consultant Terry Lee McCarthy measures
Jennifer Blattman for one of the 12
vertical measurements used to
calculate her personal 'formula' for
dressing her best. The system, called
Fashion Fit Formula, was developed in
the U.S. |
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Jennifer Blattman is a young professional who
has never worried too much about her clothes
other than making sure she has a good
corporate look. But the 30-year-old marketing
project manager at the University of Ottawa
jumped at the chance to try out a new fashion
system that promises that, if you apply 12
measurements when fixing up or buying your
clothes, you'll look better and feel more
confident. It's all about proportion, says the
promotion for Fashion Fit Formula, and the
measurements are supposed to last for life,
whether you gain or lose weight.
Ottawa image consultants Teresa and Terry Lee
McCarthy, marketing managers and trainers for
the program, couldn't wait to get out their
measuring stick when they met Blattman.
The Fashion Fit Formula claims every woman has
four perfect hemlines for skirts and dresses,
two correct sleeve lengths, one perfect waist
point and one perfect neckline point, so the
first step in the program was to take
Blattman's 12 vertical measurements to
calculate her personal "formula."
The system was developed many years ago by
Rhode Island businesswoman Janet Wood. Wood
tried it on her friends, but only went into
business with her idea in the early 1990s.
Since then, it has grown quickly among image
consultants in Canada.
Blattman's measurements sounded complicated:
for example, ideal neckline -- 1.125 inches
below the breastbone; short jacket -- wear at
the leg/torso joint or 34.625 inches above the
floor.
To skeptics this all sounds rather esoteric,
but a couple of weeks after the initial
measuring, the McCarthys arrived with pins and
Blattman's computerized measurements, ready to
show off the program.
They shortened her below-knee skirt to "street
length" (also the length for short capris in
the program), which meant one
inch below the middle of her knee.
Next they shortened her suit jacket to a "standard"
jacket length of 1.875 inches below the middle
knuckle of her third finger. Then they
shortened her sleeves and measured her
necklace, telling her it was too short because
it should have reached 1.125 inches below her
neckline. They showed her the proper length by
adding a scarf to her outfit.
The changes were subtle but telling; Blattman
looked neater, crisper and more stylish. She
was surprised, especially at the length of her
jacket and the McCarthys' little trick of
putting the jacket pocket flaps inside the
pocket for a cleaner look.
"I thought a longer jacket covered my butt,"
Blattman said, "but this looks better."
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She was also pleased with the longer length
around her neck, and listened carefully as the
McCarthys suggested some ideas for shapes to
suit her rectangular face: a scoop or V-neck,
oval glasses and any earrings that aren't
square. "And no chokers," the mother-daughter
duo said.
Blattman will get all these suggestions and
more in a portfolio, which also includes a
printout of her measurements and a pocket-size
tape measure to take to the dressmaker or when
she goes shopping.
If the system sounds complicated for the
average woman who wouldn't dream of shopping
with a tape measure, it's convenient for
turning those outdated clothes in the back in
of the cupboard into something as good as new.
And there are tricks for buying new clothes
using the measurements.
Jennifer McFarlane, a marketing assistant at
Canaccord Capital Corporation, has learned how
to shop using her measurements with a neat
trick. Instead of pulling out a tape measure,
McFarlane makes little marks on her legs to
show the perfect skirt length and on her arms
where the sleeves should end. She bought into
the program after hearing the McCarthys at a
company seminar.
"I'm a petite," she says, "and it was
particularly helpful when it came to buying
shorts."
The measurements for short shorts is included
in the information sheet and are the same as
for a standard jacket, while Bermuda shorts
are the same measurement as a three-quarter
jacket or a mini-skirt.
"I consider myself a nifty dresser," McFarlane
says, "but now I know what's out of proportion.
I'm very particular now about following the
measurements. Not everyone knows when they see
me how I buy my clothes, but they know I look
nice. And it makes you feel more confident."
The McCarthys are the formula's marketing and
sales reps for Canada, as well as trainers,
but there are three other consultants in the
Ottawa area. The computerized portfolios have
been coming from the U.S. office, but Teresa
McCarthy says they'll soon be doing the work
in Canada. A full portfolio, including two
visits with the consultant, measurements and a
workbook along with personalized tips, costs
$250 -- $125 without a workbook.
Margo Roston is an Ottawa writer. Reach Teresa
and Terry Lee McCarthy at Image Solutions,
724-1030.
FITTING SOLUTIONS
The Fashion Fit Formula is directly aimed at
consumers, but stores will also soon have
access to new technologies to help customers
achieve a better fit. Canadian Apparel, an
industry magazine, reported on these
advancements in its September/October issue:
- The Fitter: Aimed at men, this mechanical
device collects 46 body measurements using
bar-coded tapes. The measurements are fed into
a computer, which spits out a measurement form
that can be sent to a manufacturer for a
custom fit. E.R. Fisher in Ottawa has The
Fitter.
- Intellifit: Used in the dressing room, a
machine emits low-power radio waves to measure
the customer's curves, then prints out size
and style recommendations of clothing in the
store. Levi's has tested the system in its
store in Miami Beach. Pregnant women and
people with pacemakers may want to avoid this
one.
- BoSS XXI: This Canadian technology uses a
digital camera to photograph and take
measurements of the body from front and side.
The two images are combined into a single 3D
image, then using customized sizing rules, the
correct size of garment is recommended.
Currently used by the Canadian Armed Forces to
order uniforms, BoSS XXI is close to being
offered to the commercial sector too.
-- Wendy Warburton
© The Ottawa Citizen 2005 |
