Development of Clothing Size and Grading Increments Chart for Women in Middle Age

The purpose of this study is to develop the size and grading increments chart for the middle-aged obese women compared with normal women in middle age. Seven hundred and thirty three women's data from the 4th National Korean Size Survey for Standardization (1997) were analyzed. It was found that size increment of bust and hip girth of obese women was different from that of ordinary middle-aged women. The rate of coverage for a certain set of size specification and the grading increment value for the clothing of Korean obese women in middle aged group were also suggested. The relative percentage value of grading rule based on the change in bust girth increment of Korean obese women was quite different from that of American women. In conclusion, it was noted that the characteristics of the body size specification of obese women was quite different from those of the corresponding age group, so that the separated size specification and grading rule are needed to be used in the manufacturing process of obese women's clothing.