A New Visual Language: Storytelling

For the last 2 supervisor meeting, Mr O'Neill and I spent a long time discussing what's the relationship of the data visualization and animated interaction part in my project. It's really confusing that why we need this kind of visualization in a fashion adviser website.  So when I find Klanten's book named Visual Storytelling in the library, it really opened my mind.

This new language suggested that there are always questions and curiosity after when audience see the data, these feelings come from their experience of life. And there are also many pieces of funny historical information behind the changing data. If we could introduce the information through some well-known stories, it will help to pass understanding and involve emotion. "The essence of visual storytelling is this combination of emotional reaction and narrative information. "(Andrew Losowsky). Moreover, through the idea of story telling, it's more effective to gather images and interactive design to express the visual concept.

So my goal is to tell the story behind the dresses we show or the choice we made. For example, the style we write for the story by choosing different color or the history of the evening dresses over the past 100 years.

Reference:
R. Klanten (2011) Visual Storytelling: Inspiring a New Visual Language. London, Gestalten.

Something About a Magic Mirror

Tell Me, Magic Mirror!(Sorry, I couldn't find the artist)

I came across the idea of data visualisation about personal preference when I saw this picture last year.  I hope someday this project can really tell girls the ways to get beautiful be analysis the data of themselves. Anyway, what I want to talk about here is the relation among women, dress and mirror.

In the story of Snow White, the queens always wanted to get information about 'the fairest' from her magic mirror. In fact, she just wanted get admiration from it. As Woodward says in her book, the importance of a mirror is that 'Looking in the mirror is therefore a marriage of the intimate and the generic, as women consider their own dressed bodies in light of wider social ideals and expectations.' According to her theory, when a women find the girl in the mirror is exactly the one fits her imagination of herself and what she want the society to see as 'her', she will find this fits. That's why occasion,  body shape finess and preference colors are important factors when choosing the prefect dress.

That's why sometimes it's funny that we such a different 'me' in the mirror.

Can you spot your REAL shape? from dailymail.co.uk

In our last meeting, Dr. O'neill sent me an interesting website name Can you spot your real shape? This article describe an experiment that when looking at the same body shape, women see different shapes according to their expectation of themselves. So as for my project, I thing it's important that the user should tell the website some data of themselves before the advice about what 'fits' the user.

Another interesting question is that what will people usually do in front of a mirror? Here's something I read and find in life:
1. Really look at myself;
2. Try the clothes on, look carefully, turn around;
3. Take off the clothes, change to another one;
4. 2<-->3;
5. Smile when it looks good, or even dance with it;
6. Angry or disappointed when it doesn't fit, or even kick the mirror;
7. Talk to myself.


Reference:
Sophie Woodward(2007) Why Women Wear What They Wear. Oxford, Oxford International Publishers Ltd.

Dress According to Your Body Shape

Body Shape is an important factor for women to get dress, according to the books & website I had  read. Following is some information I collect for my project.

• Ways to find out your own body shape

One simple way is to stand naked in front of your mirror, look carefully to yourself, learn about your bustline, waistline, hipline, mid-thigh, knee length and ankle length.

Another way is to ask your friend to photograph you front, back and sideways. Then you can look into the picture and discuss with your friend. 

Of course, your can also ask your friend to give you some honest opinion.

• Different types of body shape

According to Style Makeover HQ, you can classify your height. If you are less than 160cm and without large body scale, you may call yourself Petite.  In Jay Calderin's book, she argues that women mature figure height is 1.65-1.68m, and petite height is 1.57-1.63m. I think this difference is not a great deal.

This is Style Makeover HQ's method of Identifying women's body shape.

Hourglass Figure

Hourglass Figure is a lucky shape,  the body vertical shape is balanced, and the bustline  and hipline are the same width, and the waist is well defined.

Inverted Triangle

Of this nice body shape, you might have a large bust or broad shoulders, narrow hips with well defined waist,  mostly long and slim legs, maybe a flat bottom.

Triangle or Pear Shape Body

You are with this body shape if your bustline is narrower than your hipline, and you have a well defined waist, typically a narrow shoulders, balanced or short legged, full thighs and round bottom.

Rectangle

Rectangle shape is typical for their bustline  and hipline are the same width, little waist, slender legs and arms, small to medium bust, balanced or long legs, flat bottom. 

Oval

This body shape is similar to apple. They have undefined waist line, wide hips, large stomach, and full bottom.

• Dress according to your body shape

Here's some suggestion for getting dress for each body shape.

Hourglass Do:

1. Fitted and semi-fitted clothes
2. Soft, clingy, flowing fabrics
3. Low to medium-low necklines
4. Dresses with defined waistlines
5. Straight and gently flared pants
6. Straight and gently flared shirts

Hourglass Dont:

1. Stiff, bulky, fabrics
2. Baggy styles
3. High necklines (unless you have a small bust)
4. Skirts with open pleats
5. Very tapered pants

Inverted Triangle Do:

1. Flowing fabrics
2. Low to medium-low necklines
3. Set-in sleeves
4. Three-quarter length sleeves
5. A good fitting, well adjusted bra
6. Tops and dresses that flow through the waist
7. A-line skirts
8. Flared pants

Inverted Triangle Dont:

1. Stiff, bulky, fabrics
2. Styles that emphasize your shoulders
3. High necklines
4. Big collars
5. Tapered skirts and pants

Triangle Do:

1. Accessories and designs to draw attention to your upper body
2. Short-sleeved tops
3. Shoulder pads to broaden your shoulders. This may sound very 80s advice, but they really do work. However, they should not be visible
4. Medium to high necklines
5. Garments to emphasize your waist
6. Skirts and dresses that are straight or slightly flared
7. Low rise pants to avoid gaping at the waist
8. Boot leg and straight pants

Triangle Dont:

1. Baggy garments
2. Stiff fabric
3. Garments that add bulk to your hips
4. Hems or design lines at hip-line
5. Open pleats on skirts or pants
6. Tapered skirts or pants

Rectangle Do:

1. Shoulder pads to emphasize your shoulders. This may sound very 80s advice, but they really do work. However, they should not be too large and definitely shouldn't be visible
2. Semi-fitted clothes
3. If you have firm upper arms, short-sleeves and sleeve-less tops and dresses
4. Medium to high necklines
5. Dresses that wrap or flow through the waistline
6. Straight to gently flared flat-fronted pants
7. A-line shirts

Rectangle Dont:

1. Clingy fabrics
2. Fitted clothes
3. Low necklines
4. Baggy tops
5. Baggy pants
6. Narrow skirts

Oval Do:

1. Ear-rings, necklaces and other focal points designed to draw an observer's eyes up towards your shoulders and face
2. Shoulder pads to emphasize your shoulders. This may sound very 80s advice, but they really do work. However, they should not be be visible
3. Semi-fitted and loose fitting clothes
4. Good fitting, well adjusted bras
5. Support underwear
6. Tops and bottoms in the same colors
7. Low necklines
8. Un-tucked tops
9. Tops and dresses that flow through the waistline
10. Straight flat-fronted pants in soft, flowing fabric
11. Straight and slightly flared skirts

Oval Dont:

1. Clingy fabrics
2. Fitted clothes
3. Fabric with large patterns
4. High necklines
5. Large lapels
6. Belts
7. Tucked-in tops
8. Pleats
9. Narrow or tapered skirts
10. Narrow or tapered pants

Reference:

1. Kim Johnson Gross and Jeff Stone(1998) What Should I Wear? London, Thames and Hudson Ltd.

2. Sophie Woodward(2007) Why Women Wear What They Wear.  Oxford, Oxford International Publishers Ltd.

3. Jay Calderin(2009) Form Fit Fashion. United States of America, Rockport Publishers, Inc.

4. Simon Traves-Spencer and Zarida Zaman(2008) The Fashion Designer's Directory of Shape and Form. London, Quarto Publishing plc.

5. Style Makeover HQ(n.d.) What's Your Body Shape? [Online] Available from:

http://www.style-makeover-hq.com/body-shape.html#top [Accessed 21st Nov. 2011]