What are the Elements and Principles of Construction of Clothing?

In order to impart beauty and importance to a piece of art, it is essential to be familiar with the basic elements and principles of art.

The artist using the elements of art creates creations which are beautiful, luring and satisfying. The proper use of elements of art plays an important role in designing beauti­ful and attractive dresses. Elements of line, colour, etc. are used to design beautiful dresses.

Lines

Lines play an important role in dress designing. The most effective line in a is the outline of the figure or silhouette, dress making, when different pieces of are stitched together, a number of are formed at the placing seam, shoulder line, breast line, arm hole line, I line, collar cuff lines, and the length line the dress.

Lines make form and shape. Important feature of the line is that it provides movement. By creating desirable movement, length and breadth of can be enhanced or subdued. In this was by subduing the body defects personality be made more attractive.

Let us see the effects of different t; of lines.

1. Vertical lines.

These lines are pet pendicular to the earth. An eye move from torn to top along with these lines and gives an illusion (feeling) of length. The shorter and fatter person appears to be taller and thinner by the use of these lines.

2. Horizontal Lines.

These lines are parallel to the earth. An eye move from one ends to another along these lines and gives an illusion of breadth. By the use of these lines, a taller person appears to be shorter and lean and thin, a little fatter.

3. Diagonal Lines.

The effect of diago­nal lines is in their angle. These lines give an illusion of length if the angle is towards length and breadth. If the angle is towards width, V shape is formed by two diagonal lines.

4. Curved Lines.

These lines are curved. Eyes move slowly along with these lines. These lines are pleasing to look at.

5. Crossed Lines.

These lines are used to add variety and lessening the length. For example, length can be reduced with the help of belt.

6. Broken Lines.

Both vertical and di­agonal lines are used in broken lines. An illusion of length or breadth can be created by the judicious use of these lines.

The vertical lines are formed in the dress either in print or in seams. In stitching, shape of neck, yoke, collar, cuff, pocket, lace, button, etc. form different types of lines.

These should be used to subdue defects of the body figure and supplement the personality by highlighting the attractive body features.

Neckline helps in highlighting the special features of the face and neck and subduing the defects of the structure of face, neck, and shoulders.

The V shape neckline gives a slandering look to face and neck.

The square neckline gives broaden look to the face and shoulders.

The round shape neckline gives an illusion of roundness.

Round and long collars subdue the drooping and slender defect of the shoulders. Cutting and stitching lines of the clothes has an effect on body figure. Length­wise, cutting of clothes increases the length of the dress width wise cutting and stitching increases the breadth. In a design, the vertical panel has a slandering effect and horizontal panel a broadening effect.

Buttons, frills, lace, pocket, belt may affect the silhouette (outline of figure). All these accessories are helpful in in­creasing or decreasing the silhouette. Buttons in a row give an illusion of length and in two rows, at equal distance that of breadth.

Use of belt helps in lessening the length and increasing the breadth. The defect of shoulder and arm can be subdued with the use of frills or gathers and give fullness to shoulder and arms.

Texture

In the dress designing, element texture is as important as lines or colour. By texture, we mean the feel of the fabric” coarse or smooth, hard or soft, thick or fin”‘ dull or glossy. These qualities of the cloth are due to fibre, weave, or finishes given to the cloth. Normally, clothes have three type of texture:

1. Coarse and thick cloth

2. Medium and soft cloth

3. Fine, smooth and glossy cloth

The type of cloth to be used in the dress is determined by the body figure, season and j occasion. Body defects can be subdued by 1 using the cloth with appropriate texture, Different type of textures has varied effects, and Glossy texture reflects light and gives an illusion of increased size.

Dull texture, on the other hand, absorbs light and reduces the size. Coarse and thick texture cloth also gives an illusion of increased size. Such a cloth subdues the body shape whereas fine and soft cloth reveals it.

Mostly fine, soft, and medium cloth is used in dress. In extreme cold, thick, and coarse cloth is preferred. Glossy and thick clothes are rarely used in day time. Fine, soft and glossy clothes are used in parties.

Colour

In dress, colour is the element which attracts the onlooker the most. Colours are important in each and every object around us. Colour lends peace, pleasure, or sadness to the mind. Some colours are cheerful, whereas others are depressing. Colours re­flect the interest and personality of the per­son and helps in enhancing it.

Right choice of colours in the dress gives a feeling of in­creased self-confidence. Colour and dress, con­trary to age, personality or occasion, reflects the ignorance of the person and makes him a laughing stock.

According to physicists, the importance of colours is due to their wavelength. Colours may affect the size of an object. Even in dress making, colours are important in subduing figures flaws. Colours play an important role in changing the size. Lines and forms can also be created with the use of colours.