Fashion Figure and Human FigureEven though the present-day trend is toward naturalism in fashion sketching, there is still a vast difference between the fashion figure and the human figure. The greatest difference is, as it always has been, in the height of the two figures. The fashion figure is always taller, more graceful and more seductive in line.
The variance in other ways may be summed up in a few words: the fashion figure is higher busted, broader and squarer shouldered, and narrower, very narrow, in the hips. The proportions vary from season to season to exploit more perfectly the current modes, but these are the general high points to remember.
The average human figure is seven and one-half heads tall, whereas a fashion figure may be from eight to ten heads tall, - in extreme mannequin types, as many as twelve heads. However, the height of the fashion figure should be governed by the length of the head and the width of the shoulders. This added height lends sophistication, grace and smartness to the figure - qualities that are envied by the majority of women and therefore enhance the appeal of an advertisement.
There should be a more angular appearance and a more abstract feeling to a fashion sketch than there is to a human figure, but at the same time the fashion figure, to meet modern popular demands, must be natural looking and suggestive of action.
This comparison will illustrate the contrasting proportions of the human and fashion figures. Both figures were started with the same size head as their unit of measuring.
