Dressmaking: Color Psychology, Skirt Styles, Body Shapes, and Fabric Selection

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering color psychology and meanings, human body types, skirt silhouettes and standard lengths, garment textiles, and fabric quality assessment tests.

Red (Color Interpretation)

The color of passion and energy that draws attention, radiates a powerful energy motivating action, links to sexuality and intimate passion, and signals caution and danger.

Orange (Color Interpretation)

The color of enthusiasm and emotion that exudes warmth and joy, provides emotional strength, fosters spontaneity and positivity, and encourages social communication and creativity.

Yellow (Color Interpretation)

The color of happiness and optimism that stimulates the logical brain, mentality, and perception, making learning easier while inspiring thought, curiosity, and confidence.

Green (Color Interpretation)

The color of harmony and health that revitalizes body and mind, balances emotions, provides feelings of safety and security, and symbolizes growth, prosperity, and luck.

Turquoise (Color Interpretation)

The color of calmness and clarity that stabilizes emotions, increases empathy and compassion, emits calming peace, clarifies the mind, and supports spiritual growth.

Blue (Color Interpretation)

The color of trust and loyalty that relaxes the psyche, provides peace and confidence, dislikes confrontation, and serves as an honest, reliable, and responsible influence.

Purple (Color Interpretation)

The color of spirituality and imagination that encourages innermost reflection, promotes spiritual growth, and is associated with royalty, luxury, mystery, and magic.

Pink (Color Interpretation)

The color of love and compassion that calms and nurtures, brings warmth and pure romance, and evokes feelings of kindness, acceptance, and playful comfort.

Brown (Color Interpretation)

The color of stability and reliability that is dependable and comforting like a wise counselor, helping people remain grounded and appreciate the simple things in life.

Black (Color Interpretation)

The color of power and sophistication that exudes authority, elegance, and sexiness; in psychology, it provides a barrier against emotional stress, hiding insecurities, fears, and vulnerabilities.

White (Color Interpretation)

The color of purity and innocence that represents a true balance of all colors, promotes open-mindedness and self-reflection, and is associated with cleanliness, simplicity, and perfection.

Inverted Triangle Body Type

A body shape where the shoulders are wider and larger than both the bust and the hips.

Hourglass Body Type

A body shape featuring nearly equal measurements across the shoulders and hips, accented by a significantly smaller, well-defined waist.

Rectangle Body Type

A body shape where there is very little measurement variation between the bust, waist, and hips.

Triangle Body Type

A body shape (also termed pear or gonad) characterized by hips that are wider than the shoulders, paired with a comparatively small waist.

Rounded Body Type

A body shape where measurements are larger in the shoulders and bust than in the hips, carrying weight in the whole upper body while having skinnier legs.

Diamond Body Type

A body shape that carries most of its weight in the belly while having a smaller bust, hips, and legs.

Skirt

A free-hanging component of an outer garment or undergarment extending downwards from the waist to a designated length.

Straight Skirt (Pencil / Sheath / Tube)

A slim-fitting skirt cut in a straight, narrow line with no flare at the hem or waist, typically ending at or below the knee; termed a tube skirt when made of stretchy fabric.

A-Line Skirt (Flared Skirt)

A skirt that is narrower at the top and fitted at the waist or hips, flaring gently wider toward the bottom hem to resemble the letter A.

Gored Skirt

A classic skirt made of four, six, eight, or more panels (gores) shaped to flare from the waist to the hemline, creating vertical lines that give an illusion of height and slimness.

Box Pleated Skirt

A skirt featuring double pleats made of two upper fabric folds facing in opposite directions and two under folds pressed toward each other.

Fix Box Pleated Skirt

A skirt design characterized by a flat double pleat created by folding the fabric under on either side.

Knife Pleated Skirt

A skirt featuring a continuous series of sharply creased, narrow pleats folded uniformly in the same direction.

Accordion Pleated Skirt

A skirt formed by a series of narrow, evenly spaced parallel pleats with alternating raised and recessed folds, typically set using a commercial machine.

Gathered Skirt (Dirndl Skirt)

A straight-cut skirt gathered tightly at the waist and set into a waistband, which visually introduces weight and bulk to the figure.

Draped Skirt (Sarong Draped Skirt)

A skirt styled with fabric gathered or draped along one side, often based on a square piece of wrapped fabric (sarong).

Layered Skirt

A skirt design composed of tiers of ruffled fabric arranged one over the other.

Circle Skirt

A very full skirt fitted at the waist that, when laid flat, cut out as a complete circular piece of fabric with a center hole.

Semi-Circular Skirt

A skirt crafted using half the quantity of fabric required for a complete circular skirt.

Skater Skirt

An informal, short, lightweight skirt that is fitted closely at the waist and flares out into a shape similar to a circular skirt.

Godet Skirt

A skirt constructed with triangular pieces of fabric (godets) inserted into the body to create additional lower fullness.

Trumpet Skirt (Mermaid Skirt)

A skirt tailored closely from the waist down through the thighs and knees, flaring outward dramatically near the bottom hem.

Wrap Skirt

A one-piece skirt wrapped around the waist and hips with overlapping panels secured by ties or buttons.

Divided Skirt (Trouser Skirt)

A garment designed with wide-flared leg sections to look like a full skirt while functioning as two-legged pants.

Handkerchief Skirt

An asymmetrical hem skirt styled to look like an unfolded handkerchief held by its pinched center so its four corners hang downward.

Bubble Skirt

A skirt featuring a voluminous, puffy silhouette above the hem that gathers back inwards with an elastic casing or hem band.

Yoke Skirt (Hip Hugger)

A two-part skirt constructed with a fitted yoke hugging the hips and an attached lower skirt that is pleated or gathered.

Tulip Skirt

A skirt shaped like an inverted tulip flower, featuring overlapping front panels, an irregular hem, and wider fullness at the midsection than at the waist or hem.

Tiered Skirt

A versatile skirt made with successive horizontal fabric layers running down the skirt body, producing a ruffled, multi-tiered appearance.

Peplum

A short, gathered, or slightly flared strip of fabric sewn at the waistline of a blouse, jacket, dress, or skirt.

Flounced Skirt

A skirt finished with a separate gathered strip of fabric attached along its upper edge and allowed to hang loose.

Mini Skirt Length

A skirt hemline ending at mid-thigh, measuring approximately $34-35\text{ inches}$ ($86-88\text{ cm}$).

Above Knee Length

A skirt hemline resting just above the knee, measuring approximately $36-37\text{ inches}$ ($86-88\text{ cm}$).

Knee Length

A standard skirt hemline ending directly at the knee, measuring approximately $39-40\text{ inches}$ ($99-102\text{ cm}$).

Cocktail Length (Street Length)

A skirt hemline falling between below the knee and above the mid-calf, measuring $41-43\text{ inches}$ ($104-109\text{ cm}$).

Mid-Calf Length (Midi)

A skirt hemline extending between the knee and the ankle, measuring $45-47\text{ inches}$ ($114-119\text{ cm}$).

Ankle Length (Maxi Skirt)

A skirt hemline falling from just below mid-calf to the lower calf about $10\text{ inches}$ off the floor, measuring $55-57\text{ inches}$ ($140-144\text{ cm}$).

Floor Length

A full-length skirt hemline that grazes the ground, measuring approximately $60-62\text{ inches}$ ($152-157\text{ cm}$).

Linen

A natural, moisture-absorbent textile derived from the flax plant stem; comfortable and moth-resistant, but prone to wrinkling, fraying, shrinking, and mildew damage.

Denim

A sturdy cotton twill fabric where weft threads pass under two or more warp threads, producing diagonal ribs; characterized by indigo-dyed warp threads and white weft threads.

Poplin (Tabinet)

A durable plain-weave fabric constructed from any fiber blend with distinct crosswise ribs that form a corded surface.

Broadcloth

A closely woven cotton fabric with a slight crosswise rib, often sewn with a size $14$ machine needle.

Gingham

A medium-weight balanced plain-woven cotton fabric made from dyed yarns; its name stems from the Malay word 'genggang', meaning striped.

Sharkskin

A smooth worsted basketweave fabric often woven from rayon, acetate, or blends, known for its soft texture and two-toned visual effect.

Corduroy

A durable fabric woven with lengthwise parallel cords or ridges, named after the French expression for 'Cord of the King'.

Test by Thumb

A fabric evaluation test assessing warp and weft strength by gripping a swatch between both thumbs and forefingers and pushing fingernails together to see if it separates.

Test by Pin

A test measuring yarn slippage and seam strength by pinning a small tuck in a fabric sample and pulling it firmly back and forth from both sides.

Test for Sizing

A test detecting chemical stiffening by rubbing a fabric swatch between the hands to see if powdery dust drops out or if the rubbed area turns thin and limp.

Test for Straight of Grain

An examination verifying that crosswise and lengthwise threads intersect at right angles and ensuring that printed fabric designs follow the true crosswise grain.

Test for Wrinkle Resistance

A simple textile test where a corner of the fabric is firmly crumpled in hand and released to observe the severity of remaining creases.

Test for Ability to Take Pleats

A quality test performed by folding fabric lengthwise or crosswise, pressing down by hand, and checking whether the crease holds sharp or releases.