Scientists dispel myth that vertical stripes make you look slimmer,
If you want to look slim, you might be tempted to reach for a top or dress featuring vertical stripes.
But if you really want to appear taller and thinner, clothes with thin horizontal lines are actually the best option.
That’s according to scientists from National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, who have dispelled the myth that vertical stripes are slimming.
In their study, the team showed people photos of a woman wearing a range of striped tops, and asked them to rate how slim she looked.
The results revealed that the slimming effect is influenced by three key factors – stripe direction, type, and spacing.
Overall, a top featuring a horizontal pencil stripe was perceived as the most flattering.
The news will come as no surprise to many trend–setters, who often take to social media to express their love for horizontal stripes.
‘Horizontals stripes ARE IN on all bodies!!’ one user declared on TikTok, while another joked: ‘Fashion rules in the bin!’
If you want to look slim, you might be tempted to reach for a top or dress featuring vertical stripes. But if you really want to appear taller and thinner, clothes with thin horizontal lines are actually the best option. Pictured: The top second from the left was rated as the most flattering
The slimming effect of striped clothes has been a topic of debate for decades.
In the 19th and early–20th centuries, women’s clothes were often designed to emphasise a long, lean silhouette.
Vertical lines were commonly associated with elegance and height, while horizontal stripes were thought to break up the body.
In their new study, the researchers set out to understand whether or not this is really the case.
Writing in their study, published in i–Perception, the researchers explained: ‘Since most people want to appear taller and slimmer, fabric patterns can significantly affect the perceived overall appearance of clothing.
‘However, when two–dimensional lines are applied to three–dimensional forms, they may produce different visual impressions and cause optical illusions.’
The team enlisted 241 students, who were shown photos of a woman wearing a range of striped tops.
The participants were asked to evaluate their perceptions of the model’s body image in each.
From the front, 2 × 2 v received the highest support for slimming. From the back, 1 × 1 v appeared the slimmest
In the first round, the tops all had horizontal stripes, while the second round featured tops with vertical lines.
Finally, the third round compared horizontal and vertical stripes.
Overall, the results revealed that the top featuring horizontal pencil stripes was deemed the most slimming.
‘Whether in a sleeved or sleeveless women’s dress, it is generally agreed that horizontal pencil stripes can make the wearer appear slimmer,’ they explained.
However, that’s not to say that all vertical stripes are unflattering.
The study also found that a top with equidistant vertical stripes can make the figure appear slimmer.
The researchers added: ‘”Only horizontal stripes make you look slimmer” is rather inconclusive.
‘Instead, the slimming effect of striped clothing is influenced by the stripe directions (horizontal or vertical), stripe type (pencil or equidistant), and stripe spacing (thin or wide).’
The news comes shortly after mathematicians from Northwestern University revealed how fashion trends repeat themselves on a 20–year cycle.
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For the study, the team analysed roughly 37,000 images of women’s clothing from 1869 to today.
Their results revealed how styles rise in popularity, fall out of favour, and then experience a revival roughly every two decades.
‘Over time, this constant push to be different from the recent past causes styles to swing back and forth,’ said Professor Daniela Abras, co–author of the study.
‘The system intrinsically wants to oscillate, and we see those cycles in the data.’
