The Golden Ratio and Proportion in Design

The “golden ratio” has been a subject of fascination for artists and mathematicians for millenia.  The golden ratio occurs in nature, and is a mathematical formula used by artists, designers, architects, and even musicians in creating beauty. 

What is this magic ratio?  Technically it’s 1.1688.  But for artistic  uses it’s often simplified to this:  1:1.5, or a 2:3 ratio.

The Swiss architect Le Corbusier, who applied the golden ratio (as well as the related Fibonacci sequence) in his work, believed the golden ratio naturally appeals to the human eye, and that people throughout time and space are drawn to it whether they know it as mathematical formula or not.    

Corbusier’s idea is an intriguing one, and there’s ample evidence to support it.  Art and science both recognize that faces and figures considered “beautiful” throughout history have features that relate to each other in the golden ratio.  Leonardo da Vinci was intrigued by the golden ratio and depicted it in his famous Vitruvius Man (above).

Architecture, art, and design of all media also use a 2:3 ratio in many applications for good aesthetics.  These two diagrams show “good” and “bad” proportion in art compositions—the “good” rectangle approximating the golden ratio. 

In addition, well-proportioned clothing has historically been based on the golden ratio.  Here’s a picture from a 1926 high school home economics textbook, in a chapter about proportion in clothing construction.  The figure on the right captures it; the one on the left is off.  The two sections of the dress at right are generally in golden-ratio proportion, and the sleeve divides the girl’s arm into golden ratio sections. 

Isn’t this fascinating? 

For more about the golden ratio, here’s a site you might like, and here’s one more.

Please come check out my collection of well-proportioned vintage dresses, vintage shoes, and other vintage clothes at Chronologie Fine Vintage!    Love,

sallymandy

Who Loves Jane Birkin?

Now, I’m not too familiar with Jane Birkin’s music or acting careers.  And I know that in her younger years she was often photographed without any clothes at all. 

But I love her fashion sense of today. 

Here are some photos of her middle-age wardrobe – photos that have lessons for all of us about “appropriate,” yet youthful, clothing.           

Neutrals in quality fabrics…

 

Monochromatic classics with a subtle menswear vibe.

Comfort and playfulness…

And, finally, the best accessories:  A wide smile and a feeling that she doesn’t take herself too seriously. 

Have a great Tuesday! 

sallymandy

doing business as Chronologie Fine Vintage

Restored: Elements of Design: The Line of Beauty

We can use the elements of design to help us dress in real, authentic ways. As women we possess two aesthetically pleasing lines. One is the vertical line. The other is the “line of beauty."

Vertical lines look good. We’re often told they're the most flattering in clothes. They’re “slimming;” they make us “look thin." Growing up, most of us absorbed messages about being thin. I do not wish to appear "fat," but the pressure to appear thin is damaging, and I don't want to feed it.

We can give ourselves different messages that achieve the same thing but don't feed a compulsion for thinness. Vertical lines appeal to the eye because we are vertical. In art, vertical lines invoke action, strength, even spirituality. Horizontal lines invoke stasis and passivity. If my overall visual image is vertical, I will convey aliveness.

Women also have a unique line that never goes away. The 18th century painter William Hogarth identified a “line of beauty” (above) critical to visual aesthetics. This line, or its parts, are found all over nature: hillsides, waves, leaves. In humans, the female form captures it more than the male form. Artists and designers still use this ideal.

Hogarth didn't say only young, skinny women have lines of beauty. You could say it's our inherent feminine line. The problem (for me) is that the media translates this into notions of "hot" and "sexy," as defined by much younger women.

I want to look my best, but I don't want to take my cues from the media. I'd rather trust historical standards of beauty. The concepts of vertical line and the womanly "line of beauty" are two aesthetic standards I'm never going to lose, no matter what my age. I like that.

On a practical level, I believe these ideas mean we can dress with integrity by aiming for the vertical line, and by choosing clothes that fit our feminine lines. There's an art to this, but we have a lot of guidance. You can see some ideas at my other post on line, here.

Restored: Elements of Design: Line II

Top to bottom: Jane Birkin, Madonna, and http://www.garnethill.com/.

Here are some easy ways to emphasize our natural vertical line and the "line of beauty" in the female form. These aren't "rules." Just ideas I've learned that work and help me feel good about what I'm wearing.

1. Choose simple, classic pieces in updated versions and without a lot of doodads that slow down the eye’s progression up and down the vertical line. All three of the examples above are doing this.

2. Pick a monochromatic or "tonal" combination for top and bottom (tonal means the pieces are the same darkness or lightness). This combination can be used like a backdrop for colors and more individual pieces. The model in the middle is doing this because her sweater and pants are the same color; but it would also work if she had dark jeans on.

3. Decorate only what we want to emphasize, because eyes will go there. I think especially with Madonna, our eyes go right to her hair.

4. Wear clothes that fit our individual body shape, and are neither clingy/tight, nor sacklike. Everyone above is doing this, of course, because they have stylists. They have vertical line, and you can see the line of beauty. Madonna's coat is cut to show her waist, and Jane Birkin has cinched in her pieces with a narrow belt. See my first post ever--"Do This First: Read The Pocket Stylist by Kendall Farr."

5. Notice our widest points and try not to emphasize them with horizontal lines. (On me, it’s my hips. This means my shirts don’t end right at my hips, creating a horizontal line there.)

6. Wear our pants long enough to hit instep, or longer if you want to wear heels. Madonna's pants are long and she has heels on, which also make her more vertical. Her pants are probably too long to be practical, but we can be aware of covering our socks.

7. That said, have socks match pants, not shoes. If pants and shoes are a similar tone this will also create a longer visual line.

8. Choose vertical accessories like a longer scarf or necklace.

9. Wear v-necks. Jane Birkin is doing this.

10. Have on hand a "skimmer"-type cover like a duster or long sweater. See black sweater from Garnet Hill above. This idea is one of my favorites, and one that got me through an entire winter of clothing identity crisis.

11. Be careful with horizontal stripes. They work on the model from Garnet Hill because they're small and her overall image is still vertical. I recently read that small horizontal stripes can actually draw the eye up and down and therefore are a good choice for creating a longer line. I ran right out and found a small-striped top at my favorite thrift store.

Restored: Elements of Design on People over Forty

Here are three photographs of women I'd love to have as fashion role models.Where I live, we're limited in our shopping choices. Many of us tend to shop at thrift stores because we can get unique and often better-made pieces there than at the stores in our town. It's inspiring to look at street-fashion blogs like The Sartorialist for visual images to feed the imagination.

I like all these women for the stylistic elements they incorporate. All of them are using vertical line to their advantage. All are mixing the classic with the funky. Each of them also has some area in which there's a lot of flowy fabric; yet you can still see a female form in each photograph.

These elements aren't really "age appropriate" as much as they are good concepts for any age, though they don't get much air time in the media. Most importantly, I like all these ladies because they come across as people first and fashion-conscious second.It's interesting that they're all European, too. The first two photos are from http://www.thesartorialist.com/.

The first woman's design works because she's balanced the color of her cape with the color of her boots. This is a combination that's seen a lot on the street fashion blogs in real fashion cities like Paris and Milan. Not so much places like my little burg. The top is voluminous and is balanced by her narrow pants. The bike also adds a lot.

I'd love to meet this second lady. I cannot get over her! What works: neutral colors with a "real color"--blue--that picks up her silver hair, plenty of fabric that doesn't entirely hide her figure, pieces that create a long line, and beautiful proportions. Many voices say women of a certain age shouldn't wear red lipstick, but on this lady, it's striking. Her gorgeous silver hair, fair skin, and red red lips are the bright counterpoint to her neutral clothing. She uses her own attributes--hair and lips--as accessories, not something to hide.

Lastly, another one of my favorites: Jane Birkin, English/French singer and actress. I believe she was near sixty in this photo. What works: monochromatic backdrop of good quality clothes; plenty of fabric again that also shows her figure, beautiful natural fibers; fun shoes that are like Converse but probably made of leather; cool scarves. Do you look at her and think "senior citizen?"

Everything You Need to Know about Fashion over Forty (or Fifty)

I started this blog because of a conversation the day I got my first pair of bifocals.

The lady helping me was admiring the frames I’d picked out, and I told her, “Well, my book about style over forty says plastic frames are flattering for my age.”

And she said, “You have a book about fashion over forty? What else does it say?”

So I told her about my book—two of them in fact—and as I drove home, I thought, what are the rules? And why are there rules? Should there be rules? Should we care?

To me, clothing is the tip of a deeper iceberg that incorporates who we are as individuals and in relation to the rest of the world. It’s not that clothes matter more as I get older: it’s that enjoying the beauty in all of life matters more; being authentically myself matters more; quality matters more; and all these things make a difference in how I dress.

I’m not a fashion professional, but a professional researcher and writer who has design and art training. And: I know what I like. My posts are a reflection of my own learning as I navigate the changes in my life and closet. The best part about writing in a blog is the give and take with readers. I continue to learn and find new inspiration. I hope you’ll join me!

To get started, here are my favorite posts about personal style:

The Differences Between Fashion and Style

Do This First: Read The Pocket Stylist

Elements of Design: Proportion and the Golden Ratio

Elements of Design: The Line of Beauty

Elements of Design: Line Part II

Colors that Flatter Everyone

What a Difference a Shoe Makes: One and Two

Risk Free Updates for Twyla Tweeners

Elements of Design on People over Forty (or Fifty, or Sixty)

Fashion Colors for 2009