on the geometry of the ratio

a ratio of 0.7 is a number with a long history. it shows up in studies of figure drawing from the renaissance. it shows up in measurements of the women who have been considered most beautiful across cultures and centuries. it shows up in fashion silhouettes from the 1860s to the 1950s. it shows up in our own pattern drafting tables today.

the math is not the point. the line is the point. but the math is useful because it gives us something to design against.

we draft every IN SOLISIA piece around a target ratio of 0.71. the waist of the dress sits where the wearer's waist sits — about one inch above the navel — and the hip of the dress flares to honor a hip approximately 30 percent wider than the waist. the chassis inside the dress holds these proportions in place. the silk falls over them.

the body inside the dress does not need to match the ratio. the dress does. the silhouette is in the garment. the wearer is in the silhouette.

this is the math behind a feeling. and the feeling is the whole point.

— in solisia