Horizontal stripes make you look thinner
Stripes that run across the body are more slimming than supposedly-flattering vertical stripes, according to research by perception expert Peter Thompson of the University of York. He asked people to compare more than 200 pairs of pictures of women wearing horizontally and vertically striped dresses.
He then asked them to say, in each case, which of the two they thought was fatter.
His experiment revealed that when the two women were the same size, the one wearing the horizontal-striped dress appeared to people to be the thinner of the two.
He then asked them to say, in each case, which of the two they thought was fatter.
His experiment revealed that when the two women were the same size, the one wearing the horizontal-striped dress appeared to people to be the thinner of the two.
And to make the women appear to be the same size, the one wearing the horizontal stripes had to be six per cent wider.
His study was based on the Helmholtz square illusion, created by 19th century scientist Hermann von Helmholtz who drew two identically-sized squares and put vertical stripes on one and horizontal stripes on the other.
That experiment showed the square with the horizontal stripes appeared taller and thinner than the other square, prompting Helmholtz to recommend ladies wore horizontal stripes to make them look taller.
Dr Thompson said: "We carried out a number of experiments both with squares and oblongs and pictures of women wearing horizontal and vertical stripes.
"Horizontal stripes don't make you look fat. The one wearing the vertical stripes looks wider than the one wearing the horizontal stripes.
"Horizontal stripes, if anything, make you look thinner."
Dr Thompson said it was not clear why the visual illusion existed, although it could be that the horizontal stripes made an image more 3D and introducing depth could reduce width.
However, he said his research proved another commonly-held fashion tip was true. Apparently, black really is slimming.
"Wearing black is a good thing. We know that a black circle on a white background looks smaller than a white circle on a black background," he said.
Dr Thompson has also conducted research debunking the theory that the ancients built columns with a slight bulge in the middle to counteract a visual illusion that parallel lines appeared to curve in towards each other.
He said his experiments showed the commonly-held theory was wrong - and that parallel lines appeared parallel.
And rather than the Greeks getting the bulge so perfectly right on the Parthenon that the columns appeared straight, "they look as if they're straight because to all intents and purposes, they are straight", he said.
Dr Thompson said: "We carried out a number of experiments both with squares and oblongs and pictures of women wearing horizontal and vertical stripes.
"Horizontal stripes don't make you look fat. The one wearing the vertical stripes looks wider than the one wearing the horizontal stripes.
"Horizontal stripes, if anything, make you look thinner."
Dr Thompson said it was not clear why the visual illusion existed, although it could be that the horizontal stripes made an image more 3D and introducing depth could reduce width.
However, he said his research proved another commonly-held fashion tip was true. Apparently, black really is slimming.
"Wearing black is a good thing. We know that a black circle on a white background looks smaller than a white circle on a black background," he said.
Dr Thompson has also conducted research debunking the theory that the ancients built columns with a slight bulge in the middle to counteract a visual illusion that parallel lines appeared to curve in towards each other.
He said his experiments showed the commonly-held theory was wrong - and that parallel lines appeared parallel.
And rather than the Greeks getting the bulge so perfectly right on the Parthenon that the columns appeared straight, "they look as if they're straight because to all intents and purposes, they are straight", he said.
I've been so busy that I haven't gotten a chance to take any outfit pictures lately. Here's a little quickie (that's what she said, haha) during lunch today.
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