What's the Difference Between Fit Ease and Style Ease?


Do you know the difference between fit ease and style ease

In this video, I explain each of these concepts, and why they're important.  

Simply put, fit ease is the amount of ease included in your dress block, which makes the dress wearable (and allows you to breathe!).  Without fit ease, the dress would fit like a sausage casing - skin-tight, and difficult to move when wearing.

Fit ease is minimal - just enough to skim the body without restricting movement. 

Style ease is pretty much everything else - the fullness you add when you design a dress, skirt, pant - even a sleeve!  

Anything beyond minimal ease is style ease. I'll show you the difference between a close-fitting sheath and an easy-fitting shift to illustrate the concept.  Tips and Techniques 6 June 2019




Style ease can be anything from loosening up the waist from a sheath to a shift, or as extreme as adding pleats, gathers, or simply slashing and spreading to add volume to a skirt, blouse, sleeve, or pant leg. 

Style ease is all about the look of your garment.  Beyond being able to move, do you want the garment to skim the body or add volume and shape?  The amount of volume depends on what you want in your style or design. 

No matter how much fullness you choose to add to a garment, remember to maintain the fit at some point on the body (or else the garment could just fall off!!). Even with a full, flared top, I like to maintain fit at the shoulders.  A full skirt must maintain fit at the waist to stay in place. 

Here are links to some of the other pages that are related to this video: 

How to draft a Sheath Dress (with brief instructions for a shift at the end of the page 

How to Create a Full Sleeve 

Blouse Body Styles (with links to a fitted blouse, an easy-fit "regular" blouse, and a flared top)

Creating a Flared Pant

More Tips and Techniques Videos

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