Abstract:
Sizing standards used in the United States that identify the body measurements used in the design and development of clothing were established from identified "best practices" of the apparel industry. However, the industry as a whole has not adopted a single system of clothing sizing. We know that manufacturers and retailers use their own sizing systems as a marketing tool, convinced that this is a differential advantage of their product for their market. Regardless of the sizing systems used, however, almost all are based on the myth that humans have mathematically proportional bodies and that they grow in proportional ways. In addition, the shapes and proportions of today's American population differ greatly from the shapes of the generations before. So a variety of issues impact our inability to 'fit' the American customer of today. These fit issues continue to be a growing concern. This article, as Part One of two, describes the historical process involved in describing the body shapes of humans. In addition, it lays the theoretical framework for the development of an expert shape sorting system using 3D body scan data.

Excepts

Introduction:
• • •   The most significant contribution to the existence of body type classifications began in the 1930s by American psychologist William Sheldon. In 1940, Sheldon, with Stevens and Tucker, introduced the concept of "somatotype" in their book The Varieties of Human Physique. "The patterning of the morphological components as expressed by three numerals is called the somatotype" of the individual. Sheldon and his colleagues had worked out a system to measure these components and express them numerically. These components were called endomorphy, mesomorphy, and ectomorphy.
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The other grouping of terminology for figure types is categorized by names of shapes, letters/numbers, and fruits/vegetables. Apple and pear are identifiers in the fruits/vegetables category. Oval, circle, round, hourglass, diamond, rectangle, straight, ruler, triangle, inverted triangle, spoon, Christmas tree, and cone belong to the shapes category. In the letters/ numbers category, "O", "X", "H", "A", and figure 8 are included. These lists are not exhaustive as other terms may apply. The Table below characterizes these figure types. • • •

Figure Types	Traits	Illustrations	Examples
♦  Triangle, Pear, Spoon, "A" Frame, Christmas Tree	Shoulders narrower than hip. Bottom heavy with weight mainly in buttocks, low hips and thighs. Bust is small to medium. Upper body smaller than lower body.
♦  Inverted Triangle, Cone, "V" Framed	Heaviest part of body is on top. Shoulders wider than hips. Weigh gain in upper body and stomach. Usually large chest. Very narrow hips.
♦  Rectangle, Ruler , "H" Frame	No definition at the waistline. Shoulders and hip about the same width. Equal body proportions.
♦  Hourglass , Figure 8, "X" Frame	Equally broad on top and hips. Thin at the waist, usually 10 or more inches smaller than chest and hips.
♦  Oval, Apple, Circle/Rounded, Diamond, "O" Frame	Top and bottom are narrow. Chest and belly are where weight is found. Skinny legs.

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Another related study, reported in www.geocities.com/the_female_form gave the statistical distribution of the various categories among women. We see that about half the women are in the rectangular category, and less than 10% are in the hourglass category. About 10.7% presumably belong to the Oval category.