Men's tailored jackets: objective measurement and consumer perception

To investigate consumers' perceptions of appearance and handle of the chest area and the lapel in men's tailored jackets, both objective measurement using FAST and subjective assessment utilising semi-structured interview were employed. It was found that objective measurement provides insufficient information to predict the tailorability if reliance is placed purely upon properties obtained from shell fabrics. Use of the fabric and interlining laminates, however, provides better prediction of tailorability, especially those aspects associated with appearance and shape retention. It was also found that objective measurement results do not agree with the subjective assessment results, particularly with regard to the subjective assessment of the female interviewees. It is suggested that thought should be given to devising a method of evaluating objective measurement results suitable to fabric and interlining laminates that can also take account of market trends directly related to consumer perception.