1996 Volume 47 Issue 7 Pages 693-700
The purposes of this study are to investigate how the opening positions of skirts affect body movements of healthy persons when putting on and taking off skirts, and how they are related to wearing comfortability.
In the experiment, four semi-flared skirts with different opening positions, namely, left-side, back-center and two kinds of front-center positions, were used. Subjects were thirty-three healthy female university students, each of whom wore all four types of skirts. After videotaping the subjects putting on and taking off each type of skirt, the movements were separated into main movements and supplementary movements. Each subject was then required to answer a sensory evaluation sheet consisting of twenty items using the SD method.
The results were as follows :
1) With regard to required time for each movement, a significant difference was found among the four opening positions for supplementary movements. 2) Concerning the opening and closing of zippers, two characteristics were found. One was characterized by use of the dominant arm. Another was characterized by the direction of the fasteners. 3) Regarding which leg is used to step into and out of skirts, no difference was found among skirt types. Rather, it was speculated that this is related to individual preference. 4) Different opening positions significantly affected the sense of comfort.
