Consumers' aesthetic evaluation of clothing: The effect of age, sex, and fashion involvement

Sproles' (1979) model of fashion adoption suggests that consumers' aesthetic evaluations of clothing may be influenced by attributes of outfits, including design elements, and characteristics of the individual, such as age, sex, and fashion involvement. This research was conducted to study the use and importance of design elements in the aesthetic evaluation of clothing and the influence of age, sex, and fashion involvement on aesthetic preferences.; The approach was innovative because of three aspects of the method (1) a sample of adult males and females in four age groups (2) colored line drawings of men's suits as stimuli (3) a conjoint task that resembled the decision-making environment of the marketplace. The research instrument was developed using a 2{dollar}sp8{dollar} fractional factorial design. Combinations of men's jackets and pants were created using eight design elements, each varied at two levels. The dependent variable was respondents' evaluations of the attractiveness of each outfit. Subjects were 91 females and 77 males from four age groups. To study the effect of the independent variables, respondents' socioeconomic status had to be similar; respondents recruited from four religious organizations were primarily upper middle class.; Individual subject ANOVA and Hay's omega squared values indicated the importance of design elements in respondents' aesthetic evaluations. Jacket length, jacket pattern, collar, and neckline were most influential. Of less importance were jacket and pant silhouette followed by jacket and pant color. Marginal means indicated that subjects preferred long, blue, solid jackets with narrow silhouettes, low necklines, and lapels. Olive pants with narrow silhouettes were also evaluated most favorably. According to the post hoc ANOVA, subjects in the four age groups employed the design elements differently in their aesthetic evaluations. Subjects categorized by age, sex, and fashion involvement also varied in their use of design elements. The results may contribute to models of consumer decision-making, particularly Sproles' model of fashion adoption. The study could be extended to investigate other products and types of garments, including women's suits. The influence of interactions of design elements on aesthetic preferences should be explored further as well as the effect of other individual characteristics.