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Clothing and Textiles Research Journal
DOI: 10.1177/0887302X88006004071988; 6; 47Clothing and Textiles Research Journal
Vivian E. Hogge, Margaret Baer and Jikyeong Kang-ParkFitting Problems
othing for Elderly and Non-Elderly Men: A Comparison of Preferences, Perceived Availability and
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Clothing for Elderly and Non-Elderly Men:A
Comparisonof
Preferences,Perceived
Availability and Fitting Problems
Vivian E. Hogge, Margaret Baer
and Jikyeong Kang-Park
uthorsAddresses: DepartmentofApparel, Interior Design, and Mer-
handising, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523.
Abstract
Thepurpose of this study was to compare thepreferences, perceived availability andfittingproblems ofselected
ready-to-wear garmentsfor elderly and non-elderlymen
living in northern Colorado. The participants were 50males, 65 years of age and older, and a contrast group of50 males, 30-50 years of age.A Clothing PreferenceInterview Schedule was developed, adapted from a Clothing Needs of Elderly Women Questionnaire by Hoggeand Baer, to obtain data from the participants. The data from the Interview Schedules were coded and computeranalyzed using the StatisticalPackagefor the Social Sciences. Inferential statistics were computed to investigaterelationships ordifferences that existed between responses of the elderly and non-elderly men. More men from the
elderly than non-elderly group were able tofind garments in theirpreferred sizes and colors in the local stores.Men in both groups expressed various preferences for fiber content of selected clothing items. However, the oldermen had a greater acceptance ofman-made fibers. The common fittingproblem ofboth groups with shirts and
jackets was sleeve length. When purchasing clothing, the most important factor for both groups was fit. Design/style was ranked as second by the non-elderly and eighth by the elderly men who ranked durability and pricehigher than the non-elderly men did.
More than 28.0 millionAmericans are 65 years ofage and
lder. It is estimated that this group will grow by 300,000 to
400,000 persons per year over the next decade, and by the
year 2000 the total population ofthose over 65 will be morethan 36 million (U.S. Department of Commerce, 1985).With consumers aged 65 and older becoming more
numerous and being an important force in the marketplaceLumpkin, Greenberg, & Goldstucker, 1985), there is aneed to gain more knowledge ofclothing needs and concernsor the elderly residing in the United States.A number of
studies, most ofthem unpublished, have been conducted toassess some ofthe clothingproblems related to special needsof elderly women (Bratcher, 1972; Hogge & Baer, 1986;Kemaleguen, 1978; Patterson & Warden, 1983-84; Pieper,1968; Richards, 1971; Richardson, 1975; Smathers, 1974;Sontag, 1985; Woodson & Horridge, 1986). Womensfashions change more rapidly; womens wardrobes are
usually larger and more expensive than are mens. Womenalso find it more difficult to satisfy their clothing needs and
are more concerned with the social significance of clothingthan are men (Hoffman, 1970). These factors could explainwhy most research in the clothing area for the elderly hasfocused on womens clothing.
Research related to mens clothing is much less plentiful.Tate and Glisson (1963) noted that elderly men are said to
experience difficulty wearing the same size and style of
clothing and fabrics worn by younger men due to
physiological changes. Trousers for elderly men often needto be increased through the waistline to accommodate a
protruding abdomen and shortened in the back because of
general straightening ofthe posterior. Coats andjackets mayrequire extra length in the upper part of the back toaccommodate the rounded shoulders and stooped posturecharacteristic of the elderly. Coats and jackets also need a
generous waistline. Older men may find tight collarsuncomfortable to wear as a network ofwrinkles forms at the
base of the neck. Because the skin becomes dry, thin, and
inelastic, fabrics used in shirts and undergarments should besoft and non-irritating.Kemaleguen ( 1978) noted that older people complain that
sizes in ready-to-wear clothing are based on standard
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measurements ofyounger people and that the figure changesofthe elderly are not taken into consideration. Woodson and
Horridge (1986) found that the older person can no longer_
wear standard-size, ready-to-wear clothing due to bodyproportion changes. Older people give priority to fit and
style in the selection of clothing, but comfort, price, ease of
care, and warmth are also important factors (Kemaleguen,1978). Grey (1966) pointed out that the most frequentreasons older men gave for liking their clothing wer fit,appearance, comfort, and warmth/coolness. She alsoidentified poor fit as the most important reason for disliking a
garment.Men ranging in age from 19 to 76 years, interviewed by
Margerum, Walker, and Kemaleguen (1977), expresseddissatisfaction with shirts and pants. The problemsmentioned most frequently were fabric durability and
garment construction as well as size and fit. The men were
also troubled with broken stitching and fasteners, inadequateshirttail length, non-standard sizes, and pants that didnot fit.
The elderly care about their clothing and desire to have a
pleasing appearance (Kemaleguen, 1978). They wish to
conform to current fashions (Kemaleguen, 1978) and wantfashion goods of suitable style and size with the option of
returning unsatisfactory apparel (Lumpin et al., 1985) buttend to prefer familiar, traditional styles (Storm, 1987) andlean more to conservatism in dress than do younger peopleirrespective of the locality or climate (Tate & Glisson,
1963). Elderly men are not only interested in the physicalcomfort of their clothing but are also interested in theiroverall general appearance. They enjoy greater freedom indress than they did in their younger years (Horn & Gurel,1981).Because previous research has shown that elderly men
have expressed dissatisfaction with ready-to-wear clothing(Margerum et al., 1977), have difficulty finding items of
apparel they prefer (Kenaleguen, 1978), and wantfashionable styles and correct sizes (Lumpkin et al., 1985),more research is needed to identify the specific clothingpreferences and needs of elderly men and to determine howwell ready-to-wear clothing is currently meeting these
preferences. The purpose of this study was to compare the
clothing preferences ofmen between the ages of 30 and 50with the clothing preferences ofmen over the age of65. Menin these two age groups were also surveyed regarding the
availability and fit of ready-to-wear clothing and theirassessment of selected factors in
purchasinga
garment.
Method
Instrument
A Clothing Preference Interview Schedule was developedto provide a variety of data to enhance knowledge of the
preferences for clothing expressed by elderly men.
Questions for the instrument were adapted from a ClothingNeeds ofElderly Women Questionnaire used by Hogge andBaer (1986).A pretest with a group of six male subjects 65
years old and above and six male subjects 30-50 years of agewas conducted in the fall of 1984. After pretesting and
revision, the Clothing Preference Interview Scheduleconsisted of 151 questions. The first 139 questions were
designed to elicit information about each subjectsbackground, physical limitations, the perceived availabilityof and preferences for ready-to-wear garments, clothingcomfort, and general fitting problems. Theses questionswere objective with appropriate blanks to be checked by theinterviewer. In the last section of the Interview Schedule,respondents were asked to rate from ( 1 ) not important to (5)very important 11 selected garment factors considered in
purchasing a garment. The last question solicited additionalcomments from the participants. Space was provided for theinterviewer to record comments.
SubjectsThe participants in this study consisted of 100 males (50
men 65 and older and 50 between 30 and 50 years of age)residing in northern Colorado. Men between 51 and 64
years ofage were not asked to participate to allow for a moreaccurate comparison between elderly and non-elderly men.Names of the potential participants were obtained from thelist of registered voters, from a local church group, and
through word-of-mouth inquiry.
Procedure
Data used in this study were collected during the winter of1984 and spring of 1985. The Interview Schedules were
administered individually by or under the supervision of the
investigators. The participants were contacted by telephoneor in person to determine a convenient time for a personalvisit. During the 30-40 minute visit, the Interview Schedulewas explained to the participant by the interviewer. Theinterviewer read the questions to the participant and checkedthe appropriate answer on the Interview Schedule. The
participantwas
asked for any additional comments whichwere recorded on the Interview Schedule by the interviewer.The data from the Interview Schedules were coded and
computer analyzed using the Statistical Package for theSocial Sciences (Nie, Hull, Jenkins, Steinbrenner, & Bent,1975). Inferential statistics (i.e., Pearson correlation
coefficients, Kendalls correlation coefficients, chi squares,and t values) were computed to investigate relationships ordifferences that existed between elderly (65 years and older)and non-elderly men ( 30-50 years old).
Results and Discussion
An analysis of the demographic data revealed that all ofthe younger men in this study were employed. Only four
percent ofthe older men were employed and the remainderwere retired. More than 90 percent ofthe younger men and
44 percent of the older men had annual incomes of over
$20,000. Most of the men lived in their own homes or
apartments; none ofthe men lived in a nursing home. Five of
the older men said they had arthritis, a condition that would
affect the clothing they wear.
Availability of Size and Color
Specific survey questions requested responses concerning
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he availability of seven ready-to-wear garments (overcoats,ress suits, dress shirts, casual jackets, casual slacks, casualhirts and sweaters). Table 1 shows that the overwhelmingajority of men of both age groups thought that their
referred sizes and colors were available. In general, moremen from the older group than from the younger age groupnswered &dquo;yes&dquo; when asked whether garments in the sizes
hey wear were available in their local stores. Two of theeven clothing items, overcoats and sweaters, showed
ignificant correlations between availability ofpreferred sizend age group (see Table 1).A significant positiveorrelation means that the older men thought they were more
ikely to find garments of the size they wear in stores than
ounger men would.
As in the case of the preferred size, more men from thelder age group than men from the younger age groupnswered &dquo;yes&dquo; when asked whether garments in the colors
hey preferred were available in their local stores. Two oftheeven items surveyed, overcoats and dress suits, showed
ignificant correlations between availability of preferredolor and age group.These results seem counter to what
mighthave been
xpected given the information about older mens physio-ogical changes and conservative, traditional style pre-erences. Possibly, fewer older men had complaints about
vailability of size and color because they have more time to
hop or because they are less demanding and easier to
lease.Also, local stores may carry the more conservative,raditional styles preferred by the older men.
Design FeaturesTable 2 shows some significant relationships between
preferred design features of trousers and age groups. Forthese particular variables Kendalls tau c was used.
According to Nie et al. (1975), that statistic is an
appropriate measure of association between two ordinal-level variables in a rectangular table (one in which thenumber of rows differs from the number of columns).A
significant positive relationship was found between pref-erences for trousers with watch pockets with cuffs and agealso between preferences for trousers with cuffs and age
groups. These results are reasonable given that cuffs andwatch pockets were fashionable some years ago but arefound less often today. However, there was a significant
negative relationship between preferences for trousers with
straight legs and age groups. Such a negative correlation
suggests that more men from the younger age group than
from the older group preferred trousers with straightlegs.
Fabric Designs and Fiber ContentsThe respondents were also asked about the most preferred
fabric designs and fiber contents for six different clothingitems. Table 3
presents percentagesof responses and the
results of chi square analyses. The preferred fabric design fordress suits and casual jackets was significantly differentbetween the age groups. Eighty-four percent ofmen from the
younger age group said they preferred solid colors for theirdress suits, compared to only 64 percent of the older men. Itis interesting to note, since the overall appearance of
twentieth-century men is said to be subdued (Horn & Gurel,1981), that 36 percent of men from the older age grouppreferred other types offabric designs, such as prints, plaids,stripes, or checks, for their dress suits.An even more marked
able 1. Relationship* between availability of preferred size or color and age group.
z
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Table 2. Relationship between preferred design features of trousersand age group.
* p
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51
more older than younger respondents answered &dquo;yes&dquo; when
hey were asked whether their ready-to-wear garments feltcomfortable to wear. This finding appears to be the oppositeof what might have been expected because of the physicalchanges that occur as an individual grows older. Three of sixtems (jackets, trousers, and ties) showed significantcorrelations between comfort and age group. Table 4 shows
he correlation coefficients for those items. It was especially
surprising to fmd that 14 of the men in the younger age group
and only 4 in the older age group said that shirt collarsrritated their necks. This appears to contradict the findingsof Tate and Glisson (1963), who stated that older mensometimes find it uncomfortable to wear tight collarsbecause ofa network ofwrinkles that forms at the base ofthe
neck. The majority ofmen in both groups said a vest was themost uncomfortable clothing item to wear.
Perhaps older men have fewer comfort problems than
expected or can more easily avoid uncomfortable clothingnow that they are retired. They may no longer have to wear abuttoned shirt collar and tie daily. They may also generallywear more comfortable casual clothes.
Fitting ProblemsSince many physical changes (rounded shoulders,
stooped posture, increased waistline, and changes in the
skin) occur as an individual grows older, the participantswere asked if they had fitting problems with ready-to-wearackets and shirts. The most common fitting problems in
ackets ofthe older men were that the sleeves were either too
long or too short and the back width was too narrow.
Participants ofthe younger age group also stated that sleeves
and the jacket length were either too long or too short, the
Table 5. Relationship between fitting problems of ready-to-wearjackets and age group.
_a__8 -....
* p
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Table 7. Difference in ratings* of importance of garment properties by age group.
* z
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tudy, a more representative sample could be identified and
urveyed using a similar Interview Schedule. Also, a
omparison ofmeasurements ofelderly men and non-elderlymen of the same weight and height could determine what
djustments are necessary in elderly mens clothing for
roper fit. Other studies might identify and compare the
lothing preferences of the &dquo;young old&dquo; (those under 75)ith the &dquo;old old&dquo; (those over 75).
Acknowledgements
unding for this research project was provided by anmerican Home Economics Association Foundation
rant. The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Georgeorgan, Head, Department ofApparel, Interior Design,nd Merchandising, for his many helpful comments and
uggestions throughout this project.
References
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