A style line is a seam in a
garment
Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials ...
made primarily for the purpose of its visual effect, rather than for the purpose of shaping of structuring the garment. By contrast, a
dart
Dart or DART may refer to:
* Dart, the equipment in the game of darts
Arts, entertainment and media
* Dart (comics), an Image Comics superhero
* Dart, a character from ''G.I. Joe''
* Dart, a ''Thomas & Friends'' railway engine character
* Dar ...
or
pleat
A pleat (plait in older English) is a type of fold formed by doubling fabric back upon itself and securing it in place. It is commonly used in clothing and upholstery to gather a wide piece of fabric to a narrower circumference.
Pleats are cat ...
by itself would not be considered a style line because although each can be used to produce a pleasing visual effect, their main purpose is to shape the garment by taking in ease or adding fullness respectively. Clearly though, there can be some ambiguity as when a dart is made as part of a seam which continues beyond the dart point. If the seam beyond the dart is straight, that is, not affecting the garment's fit, it would be considered a style line.
Sewing
Parts of clothing
Fashion design
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