Let me introduce you to Leonardo Da Vinci’s Golden Ratio. Sometimes referred to as the Golden Mean or Fibonacci Number. This is a ratio that goes: 1:2, 2:3, 3:5, etc. It is represented by the Greek letter phi. It has the numerical value 1.618.

So what is its significance?

Leonardo discovered that we find this ratio to be the most beautiful, whether it be in architecture, in nature, or a person’s physical body. Dividing a line at the 1.618 point is the most harmonious and pleasing to the eye. It defines the perfect portion between two points. Dividing a line into two parts so that the longer part divided by the smaller part is also equal to the whole length divided by the longer part. If you have 2 numbers, A and B, it has to be such that (A + B) divided by A = A divided by B. I know that’s a lot of math!

Here’s what you need to know.

Everything is about proportions and balance.

The Golden Ratio is a number that can be found all over the human body. You can use this ratio (1:2, 2:3, 3:5) in dressing your body in a more appealing way. The human body is said to be about 8 head lengths. If you break the body up using these proportions, you will look better to the human eye. No matter what size you are, this works.

So when getting dressed, it is better to not divide the body in half but to divide it into thirds. So 1/3 of your body is covered by your shirt and 2/3 is covered by your pants or skirt or vice versa.

This can also be applied when men are selecting suits, shirts, and neckties. Use the 1:2 ratio: 1 solid with 2 patterns or 2 solids with 1 pattern and you will never go wrong. You can do all solids or all patterns, but that’s a whole other topic. Following the 2:1 ratio is always the easiest to remember.