Science is about more than just memorizing equations and using formula sheets. It’s a way of exploring and discovering things about the world around us. It can be learned by anyone, anywhere – and it can teach you a lot about style.

Over the next few months, I’m going to be explaining how science can apply to your wardrobe and showing you the places in which fashion and science intersect. (It’s more places than you think!)

Today, I’ll explain the golden ratio, also known as phi, and how it can revolutionize the way you put outfits together. Ready for a quick science lesson?

Table of Contents

Abstract:

The golden ratio, also known as phi, is a constant easily described by this rectangle:

Basically, the ratio between the smaller length (a-b) and the larger length (b) is equal to the ratio between the larger length (b) and the sum between both lengths (a). You can also create a golden rectangle of golden rectangles,

and a golden spiral (which is the previous shape, but in which each square contains a quarter circle of the same size).

This proportion, approximately equal to 1:1.618, seems arbitrary (especially because it is irrational, so it cannot be described by a fraction of any two whole numbers), but it can be found in art, architecture, and nature: such famed creations as the Parthenon, The Great Wave, and the growth of leaves and petals on plants can be deconstructed into golden figures.