本研究主要針對近年來的男士西裝外套風格和西裝布料質感，兩種意象進行量化研究，主要研究架構分兩大部分：研究一為男士西裝外套風格意象，研究二為男士西裝布料質感意象。
男裝風格意象在流行演變趨勢及意象構成之研究上，其形式演化的汰換周期性與流行速度等所呈現之狀況，雖遠不如女裝風格明顯，但男裝表現在不同季節年份上，仍可觀察出細微的流行變化，這種經過長期或短周期性的主觀判斷，或客觀性因素之比較分析後，可歸納出男裝設計的合適性設計原則，及其形式構成之要素。然在有關流行服裝的研究與文獻發表方面，頗多屬性為主觀評論或觀察心得之發表；而在客觀研究上，則較多屬於社會心理學範圍，而這些研究多為訪談調查，其研究結論較為簡略、主觀。因此，本研究嘗試探討服裝意象除了質性研究外，是否能以較客觀的研究方法，獲得具有說服力的科學驗證，即以感性工學方法來進行服裝相關議題的系統性研究，以建構服裝設計之學術理論。研究一之研究目的在建構男士西裝風格意象的知覺空間，並從西裝風格的各種構成屬性元素關係作比較分析，歸納出適性設計原則，作為男士西裝外套風格意象建構之設計參考。
此外，男士西裝外套在風格意象的構成上，其外觀形式可能因採用不同的布料，往往產生各種相異其趣的穿著感知。服裝設計的布料除了複雜的物理構成外，其質感精確的掌握使用，更是設計上不可忽略的要因。研究二，主要在探討西裝外套的布料質感構成意象之認知。首先，將西裝外套外觀意象做質化的分析比較研究：收集1998~2002年間，國際五大流行中心的成衣（ready to wear）設計品牌所設計的西裝式樣圖像，以3位資深男裝設計專家針對西裝款式討論，以正式優雅較具恆久性的輪廓形式西裝，抉擇出代表性西裝外套款式。再廣泛性地從目前西服業界所生產使用的布樣搜集大量樣本，初步共得153種樣本。接著由四位15年~25年資深專家的專業經驗，依據布料織法構成、經緯密度、米重及較常使用的色彩等各外觀特徵構成要素作分類，共萃選出61種代表性織物。並整理出物理特徵表（morphological chart）；再進行布料質感構成的量測與分析等量化研究。本研究運用系統化調查方法與感性工學方法：以SD法、MDS法等研究方法，針對布料質感構成要素，進行系統化研究。經因子分析結果，獲得三個布料質感意象構成因子，再進一步以&;#24315;歸分析找出質感構成各種意象的物理特徵，同時以MDS法分析找出布料質感意象的認知空間，建構出西裝布料的質感運用的設計原則。

In the study of the fashion trends and image formation of male fashion styles, though the speed of the replacement cycle and fashion change is far less obvious than female fashion, fine fashion changes can still be observed in male fashion presented in different seasons and years. After such long-term or short-term cycle subjective judgment, or objective factor comparison and analysis, we can conclude the suitable adaptive design principles and the elements of form for male fashion designs. However, the attribute of most publications of fashion study reports and literature is subject criticisms or observational opinions. For example, in his study on the image of male employees, male and female employee fashion image scholar Forsythe (1990) discovered that clothes with modern and masculine images can help employees to find a job more easily. Forsythe (1990) further categorized male fashion with positive male symbols: blazers made with plain fabrics in a dim or cold tone and jackets with an intelligent sense. In general, most studies were conducted through interviews, and their conclusions are rather rough and subjective. The motivation of this study attempts to find if a more persuasive scientific verifications can be achieved by using more objective methods of research in exploring fashion images in addition to a qualitative study. That is, Kansei Engineering is applied to the systemic study of fashion-related issues in order to develop more accurate and richer academic theories for fashion design. The aim of this study is to establish the perceive space in images of male suit styles; and to infer the adaptive design principles through comparison and analysis of the correlations among the elements of suit styles as a reference for practical suit style image design.
In fashion design, form image is the most important factor. Regarding the form image of fashion, texture image is the prime affecting factor. Especially for men’s suits, there is not much variation in their shape and style; therefore, the fabrics used in making them determine their texture image. For this reason, this research probed into the texture image of suit fabrics. First, quality analysis and comparison of the image of the suit’s look were conducted to deduce the consumer’s and designer’s common understanding of the prototype of men’s suit. Meanwhile, the frequently used fabrics for making men’s suit were collected. From them, 61 fabrics were selected as tested samples for this study. With
expert interview and literature review, the morphological chart of the patterns, weave, and color of the fabrics and 16
related adjective pairs were conc1uded. Then, the experiments of semantic differential (SD) evaluation on the image of these fabric samples as well as of grouping samples with similar fabric texture were conducted. With factor analysis on the SD evaluation data, an image space with four constituting factors was yielded. By examining the distribution of fabric samples in this space, the relationship between the physical features concerning the texture image and the people’s feeling of the image were concluded. Furthermore, this research has figured out a three dimensional perceptual space of texture image of suit fabrics through multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis on the data collected from the similarity grouping experiment. Based on these results, certain principles for the design of image for men’s suits with proper fabrics were proposed.