The secret to looking good in the clothes you buy might be right in front of you.
A recent UF study suggests female consumers have a preference for dressing rooms with frontal lighting - those installed along the sides of the mirror - instead of overhead lights mounted on the ceiling.
Anne Baumstarck, a UF interior design master's student who conducted the study, said retailers often overlook the importance of how dressing rooms are lit.
The lengths apparel stores go to lure customers, like deep discounts and colorful interior designs, are likely to fall short if shoppers don't like how they look in the mirror. It's not all about the clothes, she said.
"What woman doesn't go into a dressing room and engage in a dialogue with herself about how attractive she is? You don't want to give her any opportunity to feel badly about herself," Baumstarck said.
In the study, 60 female shoppers between 18 and 35 years old who tried on clothes in the dressing rooms at the Gainesville clothing boutique Wolfgang, showed a clear preference for frontal lights.
Lighting was so important that it was mentioned in 51 percent of comments by the women in the study, she said. Twenty-five of the 36 comments made about overhead lights were negative, while only 14 of the 34 comments about frontal lighting were negative.
Women complained that overhead lighting created shadows on their faces, which made them look unattractive.
The frontal lighting was described as soft and flattering, giving their skin a healthy glow and making cellulite less visible, Baumstarck said.
Whitney Jacob, 19, said she is much less likely to buy items in a store if the dressing room lighting is lousy.
Despite being more expensive, she said she prefers to buy clothes from small, intimate boutiques because of their atmosphere.
"Big department stores freak me out with overhead lighting," said Jacob, a nutrition science major at Auburn University. "Sometimes it's worth it to buy from a boutique."
Matthew Turner, owner of Wolfgang, said he agreed that frontal lighting made fewer shadows on customers, but that typically there's overhead lighting in store fitting rooms.
Turner said he has both types of lighting in Wolfgang's dressing rooms, and that he often switches between the two. He said not all customers prefer frontal lighting, as some customers have commented that the frontal lighting is too intense and distracted from the clothes.
"The goal is to reduce the light intensity because it can be overwhelming," Turner said.
Christy Morgan, owner of Dahlia, another Gainesville clothing boutique, said warm, soft light makes dressing rooms more pleasant. The store has small chandeliers hanging low in front of its dressing room mirrors, which Morgan said she likes because they give a soft, romantic feel.
Because customers often spend a lot of time trying on clothes, it's important each room is cozy and inviting so customers don't mind spending time in them, she said.
"You want to feel comfortable and not threatened when trying to find something flattering," Morgan said.
Baumstarck said overhead lighting makes rooms seem smaller - even cramped - creating a need to escape. With frontal lighting, dressing rooms appear roomier, and shoppers said they were willing to stay longer and try on more clothes, she said.
"You never want a consumer to be thinking 'I hate this lighting' instead of 'I like this dress,'" Baumstarck said.
