Comparing jacket lines before cutting fabric

[Oliverwam]

I am choosing a jacket pattern for a sewing class. Both patterns come in my measurements, but one has a sharp shoulder and the other falls more loosely. The measurement chart does not settle the choice. I have been reading about color and body type analysis while trying to understand the language people use for silhouette. I want to separate fit from visual preference. A test garment seems like a useful starting point. Using identical fabric would remove one obvious difference. Then I could compare shoulder width and hem length. A body type label alone would not answer the construction question. The class has a limited budget, so I need to make the comparison before buying the final material. I can take notes about each alteration and keep the samples for our discussion. How would you organise a fair comparison of the two patterns?