DIY Design - Go High Fashion With Designer Sewing Patterns
Sew chic! A vintage Vogue pattern. Photo: eBay.
Each season, you can take your pick from fashion-forward patterns.
The major American pattern lines, known as "The Big Four," include Vogue Patterns, Simplicity, Butterick and McCall's.
While Vogue Patterns have always garnered deals with runway designers, the other three have recently gone high-end as well.
Vogue Patterns' fall collection includes such gems as a classic Donna Karan jacket, a fun Alice + Olivia frock, a gorgeous suit and dress by Tracy Reese, a svelte Badgley Mischka day dress and a vintage-looking Anne Klein coat, top and pants.
To remain in-the-know of the constant new offerings, check out the bimonthly Vogue Patterns magazine.
Stepping up to the fashion plate in a big way is Simplicity patterns, with its beginner-friendly "Project Runway"-inspired collection (in children's, plus-size and misses!), a chic Cynthia Rowley tunic, dress, skirt trio and the catwalk-worthy Sew Stylish collection.
And while they might be more conservative with their silhouettes, both Butterick and McCall's also have some on-trend patterns.
Butterick has a very wearable collection from fashion-draping whiz Connie Crawford and McCall's has a young and hip line form Hilary Duff.
The designers of Italy-based Marfy sketch designs as quickly as they waltz down the Milan runway, so while they may not have a designer label, they certainly look like they do!
To see the complete current collection you'll need to purchase the catalogue -- it's well worth the money for its gorgeous illustrations! But you can also now buy individual patterns.
And while Marfy patterns have gotten an undeserved bad rap for being difficult and obscure, "Taking the Marfy Plunge" provides the scoop on how to translate their sophisticated, industry-style pattern drafting.
Another favorite pattern line is German-based Burda Fashion. They favor designer style without the label. One of the best things about Burda, in addition to its thriving online community, is its magazine, which offers a pull-out pattern insert with subscription, so you don't even have to spend any extra cash to buy the patterns!
Read here to brush up on your pattern skills. And next week take your designer pattern on a test drive to make sure it fits your correctly.
Amber Eden is the former editor-in-chief of Threads magazine and founding editor of SewStylish magazine and CraftStylish.com. She has studied draping and haute couture techniques at The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), and according to her, will probably be a student there for life.
Filed under: Fashion, Best of the Season, Fashion Week
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Tags: alice olivia patterns, AliceOliviaPatterns, designer patterns, designer sewing patterns, DesignerPatterns, DesignerSewingPatterns, DIY Fashion, DiyFashion, Donna Karan sewing Patterns, DonnaKaranSewingPatterns, runway sewing patterns, RunwaySewingPatterns, tracy reese sewing pattterns, TracyReeseSewingPattterns, vogue patterns, VoguePatterns
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