The Fashion Designer’s Directory Of Shape And Style is one of my favorite sewing design books. With pages and pages of illustrations and glossy fashion model photos, this book will inspire you to amp up your sewing designs. The profusely illustrated idea book will help you sew each garment with unique and interesting finishes.
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Chapter 1 The Design Process
The Fashion Designer’s Directory Of Shape And Style first chapter is all about the design process. It gives the sewist a brief overview of proportions, silhouette, color, mood boards, and developing your own style.
The Understanding Proportions section is one of the most important tools you will have in your sewing knowledge. When you are short, tall, thin, round, or whatever shape your body is, you can wear just about any style as long as the proportions are correct.
Chapter 2 Directory Of Shapes
In Chapter 2, the Fashion Designer’s Directory is composed of a seven part series of line drawings and photo illustrated catalog shots. The line drawings are an inspirational jumping off point to create your own original clothing, showcasing your personal style. You will discover inventive ideas and more than 500 mix and match elements for creative clothing design.
Sleeves
Statement sleeves are everywhere on the runway. A flounce here, a pleat there and you are crafting architectural details for your ordinary top or dress designs.
Illustrated options for sleeves total 86 different sleeve styles for every type of garment you can imagine. The model focused photo collages top out at a whopping 46 glossy photos.
With a few simple changes to your commercial pattern you can achieve a personally creative clothing design that elevates your garments from everyday to amazingly special.
Necklines And Collars
Mix and match elements like the necklines and collars section to create original garments with a casual or sophisticated look.
The Fashion Designer’s Directory fashion illustrations for necklines and collars tops out at 139 different building blocks for your inspirational sewing. The photo illustrated catalog pictures showcasing inventive ideas for necklines and collars tops out at 64 beautiful color photos.
Waistbands
The waistband section of the Fashion Designer’s Directory will add architectural details to your garment. You don’t need to employ master construction methods to complete most of these looks.
Creating imaginative and original clothing using the waistband illustrations is easy, and the book presents 50 different drawings – who knew there were so many. To help you choose suitable fabrics, the glossy photos in the waistband section totals 23 fashionable shots.
Pockets
Doesn’t everyone love a great pocket — I add pockets to most of my garments. They are a quick and easy way to make your garment wearable. I love to peruse this section of the book — well I love them all — when I’m looking for pocket ideas.
The graphic designs total 61 options and offer inspired suggestions on how to make them your own. The 23 photos demonstrate suggested fabrics and styles for these pockets.
Cuffs
Making cuffs is a lost art. Once you start making blouses, coats, and shirts, you will love the idea of additional inspiration for your cuffs. The Fashion Designer’s Directory of Shape and Style has 65 different illustrations for cuff ideas. Additionally, there are 25 model-wearing photos with expanded cuff detail.
Closures
Closures is another area where one simple design change is a place to elevate your elements for creative clothing design. A statement button or an exposed zipper can bring out the sleeping fashion designer in your heart.
This section is an invaluable resource of 50 different closure illustrations. Glossy garment illustrations total 17 inspirational ideas to simply up your garment with a unique twist.
Hems
More than a simple hemming technique, we often neglect the bottom of our garment when it comes to design. From special occasion to everyday, the 70 different illustrations offers valuable inspiration when it comes to crafting your hems. The basic shapes and fancy finishes are showcased in 35 different photos.
Chapter 3 The Textile Directory
The book’s final section is a textile directory that offers a peek at the basic building blocks of garment design with a look of specialty fabrics as well as everyday fabrics. When you combine the correct pattern, fabric, and design elements, you are well on your way to crafting imaginative and original clothing. Your garments will look like they came from one of the name brand fashion houses.
Imaginative And Original Garments In The Fashion Designer’s Directory
We sew for the joy of creating beautiful things, as an outlet for our artistic side, and to craft clothes that fit well. Fashion design inspiration can come from many sources, in this book you will find valuable inspiration to move your artistic side forward.
In The Fashion Designer’s Directory Of Shape And Style you will find inventive ideas and valuable inspiration and up your fashion designer’s chops. The book presents a plethora of mix and match elements for creative clothing design. The budget friendly book with over 500 mix and match elements is well worth the price. The fashion color photos make the line drawn illustrations come to life and spark your creative inner designer.
Happy Sewing,
Sandi
PS If you don’t know where to begin, start simple with one of these options — Pattern Sewing For Beginners – My Favorite Pattern Companies.
This book looks extremely helpful! What a great find.
Love the review!
How interesting! I do not sew, but I enjoyed reading this post and looking at the pictures!
This looks like a fantastic read! There are some great insight to getting creative while sewing!
Of Shape and Style book is a perfect gift for me to get my daughter, who is just beginning to sew. Can’t wait to get it for her.