c/fashion-design-ideas

My aunt told me to never put pockets in a formal dress, but my client in Denver specifically asked for them and loved the result.

What's a piece of 'standard' design advice you've been given that you ended up breaking on purpose?

Cleaned out my fabric stash and found 37 yards of black cotton twill

It was from a project I never started back in 2021. Realized I could make a whole capsule wardrobe of work pants with it. Has anyone else turned a forgotten stash into a full collection?

Warning: I just found out my 'designer' fabric was a cheap knockoff

I was working on a coat project for a client in Portland and the wool twill I ordered felt wrong. It was listed as 'Italian mill' but the selvage edge had a weird, blurry logo. I called the supplier and after a long hold, they admitted it was a domestic blend they'd been passing off. I've been using them for three years. Has anyone else been burned by a fabric supplier recently?

Trying to design a convertible dress for a friend's wedding, and a roll of painter's tape saved my sanity.

I used to think mixing patterns was a fashion disaster until I saw a woman in Portland last week.

She had this floral skirt with a thin striped top, and it just clicked for me. Anyone have other pattern combos that shouldn't work but totally do?

Visiting the farmers market in Asheville and saw a woman wearing a dress made from old quilt squares.

It was pieced together with visible stitching and had a really unique, textured look. Has anyone else tried working with upcycled fabrics in a structured garment?

Just figured out why my jacket patterns never looked right on real people

PSA: A professor told me my color palettes were 'too safe'

He said my last collection looked like it was designed in a beige room, which stung but was true. I started pulling swatches from weird places, like a photo of rust on a dumpster behind my building in Philly. What's the most unexpected place you've found a color you used?

Watching the rain at the bus stop made me rethink fabric choices

I was waiting for the 5:15 bus in Portland last Tuesday when a downpour started. This woman in a long coat stood next to me, and the water just beaded up and rolled right off the fabric instead of soaking in. I asked her about it, and she said it was a waxed cotton blend she treated herself. It got me thinking about designing outerwear that looks good but actually works in wet weather. Has anyone else designed with functional, water-resistant natural fabrics lately?

Tried a new way to dye linen in my apartment and got a surprise

I used a cold dye bath with avocado pits for a soft pink, but after drying, the fabric turned a patchy lavender. I think my tap water's pH in Portland is to blame. Has anyone else had color shift issues with natural dyes?

Getting the drape right on a silk bias-cut skirt took me three full weekends of unpicking and re-pinning.

I just couldn't get the side seams to hang straight without pulling across the hips, and my usual method of adding a tiny bit of ease just made it bunch, so has anyone found a good trick for this specific fabric and cut?

Update: I was about to trash a whole roll of silk because of a stubborn dye bleed

The fabric was supposed to be a solid emerald green, but it had these weird pink streaks after the first wash. I was ready to give up, but I tried soaking it in a cold saltwater bath for about 12 hours on a total whim. It actually pulled most of the excess dye out and saved the material. Has anyone else fixed a dye bleed with something that simple, or did I just get lucky?

Just saw a local designer's collection go from amazing to kind of boring in like 6 months

I followed this new designer from Austin who made these cool patchwork jackets with recycled denim. Her first drop sold out in a day. But her new stuff just looks like plain, boxy blazers you can get anywhere. I think she got a deal with a big online store and had to make things faster and cheaper. Has anyone else seen a designer change their whole style after getting popular?

My professor in college told me my designs were 'too safe' and it stuck with me for months.

Can we talk about how thrift store finds can shape a whole collection?

I picked up a set of old curtains from a yard sale in Austin for five dollars, just for the fabric. The pattern was this faded floral print that felt dated. I cut it up and used it as accent panels on the sleeves of a simple denim jacket I was working on. The mix of tough denim with those soft, vintage flowers completely changed the jacket's feel from basic to one-of-a-kind. It made me see how adding just one unexpected textile can give a piece a whole new story. What's the best 'found' material you've worked into a design?

I used to think asymmetrical hems were just a weird trend

Last month I was sketching a simple dress for a friend in Austin and kept hitting a wall with the design. She sent me a photo of a vintage Issey Miyake piece from the 80s with this wild, off-kilter hem that somehow looked perfect. I tried a 4 inch longer hem on just the left side of my sketch and it completely changed the flow of the piece, made it way more interesting to look at. Anyone else have a designer or a specific piece that made you totally flip on a style you used to hate?

I chose a bold print over a classic solid for a client's dress and it actually worked

Everyone said the floral pattern was too loud for a formal event in Chicago, but she loved it and got tons of compliments. Has anyone else gone against the 'safe' advice and been happy with the result?

Saw something at the Portland art museum that changed my view on fabric use

I was in Portland last month and went to the modern art wing. They had this huge textile piece that was just a plain rectangle of wool, maybe 8 feet wide, hung on a wall. Everyone was calling it a bold statement, but honestly, it looked like someone just pinned up a blanket. I think we give too much credit to simple things just because they're in a gallery. Has anyone else seen fashion ideas in art that felt overhyped?

I was sure the 'deconstructed blazer' trend was just lazy tailoring

But after seeing a designer in Seattle drape one over a simple dress, the intentional asymmetry and raw edges created a whole new silhouette. Has anyone else had a fashion trend they disliked completely win them over?

My friend in Seattle said to use a cheap shower curtain liner for pattern drafting.

It's way more see through than muslin and only costs about 5 bucks, so you can really check the fit. Has anyone tried this with a specific brand that doesn't tear easy?

Tried making a jacket from a thrifted wool blanket and it worked better than expected

I had this heavy wool blanket from a yard sale that was too scratchy to use. Instead of a pattern, I just laid a jacket I already liked on top of it and cut around the shape, adding about an inch for seams. I used my basic sewing machine and some thick thread from a craft store in Tacoma. The whole thing took maybe three hours and it's now my warmest coat. Anyone else tried making clothes from non-fabric materials?

My latest collection sketchbook hit 50 pages and honestly, that's too many

Everyone says more ideas are better, but flipping through it, I realized maybe 15 of those pages are actually solid concepts. The rest are just meandering repeats or stuff that doesn't fit my brand's vibe at all. Has anyone else found a sweet spot for how much to sketch before you start editing?

Why does nobody talk about the shift from heavy zippers to magnetic closures on bags?

I designed a messenger bag in 2019 with three big metal zippers, but my newest version uses hidden magnets instead. The change happened after a client in Boston said they kept breaking zippers on their commute. Has anyone else found a better closure method for daily wear items?

A client in Portland asked me to make a dress from old shower curtains

She brought in three plastic curtains with a loud tropical print and said, "I want to feel like a walking greenhouse." I tried to explain the noise and sweat issue, but she insisted. I ended up using a thin cotton liner and only the curtain's trim to make it work. Has anyone else had to make something wearable from a totally wild material?

My friend in Seattle said my color choices were too safe for streetwear

She looked at my last five designs and said, 'You keep using black, gray, and olive. It's like you're scared of color.' I swapped the main fabric for a bright cobalt blue on a new hoodie sketch and it looks WAY more interesting. Anyone else get stuck in a color rut and find a way out?