Okay so I'm not sewing...well not like I usually do! I can't not sew and since I have designated this the spring and summer of the dress...I was inspired to create a new dress from a photo in the latest issue of Vanity Fair. This process got me to thinking about where I find inspiration to sew.
Glossy magazine ads are a huge inspiration trigger for me. But I think the building blocks of inspiration come from all of the internet snoop shopping that I do. By spending quality time carefully looking at the details and silhouettes of garments and then letting it sink into my subconcious, the inspiration seeds are planted.
Then as previously stated magazine and catalog pictures trigger and stimulate my creative process. I do, however, pay attention to the fashion trends and colors of the season...and magic happens.
So what stimulates you? What causes you to run to your fabric collection, or to your favorite bricks 'n mortar store or internet fabric spot? What triggers your creative sense? I read an article about Lois Ericson, where she stated that inspiration is everywhere. So please share with me where you find it! And when my new digital camera arrives, I will take pictures of and do a write-up on my two newest dresses!
Enjoy your sewing journeys!
Primarily clothes catalogues. Also, designers that I really like: Dana Buchman, Ann Taylor, Jones New York, Michael Kors. I also try to catch the fashion shows on t.v. when they're aired; and, of course, the big fashion mags: Vogue, Bazaar,and W sometimes. Oh, yeah, snoop shopping helps sometimes, too!;-)
ReplyDeleteLet's see for "regular clothes", runway shows, high-end internet retailers, other people's blogs and let's not forget the great treasure trove of vintage patterns. For "show clothes" or art garments it could be *anything*. I've been percolating something for about 6 months or so that started with a sequinned fox from J.P. Gaultier's AW06 couture show.
ReplyDeleteI get my inspiration mostly from fashion magazines like the spanish Hola, fashion shows, blogs, people I see on the street, pattern catalogues, etc. I think a part of me is always seeking for inspiration. Then when I see a fabric that I like, I picture it as a possible garment in my mind. If that image is returning to my mind over and over again, it means I must buy that fabric and make the garment as soon as possible!
ReplyDeleteI want to say magazines, but I think I really get it from blogs and television. I love how many people out there can condense all the fashion news into a nugget.
ReplyDeleteMy source of inspiration is usually a phone call from my daughter: I'm in the dressing room at [Banana Republic, Anthropologie, Ann Taylor] and I'm trying on a great [dress, skirt, coat] that I think you can make for less. Can you look at the website and see if you think you can copy this?
ReplyDeleteBut I much prefer InStyle, Lucky and glossy catalogs. And caller ID.
I read your post earlier today and did not leave a comment as I needed to think about it. Now a few hours later I still don't think I can really say I find inspiration from anywhere in particular. I see what others have made, RTW,etc and it flows from that. I don't particularly follow what is in a magazine as such. But I suppose it all filters in somehow and comes out in its own form somehow! I buy fabric because I love it and that is where I work from, rather than see something in a mag and then look for the fabric. The fabric usually comes first.
ReplyDeleteLike Vicki, the fabric usually comes first for me. It speaks to me and tells me what it wants to be. From there I will usually start with patterns I already own or look through the pattern books. However, I am sometimes inspired by something in a magazine. On occasion, I have been inspired by buttons and create from that point.
ReplyDeleteA lot of things go into inspiration. I love glossy magazine and perusing the designer collections. I also like shopping at high end stores, and even trendy stores for ideas. In the end though, I rarely run out and say I am going to make THAT. Eventually it all perks through and a certain fabric references a certain idea and a connection is made. All the things I look at, even the colors and textures in everyday life, play a role.
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