Using RTW Clothes as Sewing Inspiration

Have you ever been caught using RTW clothes as sewing inspiration?  How often have you passed by a store window or catalog pages and saw an outfit that captured your full attention?  Or, do you have a favorite Ready-to-Wear garment that you have worn beyond repair and would like to recreate or replace it?

If you’re like me, you have been in the same situation where your favorite garment has been worn to death and must be retired. There was just something about it that you loved.  Whether it fit perfectly,  the fabric was one-of-a-kind, or a unique shade of blue, you loved it and wish you had another one just like it.

 

So, I recreated this slouchy, comfortable, oversized hoodie in an orange cotton knit that was purchased from FabricMartFabrics.

Recently, I received a call from a friend who saw a dress that she instantly fell in love with on a perfume ad.  The dress reminded her of a conversation she’d had with her grandmother who told her the style was very flattering on her.  My friend could visualize herself in the dress and having that feeling of love from her grandmother.  The emotion she felt was overwhelming.  I am in the process of finding the fabric and a pattern to replicate that feeling.

The conversation with my friend reminded me of the many times I had seen something that stood out in some way.  It may have been the color, the style, the hemline flowing from a breeze or an emotion like my friend experienced.  One of the benefits of sewing is that you can sew just about anything that inspires you; the challenge is applying it to your lifestyle and translating it into everyday fashion garments.

While scanning several online catalogs for trending tops, the scoop neck top with a flounce constantly surfaced.  I became attached to the style.

As it turned out, the pattern companies were also keeping up with the trend and I found this pattern that satisfied my desire.

 

The dresses below are from a catalog I receive online.  I loved the muted stripes in the first and the colors in the second one.  So, I saved them to a file for later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I saw this fabric in the store, it reminded me of the RTW dresses above, but there was not enough fabric to sew a dress and match the stripes.  So, I made a free-flowing midi skirt instead, then wore it with a white linen, button-down shirt and denim jacket.

Next, I purchased this fabric but did not have anything in mind at the time of the purchase.  I just love the fabric.  I think it was 98% cotton and 2% spandex.  The fabric was in my stash for over a year.  Later, I saw the jackets below in one of my email subscriptions and remembered that I had something similar.  I had enough fashion fabric to sew a spring coat instead of a short jacket.  I like the coat much better.   I’m interested in finding out if you too are using any RTW clothes as sewing inspiration.  I have also included a couple of more that I have used.