How To Design a Dress: Your Step-by-Step Guide
If you have dreams of being a fashion designer, your journey has to start somewhere and it begins with learning how to design a woman’s dress. Whether you imagine a future where your designs hit the catwalks of Paris and Milan or you want to design your clothes, there's serious satisfaction in flexing your creative skills to make unique creations. This guide will provide a foundational overview of the steps required to design your fashion creations.
Find Inspiration
What inspires you? Do you draw creative inspiration from the current trends and a personal twist or do you prefer to take nature and art as your muse? You can choose to draw your inspiration from existing online stores that sell women’s dresses in unique styles. You don't have to choose just one source of inspiration, you can take all of them and work your ideas into something truly unique. The first step is to create a mood board to gather all your visual references. It's one of the most effective ways of brainstorming your fashion designs because you can watch your ideas unfold and get a good sense of what direction you want to take in your design.
Understand Silhouettes and Dress Types
You have the basis for your fashion inspiration, but what about the type of dress you want to make and the common dress silhouettes? The A-line is probably the silhouette that immediately comes to mind, and while it's a classic for a reason, there are also empire silhouettes, sheaths, ballgowns, mermaids, shirts, and V-lines to name a few.
The A-line silhouette is suitable for semi-formal and casual wear, while if you're looking for something strictly formal, the mermaid silhouette is ideal.
As you conceive your design, you need to consider who will be wearing it and where they will be wearing it. Is it high fashion? Is it a casual outing you want to make your outfit for? Are you crafting a wedding dress? The key is understanding the "model" and the dress' purpose.
Conceptualise & Sketch
With all your ideas in place, you can start sketching out your ideas. While croquis is simply the French word for sketch, in fashion, a croquis is the outline of a model you use to develop your ideas. The initial sketch is for the basic ideas about the shape of your design onto a page; you can pull from your inspiration as you work the details in and refine your sketch. A flat sketch is the final drawing that the designer relies on to bring the creation to life.
Choose the Right Fabrics & Materials
The fabric you select will influence the final design because fabric impacts drape and can also change the trims and embellishments you use. Whether you plan to use silk, cotton, linen, or synthetics, you must choose the correct material for the style of dress you're making and the occasion it's for. Satin is a wonderful choice for a wedding dress, but might not be suitable for casual events, everyday wear or in warm weather.
Fabrics drape differently based on their weight, knit, and fibre type. A natural fibre like cotton or silk drapes smoothly compared to a synthetic fibre. The lighter a fabric is, the smoother it drapes, whereas heavy fabrics hold their shape because they're stiffer.
Create a Basic Pattern
A pattern is the blueprint. While you may want to start with a commercial pattern to improve your sewing skills and get some practice in, if you want to create your designs, you need to learn how to draft your own blueprint. Patterns are usually paper to make marking and cutting simpler. It is the foundation for constructing and assembling the garment properly.
To draft your pattern from scratch, you start with the measurements of your garment and that might sound daunting, but you can gain a more in-depth understanding of the process with our comprehensive Fashion Design and Dressmaking Course.
Consider Fit & Measurements
To ensure accurate measurements for the perfect fit, you have to consider the model, the style of the dress, the fabric you're using, and how it's supposed to fit, sit, and drape. The bust, waist, and hips are the key measurements for a well-fitting dress, and if you get this wrong, it can pull or pinch the garment, leaving the wearer deeply uncomfortable. So, measurements are key, but you also need to understand the fit you're trying to create.
From Sketch to Reality
Before you think about the final sewing, you create a muslin mock-up of your design. This is the pattern test version before you bring expensive fabrics into the picture. You can test the accuracy of your pattern, ensure the fit is correct and that your measurements are accurate. Ultimately, it's your opportunity to make tweaks to the design before you create the final cut. Once you produce the finished product, you won't need to worry about alterations.
Final Thoughts
Garment design is fun and DIY fashion can be an exciting way to exercise your creative juices, whether you love couture or everyday basics. Start by finding your inspiration and give yourself time to explore the type of dress and silhouette you're trying to create. That will inform the textile choice, pattern making stage, and garment construction.
There's nothing more rewarding than clothing design, especially when you feel confident wearing your own apparel; the best way to further your learning is with a course that can teach you the ins and outs of fashion design and dressmaking.