Having your own style isn’t about following the latest trend, but about knowing what you like and why. And sewing is one of the best ways to find out, because it makes you decide every detail.
Start with what you already wear
Before looking for inspiration in anyone else, look at your wardrobe. This twenty-minute exercise gets you to your personal “uniform”:
- Pull out ten pieces you put on without thinking and three you never wear.
- Look for what repeats in the first ones: a colour, a length, a type of fabric, a detail.
- See what the ones you don’t wear have in common: it’s usually what doesn’t suit you.
- Sum up your style in three words and write them down.
The four ingredients of a style
- Colour: the shades you repeat and the ones you never choose.
- Silhouette: whether you like fitted, loose, long or short.
- Fabric: fluid or structured, shiny or matte.
- Detail: buttons, ruffles, slits or a different hem.
Why sewing speeds up your style
When you shop, you choose from what’s there. When you sew, you choose the fabric, the colour, the length and the detail, and the garment is made to your measurements. That makes you decide what you really want, and every garment you make teaches you something about what you like. Plus, nobody else will have the same one.
A first project with your signature
Pick a garment that fits your three words and change one detail: the neckline, the length or the fabric. If it’s your first time, start with choosing the right fabric and a simple sewing pattern, which is a starting point and not a rule.
Let it evolve
Style changes with you, so repeat the exercise from time to time. And if you still don’t know where to start, at the in-person workshops you can try out fabrics, colours and shapes with someone beside you. To start with something small, how to customise a garment you already own will also help.
