Burda Style For people who sew

Hi guys,

I’m planning on having an overhaul of my wardrobe, essentially I’m getting rid of what I don’t wear and want to make some more clothes to add to what’s leftover, hopefully so that everything goes together at the end. Here’s a blog post about it if you want more information, http://richystitch.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/wardrobe-remix-idea.html.

At the moment I’ve decided on what I’m getting rid of but I’m looking for inspiration on what to make. I’ve realised how few nice, classic pieces I have so I kind of want to brainstorm what people think of as wardrobe essentials and good patterns for making them.

So far I’ve got:

crisp white shirt
blue jeans
pencil skirt
classic blazer

What do you think?

J
xx

Nov 29, 2012, 06.12 PM by judomonkey

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  Dec 1, 2012, 09.18 AMby katexxxxxx

  Smart but comfy knit trousers with elastic waist: great for crawling round the floor pinning up customer’s hems!

  A suit suitable for funerals, Remebraance Day events, and that, jazzed up with a bright scarf, will be fine for Midnight Mass at Christmas and those public events where you need to look smart and a bloke would wear a suit.

  Think about what you will wear the clothing for. My essentials also include something washable that looks really great at an evening event.

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    Dec 2, 2012, 07.48 PMby judomonkey

    Definitely agree on the washable front, dry cleaning is soo expensive! I think I would much prefer a smart dress and a jacket to a suit, but making it something suitable for a funeral/more solemn events didn’t occur to me, good idea.

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    Dec 2, 2012, 11.52 PMby katexxxxxx

    Well, I’m of the age when my parents generation is slowly departing, so funeral clothing is something of a necessity.

    And something like my funeral suit can be dolled up and made bright with a shawl or a scarf, and worn with a coloured jumper under it. It’s the black suit on this page: http://www.jollydicey.co.uk/Jolly%20Dicey%20Style

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  Dec 2, 2012, 08.42 AMby judypeg

  Make them all classics and they will last for ages with the addition of a couple of “in style” items each season. If you live somewhere were the weather is drastically different depending on the season, make sure you have warm underwear to make the most of your favorite pieces. How about adding a “killer” dress to your capsule wardrobe? A couple of nice white t shirts too possibly, and a cardigan or wrap.

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    Dec 2, 2012, 07.44 PMby judomonkey

    Great, I love the idea of adding a killer dress, I have a couple of nice dresses but none I’d describe as killer. I have some white t-shirts already, so I’m going to keep those.

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  Dec 9, 2012, 03.04 AMby harrietbazley

  I find a wardrobe staple is a supply of plain (non-patterned) coloured blouses: will go with almost any skirt or trousers (if you’re sewing for yourself, you can even make a blouse and skirt out of the same fabric to be worn in the guise of a dress or separately!) and can look formal or country-walk-ish depending on how they’re accessorised. Costume brooch or tank-top – silk scarf or belt with fancy buckle – corduroys or floor-length velvet.

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    Dec 13, 2012, 07.13 PMby judomonkey

    Yep I totally agree, I’ve been thinking about colours recently and I realised that Instead of wearing lots of white shirts and T-shirts (my usual wear) I could make a set of plain blouses in different colours. It just makes it easier to have an interesting outfit without to much effort.

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  Dec 9, 2012, 01.54 PMby sewmodest

  I am too working on something like this for myself http://farhanasews.blogspot.com/2012/12/how-many-patterns-do-i-need.html So far based on what I have been looking at in the stores and online my staple patterns would be 1. A-line maxi skirt 2. Fitted button down shirt 3. Scoop neck t-shirt 4. Baggy t-shirt 5. Blazer 6. Empire Waist maxi dress 7. skinny pant

  I wanted all of my patterns to be from the same source or self drafted and right now I can’t seem to find a skinny pant in any of my Burda Mags or an empire waist dress. I guess I can’t have it all

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    Dec 13, 2012, 07.18 PMby judomonkey

    Oooh sounds very interesting I shall check out your blog. I am trying to self draft as many patterns myself as possible, I figure it will help me learn. Totally agree about the Skinny pant and fitted button down shirt, at this rate I’ll have so many ideas/suggestion that I won’t be able to decide on any at all!

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  Dec 12, 2012, 07.31 PMby mollytov

  All the suggestions have been great so far, but I think you should also consider including a few easy knitwear pieces. Even the most stylish girl needs things for casual wear, comfy pieces to change into after work, things for running quick errands, you know, the days when you just couldn’t care less.

  A couple pairs of feminine, sexy yoga pants are super handy for around the house, and some soft jersey maxi skirts give the same comfort, but look a bit more put together if you want to go out. Here’s some shameless self promotion, but I have a tutorial for making quick and easy fitted stretch skirts on my blog http://www.mollytov.com/lace-top-maxi-skirt/

  Dolman sleeve tops are insanely easy to put together, and can be thrown over anything. Here’s a quick tutorial from another blogger. http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2012/02/make-a-simple-top-dolman-style-with-banded-bottom.html

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    Dec 13, 2012, 07.24 PMby judomonkey

    I cannot tell you how much I love jersey! Love the skirt, and I just happen to have quite a bit of Jersey in my stash, that one might well have to go on the list.