tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post8876841321849113745..comments2023-10-20T08:27:40.314-04:00Comments on male pattern boldness: What is a Fashion Designer and Do You Consider Yourself One?Peter Lappinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-15484096667660185982014-08-09T17:26:34.769-04:002014-08-09T17:26:34.769-04:00Love this post! I consider myself a fashion desig...Love this post! I consider myself a fashion designer. I do because I have self taught myself everything, make all my own designs from scratch, which is difficult to do and also have learned and paid money to perfect my skills The University of Fashion's website (which is a blessing to anyone who wants to learn real fashion designing by the way, but doesn't want to attend 4 years of school ). I have full intentions to create a line one day in the future. Yes, it is a dream for me and one that I am working hard on achieving. If you know how to make your own patterns based off your own ideas in your head, and can construct it to bring to life a beautiful high fashion garment, than it is silly to consider yourself anything less. Someone who sews for fun or from store bought patterns is really just sewing and doing a follow along by directions, or even perhaps a sewist if it is something they are doing a lot of and spend a lot of time doing it well for themselves or others. I think that many people get confused as to what to call themselves because they don't really understand fashion designing because it is a lot more than just sewing or knowing how to sew and then there are people who have magic fingers and can alter and really tailor extremely well. Fashion designers really don't want to tailor people's clothing because they are too busy in the creative process of designing. All in all, sewing well is an art and you are either good at it or you aren't. You either want to learn how to design because you are tired of buying boring patterns or you fix people's clothing and tailor because you enjoy getting the perfect fit. I just feel that you are either a designer, sewist, tailor, or someone who sews for fun and makes clothing for family and their kids or friends. I think that is simple and sums it all up. This is a topic that is really great to discuss because everyone feels so weird to call themselves a fashion designer just because they aren't on Project Runway or showing at Fashion Week. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-63824306248137117322014-07-08T19:14:02.443-04:002014-07-08T19:14:02.443-04:00Ali, the more I think about the title "sew-st...Ali, the more I think about the title "sew-styler" the more I like it. I've decided to try it out for my own purposes with a hyphen in it, just for fun. I hope you don't mind. I was toying with "sew-stylist" as a title or the word "fashioner" but I think I like "sew-styler" best. <br />Thanks for sharing your new word! <br />If you get back to me through my JSM Tailoring Tools web site or Facebook page or reply here, I'll let you know how my experiment goes.<br />Happy sew-styling!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12212909216185467367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-60538287314267103322014-07-07T18:46:04.564-04:002014-07-07T18:46:04.564-04:00Confession time: I didn't come at this topic c...Confession time: I didn't come at this topic cold. My first published article for PACC News (1993) was called "Are You the Designer?" because I had learned the hard way that you can't ignore design in a custom clothing business and get away with it. I had learned how to sew first and design second. I called this "design by the back door." <br />I've been quiet for awhile and just now speaking out again as I re-invent JSM Tailoring Tools and make a conscious effort to become more involved with the online community. <br />Thanks for holding out your hand through this blog post to help me back up on my soap box! <br />I googled the right words last night to find you Peter and to find my friend Mimi Jackson. I see I have a ton of reading to do to catch up! You are one busy man!!!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12212909216185467367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-56968018724640723212014-07-07T08:23:51.966-04:002014-07-07T08:23:51.966-04:00Great comment, Joyce. A lot to think about!Great comment, Joyce. A lot to think about!Peter Lappinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-2794649217960671352014-07-07T01:53:33.966-04:002014-07-07T01:53:33.966-04:00I agree with Mimi Jackson’s use of collaborative d...I agree with Mimi Jackson’s use of collaborative designer with the word fashion removed. This works for me too. I would like to have a shorter title to use also that says more than sewing.<br />Agree with Mame when she says “saying we are just sewers is really limiting the creative genius that we all are and almost talking our talent down.” <br />We are selling ourselves short. Every garment making project has 5 phases to successful completion: innovative design, technical design (customization), engineering the construction, cutting and sewing, and alterations/pattern adjustment. Even if a commercial pattern is used to cover most of the design work, the person in charge of the project is responsible for all phases. If we do these things we should say so, otherwise how can we expect to receive acknowledgement, recognition or pay for them? Others will not understand us unless we tell them. If you were a carpenter would you call yourself a hammerer, or a nailer, or a sawer? <br />I honestly think lack of vocabulary is holding us back. The same is true for naming our industry. Sewing hobbyists were home sewers and part of the home sewing industry (again no acknowledgement of design), but I don’t think that is in use anymore. Times have changed and our language is lagging behind. The Professional Association of Custom Clothiers (PACC) changed its name to the Association of Sewing and Design Professionals (ASDP). That seems to be working. It would be nice if we had an industry name that included the sewing and design professionals and the sewing and design hobbyists under one umbrella.<br />Agree with Ali who says “I am a sewer who loves style! A sewstyler?!” How about trying out your new title. I like it!<br />Does Sewstylist or sewstyler have promise for as a title for others?<br />What about fashioner? See, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fashioner<br />fash•ion•er; [fash-uh-ner]; noun; 1. a person who fashions, forms, or gives shape to anything.; 2. a tailor or modiste.<br />I was playing around with fashioner, fashioning and fashioned today on my JSM Tailoring Tools Facebook page and it seemed to serve the purpose. Just a thought.<br />I think I will go ahead and share this discussion on my JSM Tailoring Tools business page and I invite you all to come see. Thank you, Peter. This discussion is a good one!<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12212909216185467367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-61430728516873659542014-06-01T11:10:48.259-04:002014-06-01T11:10:48.259-04:00Amen to everything you said above Mouse! Is there...Amen to everything you said above Mouse! Is there really any original, creative designs in mass produced apparel? My story is when I was a pattern maker for a jacket company. There was a strange and superfluous design detail that I didn't understand and asked the asst. designer about. She replied "that's what Nautica is doing," and of course, that's the way we have to do it! And I hope everyone that sews for fun or profit reads your comments, because that is exactly the way the industry works. Thanx for sharing your story so vividly!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-84819610545472137512014-06-01T08:33:28.632-04:002014-06-01T08:33:28.632-04:00When a middle-aged woman tells people she made som...When a middle-aged woman tells people she made something, she doesn't get asked "are you a designer," she gets blank stares. Ditto for mentioning that she's a sewing blogger. So now I tell people I'm working on a book, and it makes them very excited. Maybe someday I'll actually get around to it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-24600334658443224082014-05-23T20:42:39.386-04:002014-05-23T20:42:39.386-04:00Dressmaker doesn't cut it for the guys that se...Dressmaker doesn't cut it for the guys that sew, fashion designer seems pretentious, how about personal style artist (or designer). Otherwise I don't mind sewist. Strange there isn't a more descriptive term for what we love to do...<br /><br />Sew StylishAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-82698119982534429652014-05-23T11:58:32.928-04:002014-05-23T11:58:32.928-04:00Great wonderful critical thinking blog piece about...Great wonderful critical thinking blog piece about the differences between sewer and fashion designer (including some of the business aspects) -- another fantastic discussion. Pamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13197442485237029218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-5040070596873441112014-05-18T23:51:33.358-04:002014-05-18T23:51:33.358-04:00I draft the patterns that I make up (or have made ...I draft the patterns that I make up (or have made up) for individual clients. I sketch, drape and choose fabric and trims, and this is my profession. I refer to myself as a dressmaker. "Fashion Designer" seems pretentious to me but I no longer correct people who use the term, Lynne Vincenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12806884379509871789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-72894421346523217442014-05-18T11:36:13.326-04:002014-05-18T11:36:13.326-04:00I would have to agree with you about the need for ...I would have to agree with you about the need for new words. Any suggestions? I have heard people using the phrase sewest, but that just seems awkward to me. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08035060448234611911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-48849882757409027312014-05-17T04:43:30.007-04:002014-05-17T04:43:30.007-04:00I sometimes get the fashion designer question, but...I sometimes get the fashion designer question, but it also happens the other way round: People who apparently decide that, because I sew well and know about fit, I'm a seamstress, not a designer. I wouldn't call myself a designer, but the assumption annoys me nevertheless. It's like saying "you can stitch it up but you don't have a vision"....<br />I design what I make, I draft my own patterns and I sew my own clothes. I don't make money for any of those things (I sew professionally, but that's just making alterations to wedding dresses so that has nothing to do with the designer debate) so I couldn't possibly claim I do them professionally. <br />I'm not a designer, but I don't want to be described as "just a seamstress" (other people's words, not mine) either. Maybe, in this day and age, we need some new words.Laurianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16602295642057814667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-68608323390829041222014-05-16T21:02:40.228-04:002014-05-16T21:02:40.228-04:00Okay so yes, I do call myself a fashion designer. ...Okay so yes, I do call myself a fashion designer. But it is with good reason. I went to school for Apparel Design and work for a company doing mostly Technical Design as well as the creative fashion design stuff. Even personal design wise I still consider myself a designer as long as I have drafted from scratch or manipulated a store bought pattern enough that it is no longer recognizable as the original. If I just sew a pattern as is I do not consider it designing, it is simply sewing.Sarah Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06573819115316246856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-15226046355151305032014-05-16T08:55:47.282-04:002014-05-16T08:55:47.282-04:00Some years ago, I spent some time working in the f...Some years ago, I spent some time working in the fashion industry as an Assistant Stylist (with no experience whatsoever -- that should tell us something). I hated it. This is (was) a company whose name many of you have undoubtedly heard.<br /><br />Briefly, their business model was as follows: 1) Go on buying trips to NYC, Asia, and Europe and purchase clothing to be knocked off; 2) Have endless meetings re. seasonal fabrics based upon researched trends; 3) Requisition swatches from suppliers in Asia; 4) Have endless meetings re. selecting which purchased designs are to be knocked off and manufactured; 5) More endless meetings re. how to alter these designs just enough to avoid lawsuits and improve the bottom line; 6) Create style sheets with specs for mock-ups, faxed (yes this was years ago) to Asian producers for one-offs; 7) Samples are sent back and inspected in the offices, then have endless meetings re. what changes to make, difficulties in manufacture, availability of materials, etc.; 8) Endless meetings with the marketing and sales teams re. how to present the lines (young men, juniors, menswear, womenswear, kids); 9) Inspect initial production and make last minute changes (in endless meetings); 10) Go into full sales mode, etc. <br /><br />I'm leaving out many smaller steps, but you get the idea. None of this required knowing how to sew a single stitch -- that was all for some factory floor hand in Asia to do and even she/he was operating large machinery in order to take advantage of economies of scale, not sitting at a sewing machine. <br /><br />I'm not against corporate fashion nor corporate profit. It affords me clothing of usually high quality for the price paid, allowing me to spend my money on other things, raising my overall standard of living. But I suspect that what I've described above describes much of what is called 'fashion design'. <br /><br />In its crass, self-promoting, and grim way, I think this is one of the reasons why 'Project Runway' is such a phenomenon: the show taps into the idea of an actual individual designer faced with parameters and having to produce a garment. I've watched the show occasionally and once in a while arguments arise between those who are better designers and those who are able to sew. Sometimes the judges award better execution, sometimes better design. The whole thing is pretty messy but it underlines the debate as to the differences between talent and technical skill. <br /><br />Sorry for the length. As Pascal wrote so many years ago about an un-edited letter to a friend: "I wrote a long one because I had not the time to write a short one." Mousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15242005980195348193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-16798625063015380362014-05-16T02:15:23.552-04:002014-05-16T02:15:23.552-04:00One way to look at the issue is to as "when i...One way to look at the issue is to as "when is a fashion designer not a designer even though your name is on the label"? Celebrity "designer" with that famous, and commercially recognizable name who decides to start a clothing line with that infamous name, you are not a designer. The real designer is that person who has probably gone to a technically oriented trade school or university who actually studied flat pattern making, draping, construction, art and costume history, graduated then labored in low salaried positions learning the craft of apparel design. That is a real designer, someone who can take a fuzzy idea from a celebrity's usually vapid brain and create a viable garment. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-87762960991405674132014-05-15T13:35:42.619-04:002014-05-15T13:35:42.619-04:00I don't recall ever being asked if I am a fash...I don't recall ever being asked if I am a fashion designer. I've heard, "You can sew?!" I think of fashion designer as a generic name like Kleenex or Clorox. A kind of catch all. Alex in Californiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13096904792274897292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-53059856637706995322014-05-15T13:15:34.736-04:002014-05-15T13:15:34.736-04:00Hear, hear. Hear, hear. Alex in Californiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13096904792274897292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-47228806050816445902014-05-15T12:56:17.034-04:002014-05-15T12:56:17.034-04:00Oh, brilliant as always! I definitely just conside...Oh, brilliant as always! I definitely just consider myself a home sewer, since even when I put effort into "designing" something or drafting a garment, it's just for me or my daughter.Mikhaela Reidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02817367214920267825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-7114900918191783382014-05-14T13:54:47.668-04:002014-05-14T13:54:47.668-04:00It's from the film "Designing Women"...It's from the film "Designing Women" and I believe the blue dress is Lauren Bacall. You'll have to ask Lauren for it. ;)Peter Lappinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-36405471042626851362014-05-14T13:51:23.835-04:002014-05-14T13:51:23.835-04:00Some home sewers (or "sewists") may be q...Some home sewers (or "sewists") may be quite skilled and have great ideas. That does not make them designers. Not claiming to be professionals -- a whole different level of exposure and pressures -- doesn't take anything away from home sewers.<br /><br />I don't understand the need for Americans (it's usually Americans) to inflate what they do and dilute what real professionals do.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-74275618020968953792014-05-14T13:46:23.574-04:002014-05-14T13:46:23.574-04:00I think sourcing fabric and arguing with companies...I think sourcing fabric and arguing with companies (many overseas) over production deadlines would be high up on the list of unpleasant tasks. It does not appear to be a glamorous job.<br /><br />So much of fashion is smoke and mirrors. How many high profile designers have financial problems?<br /><br />Many fashion designers are superficial and uninterested in anything else other than fashion. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-40764497085577593522014-05-14T13:39:47.999-04:002014-05-14T13:39:47.999-04:00Interesting point.Interesting point.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-22363377547724599782014-05-14T13:38:17.244-04:002014-05-14T13:38:17.244-04:00A "seamstress" is a person who sews piec...A "seamstress" is a person who sews pieces on an assembly line or a contract basis. It's a low-status job. I don't understand people who try to "reclaim" "seamstress."<br /><br />To me, a fashion designer is an individual with a vision of how to dress and live and is able to translate it into clothing and home products. He or she may not be able to do everything, like Ralph Rucci (Chanel didn't know how to make patterns, Donna Karan reputedly did poorly in Draping at Parsons), but is able to communicate a vision to someone who can draft, drape, and sew. A commercially successful fashion designer also possesses excellent business instincts or has a strong business team.<br /><br />I don't consider myself a fashion designer. I have no desire to dress the world or create needs that don't exist based on constantly, arbitrarily changing whims. My sole interest is in sewing beautiful clothes that fit me and my lifestyle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-27677707389935960592014-05-14T13:22:06.031-04:002014-05-14T13:22:06.031-04:00I can vouch for the fact that just about everyone ...I can vouch for the fact that just about everyone who comments on one of Peter's creations — always favorably! — goes on to ask if he's a designer, or says something that indicates that they've made that assumption. <br /><br />I wonder if women sewists experience this as much as their male counterparts. After all, we still suffer from the societal bias that females of our species are expected to cook and sew and males aren't. When a man does display these talents, people tend to assume it's a professional pursuit, i.e., he must be a chef or a fashion designer.Michael Hankohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00578621509967600184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-24595424236925555992014-05-14T12:16:01.037-04:002014-05-14T12:16:01.037-04:00ok, this is OT, but that still of the woman in the...ok, this is OT, but that still of the woman in the red dress. Where is that from?? I want that blue dress of the woman standing behind her!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09265727038497500260noreply@blogger.com