May 6, 2014

Sewing Indie Month: RTW inspiration for casual dressing


Feeling appropriately casual, folks? Then let’s kick this thing off.

I thought we could start by mining the latest RTW clothing that’s in stores to get inspiration for making our own super-comfy everyday wardrobe. Waistband free zone, darlings. Let’s think casual but stylish!

Orange belted tank dress

Let’s start with an easy one. This tangerine belted tank dress from LOFT is such a breezy basic for hot summer days, and it suits everyone. And sewing it up? Piece of cake, with the Sew Caroline Tank Dress pattern and this beautiful tangerine linen from Mood Fabrics. Creating a tie belt is super simple (just sew a long piece of fabric on the fold, turn inside out and voila), and the dress already has in-seam pockets. Need to have some darts in a tank dress? No problem, I have a very quick tutorial for adding them right here.

Colour blocked Breton Top


Tilly couldn’t have been more on trend if she tried! Her Coco knit top pattern is perfect to recreate one of Boden’s infectiously cheerful colour blocked Breton tops. Grab some jersey in lilac stripes, mint stripes and sunny yellow, and you’re done! Tilly even has a tutorial on how to do perfect colour blocking.

Split back summery top

If you follow the runways you won’t have missed Christopher Kane‘s super cool graphic split back tops. Yeah, it’s high fashion, but also super easy to throw on with some jeans or shorts in the summer, so that’s everyday casual by my standards! Lucky for us, Sinbad & Sailor have created their own version of the top, the Dove T, which, incidentally, doesn’t cost $450. You could go upscale-casual and make it in silk or go the cotton voile route for something that can easily be thrown in the washing machine, like this gorgeous metallic voile from Mood. I also love this style because it’s a great alternative to crop tops for curvy ladies who want to show off a glimpse of skin in the summer.

Throw-on ruffle dress

Being comfortable doesn’t mean you can’t be a bit edgy… One great option is to go for simple with a twist, like this cool swing dress/top with bonus ruffle with Laula (Katy recently made one and I can attest she wears it all the time, which means it *must* be an everyday classic!). Bonus: you’re going to be able to eat all the ice cream you want and no-one will be any the wiser. A sleeveless version of Pauline Alice’s Malvarosa dress will do perfectly… And why not make it bright yellow, say I? (Go on, do it. Send me pictures).

Liberty hoodie



Finally, unless you live somewhere *really* warm, you’re probably going to need to throw something on in the evenings when you’re sipping a chilled drink on a deck somewhere… Hoodies are a casual classic, but why not class it up by going the Liberty route? Jack Wills already thought of that, but we can make our own, with the Avocado Hoodie pattern from Seamster Designs and, if you really want to be a bit special, some Liberty jersey. Fancy lady!

I hope I helped you get the creative juices flowing – can’t wait to see what you all submit for the Sewing Indie Month Everyday Casual competition!

ENTER THE CONTEST!
You can enter the contest by submitting a link to your blog, Pattern Review or Kollabora on this page.

9 thoughts on “Sewing Indie Month: RTW inspiration for casual dressing

  1. gingermakes says:

    Wow, love all of these ideas! Thanks for sharing!

    1. Jenny says:

      You’re welcome! You should totally make one and enter the competition ;D

  2. Susan says:

    ZOMG that tshirt with the color blocking and the different stripes and YUM. I need some take on that right away…

    1. Jenny says:

      I know, right?! I am secretly plotting to make that myself

  3. Janet says:

    Love this post! Keep up the awesome work.

    1. Jenny says:

      Thanks Janet! I’ve pretty much convinced myself I have to make all of these looks 🙂

  4. Katy Patzel says:

    You had me at Christopher Kane. Great inspiration.

    1. Jenny says:

      I knew you’d like that, cos you’re a classy lady 🙂

  5. lp says:

    Hi, Jenny. I was at the Boston PR day. I didn’t really get a chance to talk with you, but I am loving checking out your blog! I was wondering if you have a pattern recommendation for a good raglan t/sweatshirt. I love the style, but don’t have a great raglan pattern. Any thoughts?

Let me know what you think!