Designing clothes may be one fantasy every little girl has at least once during her childhood, but very few women actually make it to designing fashions on a large scale. This may be due to the fact that it takes a lot of hard work and money to make it to the big leagues, but most women who have a true interest or a natural talent stick to making clothes for themselves and their loved ones. Designing small dresses can be difficult because every aspect of the dress is minimized.
Draw a blank body on your piece of paper with arms outstretched. This will be your base model for designing the dress. You should make sure it is a body type accurate for the person you are designing the dress for. Body types for women include apple, pear and hourglass shapes.
Draw the neckline for the dress. There are several kinds of necklines for dresses, and the one you pick will depend on whether you want the neckline to be conservative, revealing or somewhere in between. Conservative necklines include Bateau, Sabrina, portrait and jewel necklines. Revealing necklines include halter neck, Queen Anne, sweetheart and empire necklines. There are casual necklines as well, which can fall anywhere in between conservative and revealing. These necklines include vee neck, crew neck, turtle neck, scoop neck and cowl neck.
Draw the waistline you want in the dress. You could make it a snug fitting waistline or a loose one that can be brought in with a waist cincher. It is not a good idea to have a dress with no waist at all as the person may be lost in the fabric, and it will not show any of the person's shape.
Draw in the type of skirt that should go on the dress. There are several varieties of skirt, just like the necklines, and the length of the skirt as well as the shape should depend in part on the body type of the individual for whom the dress is being made. For example, if the person is petite, a full-length skirt is probably not the best option since it can make a person look shorter than she actually is. Different types of skirts include A-line skirts, flare skirts and pencil skirts.
Color in the design as desired with colored pencils. Make side notes as to what kind of fabric you will use as well as any liners to include and special notes for sewing. Sew the dress and perform several fittings during the process.
Tips
- You will make a much better design if you have the help of the person who will be wearing the dress to find out what she likes as well as her measurements.
Warning
- It is illegal to make exact copies of designer clothing. To do so may result in heavy fines and incarceration.
