Comments on: 13 DRESSES : DRESS 5

By: STYLISH DRESS BOOK 2 : DRESS “S” at make something

STYLISH DRESS BOOK 2 : DRESS “S” at make something — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:13:28 +0000

[...] is where magical shirring comes to the rescue once again. I can not sing the praises of shirring enough. It is such a simple technique that gives maximum [...]

By: Karyn

Karyn — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 01:45:56 +0000

Melinda – See how easy it is!! There’s hardly even any secret to shirring. I hate to hear of you having such awful copy-cat experiences. This is where believing in karma comes into play.

Anabela – I hadn’t heard of this March Jacobs scarf incident. WHOA – that’s some blatant knock off. It’s not the first time I’ve heard of this sort of thing with Marc. Apparently, it’s common for him to take vintage stuff straight out of books and reproduce them.

By: Anabela

Anabela — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 02:01:46 +0000

Reading my first comment over, I feel like I sound a bit callous! I guess when I was typing it I was thinking of a couple of recent high-profile fashion ripoffs (the Marc Jacobs scarf, for example), which brought out that attitude. What I meant is that I would never knock off someone else's design for profit, but for me it's a non-issue since I only make things for myself (and I always try to change them in some way, when I able -- I don't always have the technical skill, sadly).

By: Melinda

Melinda — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:27:15 +0000

After seeing this sweet little dress, I looked online for instructions on how to shirr. Is it really as easy as the elastic-y thread used for the underside stitching?
And yes, I’ve had people use ideas of mine, and similar styles in their artwork, but the worst things I’ve seen have been to other illustrators I work with. It can be really upsetting when you think you’ve developed something special and others use it for themselves. But again, referring to a photo of a dress and making something inspired by it is completely harmless.

By: Karyn

Karyn — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:50:58 +0000

Melinda – You MUST try to shirr – you’ll be hooked instantly. Knocking off is a very touchy subject, for sure. Is it something that you’ve encountered with your artwork? I hope not. I figure one little cute summer dress is pretty harmless.

By: Karyn

Karyn — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:41:43 +0000

Anabela – I’m looking forward to seeing the dress you want to knock off. It’s true, the best thing about making your own version, is adding your own personal details. Thanks so much for the wiksten link. I’m a big fan of her dresses, but don’t check her blog often enough.

By: Melinda

Melinda — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:35:59 +0000

I love this dress. It’s adorable. I’d love to learn how to…shirr? haha. Is that correct?
As for the knock-off subject, it’s a touchy one. It’s hard as an illustrator because people are constantly ripping each other’s styles off, and it’s their way of making a living. I do think it’s different when it comes to making a piece of clothing, if, like you said, you’re not making it to sell. It’s just for your own enjoyment. And there are patterns for making clothing, but not for artwork. I think if you have the skills to sew a piece of clothing similar to a piece you really like, do it!

By: Anabela

Anabela — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:55:23 +0000

Oh yeah, I just remembered this (I don’t know if you read it or not): a couple of weeks ago Jenny from Wiksten posted about a dress and whether or not she should make it — the comments are interesting, I think! http://wikstenmade.blogspot.com/2008/07/obsess-much.html

By: Anabela

Anabela — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:18:23 +0000

Okay, that dress is the cutest. I actually bought some madras to try something like that, but the print was too overwhelming. I love the plaids & stripes section of DFO.

I’m signed up for the Knock it off class, but the dress I intend to try to copy is a pretty straightforward design that we’ve seen in a thousand places. I personally don’t have a major problem with knocking off someone else’s design for my own use, especially if, as you say, the original is unattainable. I can see how you were inspired by the gorgeous (but still basic) A.P.C. dress, but your dress is not an exact copy. Most of the time none of us would want an exact copy, I think, because if you’re going to bother to make it, you want to make it your own.