Does anyone fancy joining in a general chat about RTW garments that they've seen and would like to replicate or use as the basis for their own version?
Now that my sewing hiatus is coming to an end, unusually for me I've actually being thinking in some sort of co-ordinated way about what I want to sew over the next few months.
I've got loads of magazines and patterns but also like to have a drool at what high end RTW has to offer and have been doing just that over the last week or so. True to form, I've seen a gorgeous jacket and a couple of tops that I really like but will never buy. Because they are Armani and outrageously expensive, and I reckon I can get pretty close to them myself. These will never be exact replicas as for many of the garments it simply isn't possible to buy the same fabric, hence the thread title including 'inspiration'. I also think that I'll have fabric close to what I need because my stash has reached gargantuan proportions and needs to be worked through, and this would be a good way to use up some of it.
So, I'll kick off with the three lovlies I saw on the Armani site this week. I've put in links as I'm not sure if it's permitted to copy the photos. I'm always drawn to simpler designs, although I'm not averse to prints either, but plain block colours are what I wear most of the time. The downside of this is that if the garment is going to be worthwhile, then gorgeous fabric and super quality sewing are the order of the day as you have nowhere to hide otherwise.
The first is this black silk shirt. The front view looks, and is, relatively plain, but the back detail is beautiful. So the basic shirt premise is easy enough to copy but the back will take a little working out. And is that a lace underlay beneath the back slit, or does the model have a tattoo? I can't decide. Either way, I really want one of these.
Armani silk crepe shirt with guru collarFabric for the shirt is easy enough to get hold of. Not cheap, but available.
Next up is a polyester blouse, again with simple lines and, again, not cheap. It's one of those elegantly restrained pieces that is so easy to wear and that is so easy to drop food down the front of. I reckon the design won't be difficult to achieve and poly crepe is easy enough to come by.
Armani poly blouse with front pleatAt £320 a pop, this may be next on my 'to sew' list.
Finally, here's the one that will take mucho worko to replicate. I don't stand a cat in hell's chance of getting the fabric but do have plenty of woven suiting/coating that will look good, though I will need to add extra ease at the original uses a knit fabric. Take a look at how they've finished the hems, too - it looks like high-end wooly nylon in an overlocker to me! The tricky bit here is the design around the shoulders. I'm pretty sure I've seen something similar in Burda over the last 12 months, so I'll need to scour my magazines to see if I can find it. The price of the original is enough motivation to make me put in a bit of time on this one.
Armani ottoman knit jacketI was actually looking for interesting t-shirt designs when I started this, but I didn't like any of the armani ones!