Does a fabric says it all?

When you buy a fabric, you always immediately think of a certain style. This is because it is not only the garment that determines the style, but the kind of fabric says it all. For example, a dress in a leather look normally has a completely different look than the same dress in a linen floral fabric.
In this blog all about fabrics & designs.

The fabric determines the look

A Perfect Example: Imagine you have a fantastic sewing pattern for flared pants. If you make them in corduroy—say, brown or green—you’ll instantly channel a bold 1970s vibe. While this look is undeniably stylish, corduroy isn’t always flattering for every body type.

But here’s the magic: switch to sustainable fabrics like Tencel, bamboo cotton, or linen, and those same flared pants transform into a sleek, modern statement. Flared trousers are hugely on-trend right now, and these eco-conscious materials elevate the design even further, making it both fashionable and figure-flattering.

Fabric Choices Are Everything! The type of fabric you choose can completely redefine a garment—turning it from retro to contemporary, or from casual to couture. Over the past few years, the fashion world has seen a surge in recycled and sustainably produced materials, which is fantastic news for both the planet and your wardrobe.

Design or print?

But it is not only the fabric type that determines the appearance of a garment, especially the design or print. A uni-color is something completely different as a very 'busy' print. And prints can radiate a certain time, mood and status. Or think of typical 1960s or 1970s designs. Green, brown, orange, lots of circles and geometric prints that almost make you dizzy. Nice for parties but otherwise those colors and designs are really too out-dated.

Prints often determine the fashion image. Sometimes objects are completely trendy. Think of owls, skulls, butterflies or feathers on prints. And sometimes, for example, stripes are very in, or color-blocking or very beautiful fine patterns with subtle designs.

Inkjet prints are very trendy at the moment. These are more environmentally consciously produced than 'ordinary' printed fabrics, and we can appreciate that.

Look at me

Timeless chic

The businesslady of the year

Let's party!

What's your style?

And then there's the final style of clothing. You want to look business-like? Forget about 'holiday' or funny clothes. A tropical print for a blouse is really not done if you want to look like a clever lady. Be careful with other prints as well, it is just not the best way to dress yourself neat and clean.

Or how about a printed dress at a wedding party? Oops, not such a good idea because the attention really has to go to the bridal couple and not to your lavish clothes.

Or a tiger print to a job interview? That is possible, but be aware that with a 'tiger print' you can get a cheap look. But of course it largely depends, how many prints you wear, what the garment looks like and what your outfit looks like as a total picture.

Ocean Leopard print
We bought a tiger print in the color: Ocean Leopard. It is a beautiful vicose fabric that falls nice and smooth. We wanted to show that fabric often determines the style but it also depends heavily on the sewing pattern.

On the left you see a neat, chic bouse, sewing pattern Butterick B6747. This blouse has a classic model, falls straight and neat and has a standard collar. We made the collar and cuffs extra beautiful by making it with a matching suede fabric from Petrol.

On the right you see a blouse of the same fabric in casual style. The sewing pattern is: Butterick B6378. The blouse is a tunic and has a nice, long bow collar. The blouse falls wide and wears very comfortably. The blouse is very suitable for holidays or leisure activities.

Summarized:
The fabric largely determines the style of the clothing in terms of fabric type and design.

But this is not a golden rule. Sometimes a tiger print can also be very chic. It's just what kind of sewing pattern you use and how you 'style' the clothes. We are very content with the tiger print and dare to go to a job interview or a neat reception. But then we're talking about the left blouse. smiley.

We would also like to see your examples of "the fabric says it all!"