Asking a tailor to copy a design

[SVDWoodson]

I've seen a dress online. I saw Stacey Dooley wearing it and managed to find the designer on her Instagram page. The dress is nothing too special, but I've fallen in love with it; it's midi length, black, long sleeve, but it's really well-suited to the variety of models (of all body shapes and sizes) wearing it, and it's also 100% silk.

The problem is that the dress has a RRP of over £1,000, which, whilst not out of my budget, is just ridiculous for a black dress. So I was thinking of buying it and asking a tailor to copy it for me, and then I'd return it. I think this will work out cheaper, and I may opt for another material instead of pure silk due to the maintenance it will require.

Has anyone ever done anything like this? Does it work out well in terms of being copied, or does it depend on the tailor and their experience?

I suppose it would depend how skilled your tailor is.
I’ve copied garments that I already own & love but can’t find a pattern for. I’m an experienced dressmaker, forty years or more been making clothes, but to make an exact copy I’ve had to unstitch the original to make pattern copies of the various parts that go into the construction.
You couldn’t really do that then return it!

So I was thinking of buying it and asking a tailor to copy it for me, and then I'd return it.

Woah, if customers are doing this then I'm sure the owner of the design would want to enforce their intellectual property rights. The tailor, too, might have scruples about copyright (or design right?) theft.

So I was thinking of buying it and asking a tailor to copy it for me, and then I'd return it.

Please don’t do that, aside from anything else, what a palaver. An expensive palaver at that.

Can we see the dress? There are people on here that could track down a dupe for you in an instant.

Pretty immoral imo - and you even say it's not entirely out of your budget.

One of the reasons it looks good is the expensive material and designer cut.

A cheap copy in all honestly just won't look the same!

I doubt a reputable taylor would agree anyway though.

I would look for a cheap copy if you can afford the prices, find someone who actually makes things for a living, to whom you can describe your ideal dress. Even show them some pictures.

Find someone who knows what looks good on your body type and who can adapt any style to look great on you.

Expect to spend a bit on the fabrics and you can really have the dress of your dreams.

Good luck.

My grandmother, who was a highly skilled amateur dressmaker (and pattern maker), would copy designer clothes she saw in shops by making sketches. She never bought an item to copy and return, though. And as she was sewing for herself and her daughters, she wasn't being paid to do it, so wasn't copying a design to make money, which seems a bit questionable.

If you can afford it, buy the dress or try to find a "look for less."

I'm not planning on selling it though?

Tailors in the south asian community will copy anything!!!

Sure!

Like I said it's nothing special but its £1,000 so I think that pricing is based on material and possibly craftsmanship?

Thank you for all the replies. I understand some of the comments about copying the design, etc., but I'm not doing it to sell on, so I'm not sure why it would be a problem. I'm sure I'm not the only one to do this kind of thing, but like I said, it's a black dress, and I just wouldn't pay £1,000 for it, and just because I said I could afford it doesn't necessarily mean I want to spend £1,000 on it when I can get it made for less.

Yes but the tailor is selling it to you so you are asking them to do something dodgy, in a way it wouldn’t be if you were sewing it yourself.

Why do you need the actual dress to copy though?

If you send a picture to a decent dressmaker, they should be able to work something out for you.

I see all the time in MN, recommendations to women who've seen an engagement ring from, say Tiffany, to take a photo and get it made by a different jeweller. So I'm not sure this is less ethical. I mean, you would be using that designers intellectual property without paying them. But otoh, you wouldn't really get an identical product because you wouldn't have the exact same material/finish.
While I'd use a photo I would feel I was cheating the designer if I bought a dress, copied it and then returned it!

Post a picture on a Facebook sewing community page, such as The Fold Line group. Ask what sewing pattern is a dupe for the dress. I guarantee someone will be able to suggest one, and you could buy the pattern and take that to a tailor to make up. It probably still won’t be cheap though!

Yes, this!

I'm a regular poster on the foldline group on Facebook and indeed we would probably be able to find you a pattern dupe pretty quickly (although usually it's dressmakers helping other dressmakers!)

I'm pretty sure the Vogue brand patterns have a dress a bit like that. I'll have a look

Home sewing rip offs of designer clothes is as old as Time.

These would both be good dupes for the dress as a starter for 10

https://vikisews.com/vykrojki/dresses/caroline-dress/

https://vikisews.com/vykrojki/dresses/odette-dress/

Yeah, I’m sure its good quality but you’re mostly paying for the brand, whatever that is.

How about this one? £72 from silkfred.com

I often find it best to size up with a cheaper brand, it sometimes gives you that more luxurious feel of a generously sized high end dress. And if its a bit big you can afford a tailor to tweak it.

I’ve just seen what they did there. Silk Fred. 🙄

Merchant and Mills Trapeze (view B - with sleeves) will work. Get the right fabric and concentrate on getting the right shape at the cuff and I reckon it will be spot on.

Yeah, I’m a foldline fan too.

I can’t link it but you should find it easily enough on H&M.

As a dressmaker myself I wouldn’t count on getting it made for less than £1000 and being happy with the result. I’m frequently wrong about things but quality dressmaking costs serious money, as do quality fabric and patterns. What were you thinking of paying a dressmaker? (Curious, not having a go).

Ultimately it will be a massive ball ache researching dressmakers, working with one to get it made and then it may not work out. I mean this nicely, if I were you, I’d decide between just caving and buying it, or going for a similar high street one. I’d probably buy it. 👹

I don't understand the fuss on this thread.

It's absolutely fine @SVDWoodson, find a dressmaker, I think she'll be able to do a good job.

The average shopper buys clothes that have been copied and reproduced. In China. Cheaply

@SVDWoodson wants to give work to a seamstress.

I took a load of clothes to my seamstress today for alterations. What's the difference?

Really?

It's the shape and the fabric there @SVDWoodson that you're enjoying.

You could absolutely get that made for well under £1000.

Lined, with comparable fabrics. £350. Ish.

It's The Row isn't it?

I love The Row.

But much of the joy is in the nonchalance.

You can do that yourself.

I'm not planning on selling it though?

That doesn't make any difference to whether or not it is intellectual property theft. After all, it will be costing the design owner £1000 in lost sales (and even if it cost them nothing, it would still be illegal).

Perhaps loads of people do this, just like loads of people pirate music, movies, etc. So maybe it would be daft to be too conscientious about it. But I'm pretty sure it is theft. I wouldn't do it.