photo credit: sheilaellen

The world of fashion design is one of the most innovative, colorful and accessible design professions. Everyone wears clothes. An understanding of fashion and following the fast moving trends of clothing really can help a graphic designer appeal to it’s audience. If I want to reach people in Baltimore, looking at what colors and styles are happening in fashion there could give a huge edge in understanding.

Comments

• August 24, 2008, Fashion writes: I have a tremendous grasp of printing techniques and file formating for printing. Fashion Fashions last blog post..Gorgeous Woman Suits for all Occasions, Wearing Black Clothing (http://fashion.postedpost.com)

Zazzle has teamed up with Keds to provide a fully custom printed shoe . Every surface of the shoe’s fabric can be printed so you can use your creative spirit to make all kinds of designs, patterns and effects. They only have kids and women’s shoes right now. If and when they introduce men’s shoes, I’ll definitely want a pair for myself! They currently cost between $50 and $60, not bad at all.

Zazzle’s custom shoes allow for printing on all sides of the fabric.

As blogger Sam Woodfin mentions, it’s not 100% clear how the design changes with different sizes. On their t-shirts, the design stays at a fixed size for different shirt sizes. That wouldn’t work with shoes. The product images seem to update with the different sizes, so I hope they are accurate. The FAQ seems incomplete; I’m left with questions answered like if they have plans for men’s shoes. Still it looks like an exciting announcement and hopefully these questions will be answered in time.

Converse has customized shoes with a number of options and shoe styles. While it’s not as fully customizable as you might want, they offer enough options to give you more unique looks than their off the shelf shoes. You can select different sections including the stitch color. Select colors/patterns to make unique combinations in the end. Some parts have more options than others with the fabric pieces having the most options. You can also have text stitched into part of the shoe. I have leather shoes in a customized brown and yellow with the back sitched with “SKETCHEE”. Canvas shoes are $60 and leather styles are $75.

Custom Vans‘ are similar to the Converse customizations, but with fewer color options and with fewer pieces to customize. There are currently only two choices to pick from.

NikeID also gives a few custom color areas and allows you to search their database by color for preselected combos. Depending on the style of shoe, you can print a laser engraved repeating pattern of text or even switch out some fabric parts for leather although not a full leather shoe like converse.

A fairly ugly custom shoe I came up wth to illustrate the NikeID shoe.

Check to see if your favorite shoes have online customization options by visiting their website. More and more brands are doing it.

Comments

• August 1, 2008, GBD writes: The Zazzle offering is, without a doubt, the most flexible and powerful of all of the customization options out there. There are thousands of drop-dead gorgeous designs on their site too, all designed by their community (another feature that only Zazzle seems to offer). Highly recommended. I only wish they had men's shoes too.
• August 2, 2008, You forgot about REEBOK writes: Zazzle acquired the company that allows you to buy custom reeboks: http://www.rbkcustom.com

Step 1

Start by making a cuff, like this one. The idea is to have the wear on the hem stitching show. Then figure out how many inches you need to take off.

Step 2

Now for the fun stuff! Divide the amount your taking off in 1/2 and place your tape measure or small ruler on the edge of the hem. Measure the same amount all around the hem, and pin in sections to make sure you will take off the same amount all around.

Step 3

Place the sewing foot on the edge of the hem, like shown above, and slowly stitch the cuff all the way around. Make sure that it measures the same all the way around.

Step 4

Okay, the hard work is all over. The original worn hem and stitching should be visible. If it’s not, then it’s either time to start over, or it’s time to let the pros handle it.

Step 5

Push the extra fabric inside upwards if it is a small amount. If it’s a huge wad of fabric then grab your scissors and cut off some of the extra fabric, leaving about 3/4″ to allow for fraying in the wash.

Step 6

Turn the leg right side out and lay it flat. With your fingertips, press the seam you just created flat.

Step 7

On the inside of the leg, use your iron to press the extra fabric upwards.

Step 8

Then press the outside of the leg until it is nice and flat.

Admire your work!

There you have it! Can you tell the difference?

Update Aug 8, 2008. This forum thread linked to this page with some additional suggestions to ensure an even better hem. “just line everything up, and every couple of inches, make a stitch through the folded fabric, and then through your jeans (be sure to go vertically so it blends better). Go around a couple times in the same area (1mm apart x 3stitches is the best bet) and then tie them in double, triple, whatever knots, tie very well, and tight, and then snip off your excess. Maybe hit the fabric glue right on the knot to stabilize it.” Visit that thread for the full conversation

More resources

How to Hem Jeans from Dacia Ray

Hemming Jeans, A Tutorial from Canadian Crafter

Blind Hem Jeans from Burda Style

Comments

• August 4, 2008, Tanya writes: Fantastic!! I'm absolutely thrilled with the result. I can barely notice any altering has been done, and I still have my original hem. :o) I'm a novice when it comes to sewing, and I found this method very easy to follow and achieve! Thanks so much.
• August 24, 2008, Les writes: Very cool technique. I've always liked it best if they fit properly off the shelf. Less last blog post..Custom Jeans For $135?! Well, Sort of… (http://fashionhobo.com)
• August 28, 2008, Roar (from Norway) writes: Thank you, oh thank you, thank you, thank you!! I always have to hem my pants after having bought them from the store, and I usually just remove the excess length, fold once and stitch a straight seam all the way around. Your method is just as easy as that, but the end result is sooo much better! Thanks for sharing :-)
• September 6, 2008, heather writes: omg this is fantastic, ive just done this and it didnt take long at all, and the result is great. seen as im young it is the first time i have sewed, and the first time ive used an iron and still the result is great :D thankyou ever so much =]=]=]=]=]=]=] x
• November 16, 2008, Ashley writes: Thanks! This is so fantastically simple!

This is one of my favorites. I love the colors and asymmetrical design

Jenga fans? Or construction workers?

“A is for Apple” it says. It’s a print of a hand painted ink art piece translated into a pretty interesting t-shirt.

Running with scissors

In the eye of the beholder. I don’t know if I like the image itself, but I like the way its done.

Conezor? Just wierd. We all do scream for ice scream

Wasn’t There Will Be Blood an odd movie?

As much as I love color, I couldn’t resist this long sleeve shirt. It’s just a cool high constrast design.

Paint by Numbers. For the artist in every nonartist. Or if you just remember paint by numbers stuff.

I’m not a weiner. Just a fun style and much like the others on here

A vintage woodstock poster on a shirt. Very cool image

Design your own

Here are a few pages about designing your own shirts that I found. I definitely want to do more shirt design, these things help inspire me to get started. Posting things here sure makes it easier for me to find things again when I need them…
• Designing Ultra SceneXCore Apparel!
• From Sketch to Vector Illustration

• Intricate Patterns in Illustrator

Want to see more t-shirts?

• Troundup. The T-shirt Lovers Blog.
• Busted Tees
• Ten Bills (T-shirts for only $10 or less)
• A T-Shirt Reviewer Reviews T-Shirt Review Sites!

Here’s a cool link: Luis Santi Jr.

So the weathers cooled down and it’s jacket weather. I’m liking it. I really wear a lot of the same clothes year round but I can do them differently and it’s a lot more fun in the fall. I dunno if I really need to be buying anything, but I was looking through my fashion newsfeeds and yeah Men’s Flair recommends cardigans. I don’t own any, but I might see how I look. I like that Yoox one there, but I’m paying $318…

The jacket I been wearing I love. I got it over the summer and just never got to wear it until lately. I might take a pic.

Here’s men.style.com’s what to wear for fall

From Hecht’s. $24. Rang up 90% off at checkout. Plus 15% Hecht’s card discount. So $2

It’s been almost two weeks since the last sketchbook. Here are the pages I selected to scan. Clothed men and women. It’s fun looking through the fashion magazines and internet sites

Anyway, questions taken from

1. What did you do in 2004 that you’d never done before?

2. Did you keep your New Years resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Naw. I try to make resolutions all year long and live by them.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My sister had her second child, Keon Edward. (Hope I spelled that right)

4. Did anyone close to you die?
I don’t think so.

5. What countries did you visit?
N/A

6. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004?

A more social life (not to be confused with “A social life”)
7. What date from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory and why?
Off the top of my head, none seem too etched but I have a lot of good memories.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

9. What was your biggest failure?

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

11. What was the best thing you bought?

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

14. Where did most of your money go?

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

16. What song will always remind you of 2004?

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

22. Did you fall in love in 2004?

23. How many one night stands?

24. What were your favorite TV program(s)?

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

26. What was the best book you read?

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

28. What did you want and got?

29. What did you want and not get?

30. What was your favorite film of this year?

31. What did you do on your birthday?

32. What one thing would have made your year more satisfying?

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004?

34. What kept you sane?

35. Which celebrity did you fancy the most?

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

37. Who did you miss?

38. Who was the best new person you met?

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004.
I’m responsible for my own actions, and that’s a good thing! I’m in charge of my own happiness, feelings and reactions.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
“I can’t find peace and have no war to wage” Petrarch’s poem and from Liszt’s song.