Sew Out Of This World is a new sewing challenge from Sewloco inviting sewists to take on one (or more!) of three categories:
- To Infinity and Beyond
- Tackling UFOs
- Stargazer
I’m so excited to have been asked to be the captain of the Stargazer category, so in this blog post I’m looking at couture, the high street and intergalactic films to give some ideas and inspiration for ways to approach the trend – it’s not all star prints and silver lamé…
Couture
Did you know our love for space-inspired fashion has been going strong since the 1960s? The space race brought with it a new age in fashion; designers experimented with new materials and shapes to create a whole new aesthetic.
Bold, simple silhouettes with minimal fuss and block colours are the key styles to aim for when creating this look. Here are a few designs that could be adapted to recreate your very own 60s inspired space-themed garment…
The intergalactic trend has cropped up time and time again since the 60s, from Thierry Mugler in the 80s and 90s, to Gareth Pugh in the noughties and Zuhair Murad in 2015:
…through to Chanel’s Autumn/Winter 2017 spectacle that saw a life-size Chanel spaceship launch!
^^^ See how much this Chanel collection nods to the 1960s ^^^
High street inspiration
Our obsession with all things interstellar isn’t waning. Last year Marks & Spencer released its sell-out constellation dress and many other retailers followed suit.
This resurgence of the trend was far from a rehash though, as structural shapes gave way to flowing silhouettes and sheer layering, so if structural styles aren’t for you, these relaxed shapes may be the way for you to interpret the theme.
Film inspiration
This is one that could go on for a while; there have been so many standout intergalactic films with iconic wardrobes, but I’ll try to keep it brief.
Hidden Figures
I recently saw this film and the wardrobe is incredible. Fashionista published an interview with costume designer Renee Ehrlich Kalfus about creating the three main characters’ looks for the film, all of which were beyond beautiful; I watched the film twice just to pore over the dresses.
Although this is a less literal interpretation of the space trend, I think it could be a brilliant way to join in with the challenge.
The Fifth Element
In true Luc Besson style, the 1997 film gives a super-camp highly stylized vision of futuristic space travel, with costumes by Jean Paul Gaultier. This run down from Dazed gives a good overview of the different looks in the film. Hats off to anyone brave enough to recreate the looks as they are, but I’m sure there are ways to adapt hints of key outfits from the film, especially the recurring pops of orange throughout:
Star Wars
One of the biggest franchises of all time has provided fancy dress partygoers with go-to outfits for decades, but some costumes could actually be interpreted for the challenge to create something you’ll actually enjoy wearing! Maybe a Rey inspired neutral wrap dress or channel your inner Queen Amidala with a bell sleeve maxi dress? Or if you’re a fan of a pocketed gilet why not go full on Han Solo?!
Other space films to watch (in the name of research of course) could include: Interstellar, Galaxy Quest, Space Jam (yes!), Star Trek, Alien, Armageddon (Liv tyler’s 90s dresses!), Guardians of the Galaxy, the list could go on and on…
Hopefully this has given you some ideas for ways the theme could be interpreted, feel free to comment if you have any ways you’re thinking of tackling the challenge and please do visit the Sewloco website for all the details about how to join in!
aliceirvine.com 
One thought on “#SewOutOfThisWorld – Inspiration”