It’s an exciting time for home sewists, as many of the top fashion trends are easy to produce at home.  Even beginners can sew fashionable wardrobe pieces easily this year.

This season, a Victorian influence runs strong, as seen in ruffles and florals everywhere.  An Art Spirit also prevails, with garments adorned by embroidery, 3D artistic and rich architectural details.

Top Fashion Trends for Spring and Summer 2016 include:

• Shoulders bared: You’ll see them in off the shoulder dresses and tunics, as well as in pieces featuring neck straps or laces to gather the neckline, and even through cutouts. An off-the-shoulder peasant style top  may be one of the easiest garments to sew.  Bare shoulders are equally easily to achieve using straps, laces, or ribbons through a casing, as in pillowcase dresses.

• Mixed patterns, especially mixed florals: The trick for mixing various patterns is for each fabric to have one color exactly the same; do this and pull off mixtures of many and widely varied patterns. Think both patchwork—with dresses or other garments constructed with many differently patterned pieces—and also separates of different patterns.

• Ruffles: From wide ruffles adorning dress bodices to ruffled skirts, sleeves, even ruffled capes, these are everywhere.  FYI, a serger both gathers and hems ruffles beautifully and with ease.

• Wrap skirts: These are popular this year with a narrow A-line, in both mini and midi lengths. You will also see these with asymmetrical and layered treatments.

• Midi skirts: The most fashionable skirt length right now, with mid-shin hems that bare ankles, but not knees. This length is flattering for every body type!

• Paper bag waist: You’ll find these on both skirts and pants.

• Smaller pleats: Small, accordion style pleats on dresses, blouses, skirts, even the aforementioned off the shoulder, tied at the neck dress.

• Gingham: Especially large ginghams and also large plaids.
  

  Striped fabrics are all the rage.

• Stripes: Both horizontal and vertical, wide stripes, multicolor stripes.

• Shimmer and shine, both bold and subtle: If you have ever wanted to sew a garment from metallic fabric, this is your year to do so. If you prefer something more subtle, add shimmer to black or neutrals with sequin or bead trim.

• Denim: Dresses, skirts, blouses made of lightweight denim with design details such as ruffles, narrow pleating, subtle patchwork, layers, paper bag waist.

• Fringe: Seen on dress hems, from shoulders and more.

• Suede: Small pieces for warmer weather—plain, patchworked or fringed vests, tank bodices, and shorts, together or paired 70s style with patchwork or floral.

• Orange anything: Bold Tangerine is hot.

• Spanish Red: Spanish style is trending this year, especially in Red. Make a bold piece, perhaps a suede vest or a pleated cape.

• Easter egg pastels: Robin’s-egg blue, dusty pink, marigold yellow hues make a soft statement this year.

• Waist ties: Sashes of all widths are in, and we couldn’t be happier about it. A sash is suitable for a very first sewing project and is satisfying to make. Sashes are a fabulous way to feature a special fabric and improve a boring outfit.
  

  Silk, satin, and even batiste cotton are paired with sheer or lace panels in black, white, nude or buff pink.

Other Current Looks in Fashion:

• Wrap dresses: Nicole Kidman was featured in a sultry and silken robelike dress by Louis Vitton in the April InStyle magazine; this dress also featured mixed fabrics.

• Floral pillowcase dresses: As easy to sew as a dress could possibly be!

• Nightgown and lingerie style dresses: Silk, satin, and even batiste cotton are paired with sheer or lace panels in black, white, nude or buff pink.

• Half moon bag: You’ll see bags of this shape everywhere now. Sew one for yourself by cutting two same sized semicircles, a long narrow rectangle to join the round sides, and two shorter same length rectangles, joined by a zipper, for the top and a strap.

Try your hand at just one or many of these fashionable looks this season. Sewing your own wardrobe pieces makes fashion fun.  Happy Sewing!