Chassidish women, what would you like me to design for you?

amother

Fuchsia

Wed, Jul 19 2017, 6:11 am

I was asked to design some clothes for a chassidish frum womens clothing company that sells worldwide.

I would love to hear from you specifically what types of
-weekday tops
-shabbos tops
-skirts
-shabbos and yomtov dresses

what fabrics are most appealing to you ( I know this could be a matter of individial taste, but is important to me)

what types of styles do (or would you like) your teenagers to wear

are there certain styles that you always wanted and cant find them in the stores?

I would love to hear form you!!

amother

Honeydew

Wed, Jul 19 2017, 7:57 am

I am still looking for the perfect little black dress that is fine and feminine and elegant, not too trendy but with youthful touches, that doesn't need fabric added or a shell. Something I can wear to shabbos sheva brochos or a "mazel tov" wedding.

I also need something for closer chasunas but it's hard to think of what I want that to look like.

Actually, whatever you design, make it shell-free and long enough not to need fabric added.

amother

Burlywood

Wed, Jul 19 2017, 8:09 am

Wow.
Congratulations!!!
I wish you lots of hatzlocha.
I'm assuming you're not only targeting chassidish so maybe change the title
I know it's not up to you cuz you were hired but maybe suggest affordability as an important factor
Thanx

Zehava

Wed, Jul 19 2017, 8:16 am

Shell-free ofcourse
I love cotton it is so breathable and comfortable.
For shabbos I would like something pretty that isn't black for a change but still trendy and young looking.

amother

Saddlebrown

Wed, Jul 19 2017, 8:23 am

High quality fabrics in trendy styles currently selling in the expensive department stores, made to suit Tzniusdik women.

You can search in Bergdorf, Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, etc for styles that you can adapt, but with jewel neck, 3/4 or long sleeves.and enough fabric in hem to suit a tall tzniusdik girl.

Blessing1

Wed, Jul 19 2017, 9:45 am

I can't believe there are still people out there that think chassidish dresses different then the world. Now days the everyone dresses more or less the same. Chassidish, litvish, yeshivish, modern.... everyone shops at the same stores.

pause

Wed, Jul 19 2017, 9:53 am

kosher necklines, hemlines and sleeve length - IOW, no shell, no alterations in order to make it tznius'dig.

Leave enough fabric in the seams (and/or in the hem) in case alterations need to be done so that I don't need to run around town finding a snippet of fabric in the exact shade of the outfit.

Keep the prices down. If I can buy a dress on amazon for $25, I don't want to spend $125 for a similar-looking shmatte.

pause

Wed, Jul 19 2017, 9:56 am

If you're doing Shabbas robes:

all of the above is even more important in a robe
plus
Make them pretty. Not looking like glorified nightgowns.

And more options for nursing mothers. I don't want to be relegated to buying a dowdy-looking robe meant for middle-aged women just because I don't want to completely disrobe in order to nurse my baby.

amother

Sienna

Wed, Jul 19 2017, 9:57 am

pause wrote:

I'm not chassidish, but yes the bolded is a great idea. Instead of having to find material to add on when too short (or decide to leave it because it will look too 'added on', it would be great if there's always a couple inch hem that could be taken down...

smily

Wed, Jul 19 2017, 10:06 am

I agree with what is said above
Cotton breathable is important
For dresses style that allows for higher waisted ladies too. Linings that aren't sweaty and don't need another slip underneath
Price that is affordable

amother

Lilac

Wed, Jul 19 2017, 10:10 am

summer wear for active working women! something cotton or natural fiber with a slightly relaxed cut that doesn't require layering. day dresses especially. I teach in a school with spotty air conditioning and walk to work, and I actively dread the start of school, knowing I'm going to be dying of heat for at least 4 more weeks while being expected to look put together.

(not chassidishe, work in a chassidishe school).

even better would be a breathable fabric that doesn't require much ironing or special laundry care.

amother

Mistyrose

Wed, Jul 19 2017, 10:19 am

Weekday tops:
Cotton with high necks (no shells needed)

Shabbos dresses/dressy dresses for my teenagers:
1. Stylewe.com has many pretty dresses that I can't buy due to tznius.
2. Leave enough fabric in the hems so that they can wear their dresses 4 inches below the knee, which is what they're taught in school.
3. Affordable

(if you do, or anyone out there who does)Shabbos robes:
cozy cotton velour with sleeves for those chilly Friday nights, instead of polyester, cold, plastic-feeling velour.
Hatzlocha!

youngishbear

Wed, Jul 19 2017, 10:21 am

amother wrote:

This!! Plus the no shell, no lengthening idea. Some women will need alterations for fit regardless, but there is no reason clothing marketed for frum women should not cater to our tznius needs.

Jewishmom8

Wed, Jul 19 2017, 10:35 am

not where I live in Israel
The chasidim dress differently that the yeshivish do
and the yeshivish do not dress so much like the dati.
It is just a different style.

Blessing1 wrote:

martina

Wed, Jul 19 2017, 11:20 am

amother wrote:

Natural fibers only
One layer only
Tops that hide the common post natal (forever!) tummy
Some smart pieces
Some cute pieces

Would love to know which company so that I cn look out for their products!

Wishing you luck!!

amother

Fuchsia

Wed, Jul 19 2017, 11:36 am

thanks all you guys for the well wishes of hatzlacha and for the info.

ok, so
about the affordability, it really isnt up to me, all I was asked to do was design. But you are right, frum stores are really expensive.Especially in israel, it is known that chassidim in general spend more on clothing the family than other streams of judaism.

about the tznius, 100% I agree with everything mentined about no shells - I think thats the whole point of a frum designer, I myslef know how annoying it is to buy and wear shells all the time, not to mention the layering..

we arent doing robes, but hopefully someone on this website will know what to do with the info here.

I am insterested in hearing more specifics.

What is considered "too trendy" in chassidish fashion? or is that not a relevant question?

are there certain sensitivities that I should be attuned too (aside for the tall girls need longer skirts, and no shells, and obviously sleeves that cover the elbow)

( I shuld mention, I am not chassidish, which you probably guesses already lol)

finallyamommy

Wed, Jul 19 2017, 11:54 am

I would love to buy from this company! Don't have much to add, except agreeing with the "no shells" voices. And make options for taller ladies too, please - I'm 5'9" and have a really hard time with skirts but also with tops being long enough.

amother

Dodgerblue

Wed, Jul 19 2017, 12:00 pm

It depends on the target age group. Teenagers and younger women lean towards a sophisticated designer look. My nieces browse Valentino's designs and have a dressmaker copy it for them.Every day wear is trendy, well-cut and sharp with interesting details and color combinations. Older women tend to be more conservative.

amother

Lilac

Wed, Jul 19 2017, 12:01 pm

I think in general the chassidishe women (married and unmarried) I work with (so Belzer primarily) tend to like a very tailored look. For work they generally have to (or anyways are encouraged to) wear collared tops. The younger women wear tops I recognize from mainstream mall shops. Quite a few were wearing tailored summer dresses with a belt. It was a great look. I think if you take 50s inspiration, you'll make things that work.

I saw some young frum girls with amazing dresses the other day, I wish I'd asked them where they got them, but they had dropped waists and straight skirts... very modern looking, but below the knee and elbow. Maybe not so great for someone who's had a few babies though!

realsilver

Wed, Jul 19 2017, 12:12 pm

if you look around you would see that chassidim tend to dress more trendy than others. they have a more chic, put together way of dressing. dont think you have to worry about too trendy! just put tznius and classy together and your on the right track!