Not So One-of-a-Kind

Some of us are inspired by ready-to-wear pieces, others sew because "I could make that for waaay cheaper," yet others want that perfect fit. For a lot of sewists, though, we like to sew because we can make one-of-a-kind, interesting pieces. I sew for all these reasons, and definitely pride myself on wearing things that nobody else has. Yet a handful of times in my sewing history, I've seen someone else wearing almost an exact copy of something I've whipped up!

I'm not complaining, I just find it a bizarre coincidence that somewhere, somehow, the same hair-brained idea has come to some other designer. Of course, many of my designs are fairly basic. My first casual striped dress, for example, can be seen in many forms from many venders. I have taken my inspiration from some of them, and wrote about celebrities wearing them here. It wasn't a surprise to also see reincarnations of my second casual striped dress around. After all, blue and red stripes isn't exactly novel. But what really made me do a double take was seeing that exact same blue and red dress on a passerby with the exact same details: full-length sleeve, short hem, contrasting blue collar and sleeves. It made me exclaim out loud to a friend.

Of course, the one that really made me laugh was today in the thrift store. I thought I was the only idiot who would make a red plaid fleece blazer. It was done as a wearable muslin, and also as a tribute to my grandfather and his 1950s dinner jackets. Seeing a very similar version on the store rack today was hilarious.

Have you ever seen anyone rocking what you thought was your one-of-a-kind piece?