Although there aren’t a lot of shows about clothes themselves, there are some gems out there! Although I cannot sew for the life of me, I enjoy seeing others, and especially those who are masters of their craft make beautiful garments.
Below are shows (in no particular order) that I enjoy watching about wearing, sewing, creating, designing, and crafting clothes.
1. A Stitch in Time
From the BBC a stitch in Time is about “Fusing biography, art and the history of fashion, Amber Butchart explores the lives of historical figures through the clothes they wore.” Not only Amber the presenter just fabulous (her turbans, are to die for) but the show itself is fabulous!
Amber works with Ninya Mikhaila and Historical Costumer and her lovely crew to re-create some iconic and interesting historical outfits from paintings. I love the true appreciation for the historical clothing, the meaning behind them, and the absolute skills they have in reverse engineering some of the outfits.
The show is informative, interesting, and visually appealing of course! Although there are only 6 episodes, they are absolute gold! See below for a taste and (cough, you can find the episodes on youtube).
2. Project Runway
Although of course, the drama on Project Runway does tend to overshadow the clothing itself. It’s to be expected as that is the nature of competition, and some of it is absolutely delicious.
The challenges are my favourite part of the show, as it pushes the designers creatively to come up with some truly innovative outfits. It’s always fun for me to think it my head what outfit I would design to fit the challenge or theme.
I’m always absolutely delighted to see the final product, and the hosts and judges (Tim Gunn!) are one of the more pleasant and helpful I’ve seen in reality competition shows. Below are a few clips of my favourite outfits/challenges.
3. Sewing with Nancy
For anyone who is thinking of getting into creating garments, or is already creating garments, “Sewing with Nancy” is an absolute boon in my opinion. From PBS Sewing with Nancy is the “Public television’s longest-running sewing and quilting program has been the source for innovative sewing, quilting and embroidery techniques and has inspired hobbyists nationwide since host Nancy Zieman transformed the television studio into her classroom in 1982.”
With over 3000 episodes you will for sure find an episode that is helpful. Honestly, despite not having the skill to sew myself I just like watching it from time to time. Nancy is just delightful and absolutely a great teacher.
Visit the PBS website to watch some episodes for free!
https://www.pbs.org/show/sewing-nancy/
4. The Great British Sewing Bee
The show is about “Finding the best amateur sewer in Britain”. It’s in ways similar to project runway, as it is a competition and there is some drama but nowhere near the levels of project runway. I absolutely love the fact that they are amateurs, you see the mistakes, you see people overcoming and becoming better. It’s a feel-good show that I love watching.
See below for the trailer of the series (BBC is amazing by the way) and click the link to watch some clips too.
5. Making the Cut
After Project Runway has ended, it seem the magic has ended. Not quite, meet the recent Making the Cut with our favorites Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn. Fashion, sewing and crafting is still the main star and I’m excited to binge!
6. RuPaul Drag Race
Drag is about talent, personality, and of course there is sewing in there! This scene makes me laugh, and the outfits! My gosh, are they amazing!
7. The True Cost (Bonus~)
This is a documentary focusing on fast fashion. It really opened my eyes to the origin of my clothes, the consequences of globalization, consumer culture, and materialism. It made me self-conscious, teary-eyed, and gobsmacked.
I highly recommend this documentary not just for people interested in the garment industry but everyone really. See below for the heart-wrenching trailer.
Those are my favourite shows! Let me know others shows I should watch! I would love to add it to my queue and my list.
You can also check out my post favourite YouTubers in fashion! My top YouTubers list
About Post Author
Comments
[…] I wrote about my favourite shows in general about sewing, crafting and fashion. However, I do have a taste for reality show competition. Designers, talent, and beautiful clothes. Without further ado, here are my top sewing competition shows in no particular order are: […]