Shape Shape 2: Sewing for Minimalist Style

by Natsuno Hiraiwa, Hiraiwa Natsuno

Shake up your wardrobe! Create 19 unique fashion forward garments with simple sewing techniques. Graphic designer turned fashion designer Natsuno Hiraiwa returns with patterns and instructions for 19 innovative women's garments and accessories in classic minimalist Japanese style. Many of her signature vests, collars, and shrugs are cut from a single flat piece of cloth, then ingeniously draped and fastened around the body. Other pieces are artfully twisted and folded like origami, giving a unique shape to the resulting blouses, tops, and skirts. All her designs create the striking silhouettes that epitomize her fashion collections and result in one-of-a-kind garments suitable for all ages. These pieces are uniquely constructed in a Japanese style but modified for the more Western figure with the pattern grading and sizing adjusted accordingly. Sewists will be fascinated by the novel minimalism of Shape Shape 2 .

Genres: Sewing, Crafts, Nonfiction

120 pages, Paperback

First published February 26, 2013

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have both Shape Shape 2 (SS2) in English as well as Shape Shape 1 (SS1) in Japanese.

First the good news: this book is in English and the patterns come in larger sizes. Unfortunately, it is still sized for women 5'3" tall, so westerners may need to add length. (The English/American size S is slightly larger than the Japanese size L.) It's odd that they didn't add length as well as width. As in the Japanese original, you will need to add seam allowances; the diagrams give suggested seam allowances for each project.

The diagrams and editing are very clear in both books. SS2 in English has the measurements in inches.

The bad news: my first impression is that the book is rather thin compared to the first volume. A quick count shows that Shape Shape 1 has 19 projects and Shape Shape 2 has only 13 (and two of them are tiny things like a brooch and a necklace). So, the true ratio of content is more like 19 to 11.

The styles in SS2 are also more pedestrian than the ones in SS1.

All of the cute tops shown with the skirt projects in the book are not included! Very disappointing.

This book feels rushed into publication. Why didn't they truly update the sizing for western figures? Why didn't they include all the projects pictured (the accompanying tops)?

If you don't already own SS1, save your money and buy SS1 instead of SS2.

[Ligaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting set of garment patterns—not too avant garde but definitely not basic sewing patterns. I thought some of the convertible patterns (A-Line Skirt/Harem Pants combo, Double Layer Skirt, Semi-Flared Gathered Skirt) are interesting concepts but nothing in here called for me to pull out my sewing machine and clear off the dining room table! I appreciate the creativity to come up with these patterns, though.

[Cate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little disappointing. clothes looked great in the photos but I was unsure how they would translate in my life.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Borrowed from the library ]

Tempted by some of the skirts but I really don't wear skirts! So maybe in the future the semi-flared gathered skirt, seamless wrap skirt or the A-line skirt/harem pants will be in my future.

Very designerly in a good way.

[Lafrog8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as ShapeShape but I loved the A-Line Skirt/Harem Pants project: how cool is this? A skirt that can transform into a harem pants. Probably would not buy the book but would borrow again to make that skirt/pants.

[Andee Marley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book. Very much my personal style, without looking too "DIY".