Fabrics and tags
Style tags
Every piece, fabric and accessory has values in several tags. The sketchbook adds it all up and shows one bar per tag; the ones the commission asks for are starred at the top.
The 22 sketchbook tags
Reading the bars
The yellow line is the requested value. The dark green part is what you are guaranteed; the striped part is the possible range, depending on how much of each fabric you use.
Gold good, red bad
When picking pieces, fabrics or accessories, gold-highlighted tags help what you need and red ones hurt. Grey means no effect. Some items give negative values.
Watch out for "at most"
Some commissions set a maximum (for example, Cute at most 40). Then the bar must stay below the line, or you fail the request.
Swatches in the sketchbook
Drag fabric and accessory swatches onto the page: they change the sketchbook totals and get starred at the top of the lists while you cut and decorate.
Where you put the fabric matters
According to a community guide built from the game data (build 410), a fabric's tag score is split by dress part, not by size:
That makes the bodice the cheap place for a high-scoring fabric: a small bit of cloth doing a third of the work.
Rules like "Sequin: at least 10%" or "at least 50% velvet" go by fabric area instead, and there the skirt is almost everything. In build 443 the team changed these colour and fabric-type calculations: small components (collar, sleeves) now get a boost, so older dresses may show slightly different scores.
| Part | Tag weight |
|---|---|
| Bodice | 35% |
| Skirt | 40% |
| Sleeves | 15% |
| Collar | 10% |
Expensive fabric doesn't score higher
The same guide says that for 18 of the 22 tags the best value is already on sale at the start, usually on a cheap cotton or wool. The pricey velvets just look nicer.
| Fabric | Price | Tags at the game maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Black Wool Pinstripes | 10 | Gothic (80), Patterned (100), Professional, Warm |
| Amethyst Cotton | 10 | Casual, Cool, Daywear, Simple |
| Aqua Blue Cotton | 10 | Cute, Playful |
| Cloud White Cotton | 10 | Romantic |
| Salmon Cotton | 10 | Workwear (52) |
| Strawberry Fields Cotton Print | 15 | Flowers (100) |
| French Floral Black Lace | 30 | Risqué, Eveningwear |
The four worth waiting for
Shimmering tops out at 25 in the starting shop; the sequins at shop rank 2 reach 50. Elegant, Eveningwear and Formal go up to 59 with Absynthe Lace at rank 14.
Burlap
It is free and the only Uncomfortable fabric, but it drags most other tags down. Use it to test a design on the mannequin or for dresses to sell.
Build 410 values, according to this community guide. They may change with updates: always check the in-game shop.
Cutting without waste
Don't cut the excess early
Until you cut the excess, the pattern holes stay on the roll and the rest of the fabric is still there next time. The roll unrolls up to 15 metres; only then do you need to cut off the start.
Recycle a piece
Drag a cut piece into the recycling basket at the cutting table: you get the fabric back, but only if you have not cut off the excess in that area yet.
Patterned fabric
Pattern pieces have a top and a bottom. On printed fabric, point every piece the same way; the eye button hides the seam allowance so you can see what will show.
Gradients and bias
Cutting off-grain lets a piece run across every colour of a gradient. You lose a little quality, which on a dress for sale only costs some money.
Discarding fabric
Since build 443 the scissors only discard fabric when you press the discard button, and there is a button to grab every cut piece from the table.
Build 443 fabrics and accessories
They unlock through the campaign; if you are already past that point, you get them straight away.
Fabrics
- Autumnal Vine Border Print Cotton
- Spring Vine Border Print Cotton
- Taupe Cotton
- Silver Lace
- Pastel Pink Lace
- Burning Forest, Golden Dawn, Lavender Field & Snowflake Gradient Silks
Accessories, trims and skirts
- Silver Clasp
- Silver Narcissus Chain
- Silver Twin Souls Chain
- Black Dagger Beaded Trim
- Widow's Lace Trim
- Less poofy Chrysanthemum Skirt
- Longer Pencil Skirt