If you wanted to make dresses but were bad at sewing in real life, Dressmaker will let you use that creativity in the game. There are so many patterns to choose from, and you will also have access to a wide variety of fabrics and accessories. You will serve several customers who want outfits for different occasions.
To learn more about the game, check out the Steam page. If you’re already playing the game, be sure to read our walkthrough of the game!
The Gameplay Loop
The actual gameplay loop is nothing too complicated: a customer arrives at your atelier and asks for a dress, which needs to meet certain requirements. It needs to have the correct attributes, and some customers will also ask you to use specific fabric, accessories, and colors. Each customer has specific measurements, which you take only once during their first visit, and you need to adjust the mannequin after drafting the initial design.
You may not get all attributes during initial design, but this is where your choice of fabrics will matter, as those increase them significantly. The game adds a filter to both your design studio and the emporium, so you can get what you are looking for easily.
You will meet quirky customers with their own sense of fashion. They get you familiar with the style of dresses you will be creating throughout the game. You will also follow their story by completing their major commissions.
After selecting the fabrics and accessories, you will use the table to cut the fabrics from the patterns. The game emphasizes grain quality, which means you need to place them in a straight line. This can be a bummer when you could have utilized the fabric in a different direction. This can also be a problem if you are cutting specific gradients and patterns and want that design in your dress. However, if you don’t mind the overall quality, you can just ignore it.
You then assemble the dress on the mannequin and sew the dress. The actual process of sewing and adjusting your mannequins can get repetitive and often left me wishing I could skip it. However, considering the creative choice the game offers, it doesn’t feel too tedious.
Use Your Creativity
The emporium has so many fabrics consisting of different materials, colors, and patterns. Some luxurious fabrics are more expensive than others. You are given a budget to complete a commission, which limits you to fewer options. Though, as you progress, you will have enough cash to indulge even the customers who pay you less.
Unless the customer asks for something specific, you have a lot more creative freedom. You can combine the patterns you obtained by building relationships with your customers. Trying different combinations to create a wide variety of fabrics and accessories can keep you indulged in the game for hours.
Since a dress consists of several fabric parts, you can apply different fabrics in different places to add contrast and design depth. The accessories consist of trims, bows, buttons, brooches, feathers, and much more. You can place them anywhere you want, and this is where you will use most of your creativity.
Verdict
While the actual gameplay loop feels repetitive, Dressmaker keeps you hooked through the extensive creative options it offers. You can create a wide variety of dresses through the combination of patterns, fabrics, and accessories available to you.
Developer: Cozy Lives
Publisher: Free Lives
Country of Origin: South Africa
Release Date: September 21, 2026
Thank you for reading our Dressmaker review. Also, check out our following articles.
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