How To Make Non-Commission Dresses In Dressmaker

Dressmaker: How To Unlock Off-The-Rack Dresses Published Oct 17, 2026, 9:35 AM EDT Cat Webling is a Kansas-based writer with six years of experience in the gaming industry in a range of roles from editor and journalist to narrative writer. She enjoys cozy gaming on PC and Nintendo Switch 2, especially if the game includes cute animals. Dressmaker is full of fun and interesting characters that request all kinds of dresses, from simple and sweet designs to stunning, complicated masterpieces in distinct colors and shapes. While these commissioned pieces can be fun to build, there's far more to the game than what your clients want. You can unlock off-the-rack dressmaking relatively quickly and let your imagination run wild with any color, pattern, and accessories your heart desires. What Are Off-the-Rack Dresses? Before the dawn of big-box clothing retail, commissions were the biggest part of the clothing business; a seamstress or tailor would make a piece specifically for a particular client, using their exact measurements to tailor it perfectly to their shape. This is the core mechanic in Dressmaker; your clients come in looking for a particular style or color, and it's your job to make their ideas come to life. Sometimes, though, clothiers will have extra material they need to use up, or they won't have any commissions coming in and need to make money anyway. In Dressmaker, you might simply get bored of the commissions you have coming in or want to take a break from the complicated requests. You might also have a fun idea for a dress that doesn't suit any of your current clients. That's where off-the-rack dresses come in. "Off-the-rack" simply means that a dress or other piece of clothing was made using average measurements for a particular size range rather than a particular person; the clothing is hung up on a rack to display for sale, and when someone chooses to buy it, they pull it off the rack rather than having a piece custom-made. In Dressmaker, off-the-rack dresses can be used to make extra money, use up spare materials, or explore creative ideas without being tied down to the rules of a commission. How to Unlock Off-the-Rack Dresses You can unlock off the rack dressmaking by completing the first three commissions in Dressmaker. These commissions are: Librarian Workwear — Rose congratulates you on the new shop opening and asks you to make her a new dress for her work at the library following an unfortunate moth incident. Flamboyant Funeral — Prudence demands to be dressed impeccably in anything but black for the funeral of the late Duke, in the hopes of catching his successor nephew's attention. Fierce Funeral — Priya asks for a dress that makes her look intimidating so that she can protect her brother from unwanted advances at their uncle the Duke's funeral. After you finish the mission for Priya, you'll receive a notification that off-the-rack dresses are now available. To make an off-the-rack dress, the process is similar to commissions, except that you do not have to click the bell or talk to a client to start. Select your pattern sketchbook from your desk in the main shop screen. You can mix and match your favorite pattern pieces and select 'Draft Pattern'. You'll then have to select measurements for the dress; you can use the default measurements on the mannequin, import measurements from a client, or even put in your own measurements if you want to. From there, the dressmaking process is much the same as commissions — you choose your fabrics, cut out your pieces, sew them together, and add accessories. Once you're happy with your dress, you can finish it, take pictures, and sell it. Later in the game, you also have the option to gift dresses to your favorite clients. This helps you earn friendship points with them, especially if you make a dress that's catered to their unique interests.