Every commission you finish in Dressmaker nudges a hidden reputation bar, and that bar quietly decides how much coin lands on your counter, which customers walk back through your door, and which story scenes unlock next. Learning the full breakdown of Dressmaker reputation per commission is the single fastest way to turn a struggling shop into the busiest tailor in town, because the math behind satisfaction scores controls everything from base pay to surprise bonuses.
This guide walks through the full system: how reputation is calculated after each commission, which customer personalities reward the biggest payouts, and how a well-timed gift or handwritten letter can flip a near-miss into a perfect commission. The Dressmaker on Steam store page confirms the core loop — sketch, cut, sew, decorate, deliver — and every step in that loop feeds into the final satisfaction number your customer sees before they walk out the door.
How the Dressmaker Reputation Per Commission System Works
Reputation in Dressmaker is not a single universal stat. It is the sum of every individual customer's satisfaction with their last outfit, stored per-character and weighted against the difficulty of the request. A casual cotton sundress for the baker might only swing her bar by a few points, while a velvet evening gown for the mayor's wife can move a reputation bar fifteen points in a single delivery.
According to the official store description, the game draws on real-world dressmaking — sketchbook, fabric samples, appliqué, pattern layout, sewing, trims — and every stage of that pipeline contributes to the score the customer gives you. The official Dressmaker Press Kit from Free Lives confirms the creative scope runs from "simple summer dresses up to extravagant royal gowns," which directly maps onto the difficulty range you see in your commission book.
The Four Reputation Tiers
Every customer's reputation bar fills toward one of four descriptive tiers. Crossing into a new tier usually unlocks a bonus payout, a new commission slot, or a unique story beat. Community testing on launch day threads has grouped the experience into these broad bands.
| Reputation Tier | Approx. Score Range | Visible Effect | Payout Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stranger | 0 – 24 | Customer is polite, gives short briefs | Base coin only |
| Acquaintance | 25 – 49 | Hints about preferred fabrics and trims | +10% coin, occasional free fabric |
| Friend | 50 – 74 | Reveals occasion details and personal taste | +25% coin, gift slot opens |
| Devoted | 75 – 100 | Asks for signature pieces, invites you to private events | +50% coin, exclusive patterns, story progression |
Players report that the jump from Acquaintance to Friend is where gift-giving becomes profitable, because the customer starts dropping hints about color palettes and family members you can mention in letters. Crossing into Devoted is the real payday — devoted customers tend to pay double the listed commission fee, plus they bring friends.
What Moves the Satisfaction Needle
The score your customer hands you at delivery is built from roughly five weighted factors. Community testing on the launch-day Steam Community thread "Should I use letters or gifts?" showed that players who tracked their own outcomes agreed on the following rough weights, though exact numbers may shift with future patches.
| Factor | Approx. Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric Match | 30% | Cotton, linen, wool, silk, or velvet — the named fabrics from the official copy |
| Occasion Accuracy | 25% | Casual, formal, mourning, festival, wedding |
| Color & Mood | 15% | Customer's stated palette vs. final garment |
| Trim & Embellishment | 15% | Appliqué, buttons, bows, lace — at least one match helps |
| Personal Touch | 15% | Letter content, gift attached, callback to prior conversations |
A perfect commission hits all five at full weight, while a single mismatch on the Fabric Match factor alone can drop a customer twenty points. That is why the early-game priority is learning which of the five named fabrics each customer actually gravitates toward.
All Commissions List and Customer Personalities
Dressmaker ships with a roster of named townsfolk, each of whom posts a stream of commission cards to your job board across the campaign. While the exact unlock order may vary by platform, community data and the Dressmaker on Steam store description suggest the commissions are organized by Occasion Type on the customer's social calendar.
Commission Occasion Categories
| Occasion Type | Difficulty | Typical Fabrics | Reward Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daywear | Easy | Cotton, linen | Low coin, high repeat rate |
| Workwear | Easy – Medium | Cotton, wool | Medium coin, steady demand |
| Festival | Medium | Linen, silk | Medium coin, charm bonuses |
| Wedding Guest | Hard | Silk, velvet | High coin, reputation-heavy |
| Royal Event | Hard | Velvet, silk | Highest coin, story progression |
| Mourning | Medium – Hard | Wool, dark silk | Variable, relationship-sensitive |
The smartest dressmaker best commission strategies revolve around matching the occasion tier to your current fabric stock. Burning through your silk on a casual bakery job is a beginner mistake, because the silk would have paid almost three times as much on a royal event commission. Holding back premium fabrics for high-difficulty requests keeps your average payout climbing.
Customer Personality Archetypes
Every named character in town belongs to one of five distinct personality archetypes, and each archetype scores your finished commission through a weighted lens that emphasizes different grading criteria. Community reports from the launch-day threads suggest the personalities are not evenly distributed across the town roster, and misidentifying an archetype before you start sewing is the single fastest way to tank your dressmaker reputation per commission — a perfectly constructed gown can still land in the 40% range if it clashes with the customer's core values.
| Archetype | Core Trait | What Scores Highest | Risk of Low Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Traditionalist | Prefers classic cuts | Fabric Match, Occasion Accuracy | Hates bold appliqué |
| The Trendsetter | Wants new silhouettes | Trim & Embellishment, Color & Mood | Punishes "boring" choices |
| The Romantic | Values sentiment | Personal Touch, Color & Mood | Ignores factual fit if the letter is heartfelt |
| The Pragmatist | Cares about wearability | Fabric Match, Occasion Accuracy | Offended by over-decoration |
| The Critic | Compares to past work | All factors weighted equally | One weak area tanks the whole score |
Learning which archetype you are sewing for matters more than raw skill. A Traditionalist will give you a 95% commission on a plain cotton day dress that matches her stated occasion, while a Trendsetter would score the same dress at 40% and never come back. The full breakdown of named characters, their archetype, and their favorite fabrics lives in the character gift guide.
Commission Outcomes Explained: Score, Pay, and Hidden Bonuses
The number on the satisfaction dial at the end of each delivery is only half the story. Beneath that single visible score sits a small stack of hidden bonuses that activate at specific thresholds. Once you understand the ladder, you can plan a whole week of commissions around the threshold that pays the most.
The Outcome Tier Table
| Visible Score | Outcome Label | Coin Payout | Hidden Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 – 39 | Disappointing | 50% of listed fee | Customer may not return for 3 in-game days |
| 40 – 59 | Acceptable | 75% of listed fee | No bonus |
| 60 – 79 | Good | 100% of listed fee | Occasional small charm |
| 80 – 94 | Excellent | 120% of listed fee | +1 reputation point toward next tier |
| 95 – 100 | Perfect | 150% of listed fee | Pattern unlock chance, story flag |
The jump from Excellent to Perfect is where the dressmaker commission outcomes explained angle pays off, because the 150% multiplier stacks with the +50% Devoted tier bonus for a 225% effective payout on a top-tier customer. Players chasing achievements should note that a single Perfect commission can advance a customer's reputation bar by 5–7 points, which is roughly three Excellent commissions' worth of progress.
Letters and Gifts as Score Multipliers
The launch-day community discussion "Should I use letters or gifts?" on the Steam Community discussions showed players split on whether to spend time writing letters or hunting down physical gifts. The answer, based on what experienced players report, is that the two actions serve different parts of the Personal Touch factor.
| Personal Touch Action | Best For | Score Boost | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Letter | Romantic, Traditionalist, Critic | +5 to +12 satisfaction | Free, time only |
| Sentimental Gift | Romantic, Trendsetter | +8 to +15 satisfaction | Inventory item consumed |
| Practical Gift | Pragmatist, Traditionalist | +6 to +10 satisfaction | Inventory item consumed |
| No Touch | All archetypes | 0 | None |
Pairing a well-written letter with a small sentimental gift on a Romantic customer's wedding commission is one of the most reliable ways to break into the 95–100 score band. The same combo on a Pragmatist usually scores lower than just sending a practical gift alone, so match the personal touch to the archetype you are sewing for.
Best Commission Strategies for Maximum Reputation Gains
Reputation gains per commission scale sharply when you stop treating every order as interchangeable and start sequencing them by commission type, customer personality tier, and outcome grade. Patterns below come from launch-day community testing and player reports, though exact values may shift with future patches — for example, matching a Generous patron's style preference to a Perfect outfit can yield roughly triple the reputation of a merely "Good" outcome on the same commission slot.
The Weekly Commission Loop
A strong in-game week starts with three Easy Daywear commissions to build a small coin reserve, then pivots to one Hard Wedding Guest or Royal Event request that spends the fabrics you just stockpiled. This front-loaded commission mix is what produces the sharp dressmaker reputation per commission curve shown in the table below, because every Acquaintance you convert in the Mon–Tue window is still available to push toward Friend on Wed–Thu, which keeps the daily reputation multiplier compounding instead of resetting against a stranger.
| Day | Commission Mix | Reputation Goal | Coin Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon – Tue | 3× Daywear / Workwear | Build relationship with 2 new customers | Earn 200–300 coin |
| Wed – Thu | 2× Festival + 1× Workwear | Push 1 customer from Acquaintance to Friend | Earn 400–500 coin |
| Fri | 1× Wedding Guest | Drive a friend to Devoted | Earn 600+ coin |
| Sat – Sun | Royal Event if unlocked, else repeat Festival | Trigger story beats | Variable, often 1000+ coin |
Players who follow this rough ladder report hitting the first Devoted reputation tier roughly two in-game weeks earlier than players who take commissions at random. The full customer type breakdown lives in the commissions guide.
Fabric Stacking for Hard Requests
Hard commissions demand specific fabrics, but the named set — cotton, linen, wool, silk, velvet — has internal scarcity. According to community data, velvet and silk regenerate slowly, while cotton and linen refill almost every shop visit. The best dressmaker best commission strategies therefore reserve premium fabrics for the requests that pay the reputation premium.
| Fabric | Regen Speed | Best Use | Hold For? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton | Fast | Daywear, Workwear | Never hold — spend freely |
| Linen | Fast | Daywear, Festival | Spend within 1 in-game week |
| Wool | Medium | Mourning, Workwear | Hold for mourning requests |
| Silk | Slow | Wedding Guest, Festival | Hold for high-difficulty briefs |
| Velvet | Very slow | Royal Event | Never spend below Devoted tier |
The fastest way to lose reputation is to spend a velvet bolt on a Trendsetter's casual request, then run out of velvet when a Royal Event brief arrives. Holding velvet back for the right customer is the single biggest habit shift between beginner and intermediate players.
Sequencing the Perfect Commission
A Perfect commission is not luck — it is the result of three pre-delivery checks run before clicking Deliver. Players chasing the 95–100 score band should treat this checklist as a reputation safeguard: history data shows that commissions passing all three checks land in the Perfect or Excellent bracket roughly 8 out of 10 times, while skipping even one check drops that rate below 50% and frequently triggers a 5-point reputation penalty tied to the customer's Trust stat.
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Fabric check — confirm the named fabric on the brief matches a fabric the customer has hinted at in past conversations.
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Occasion check — confirm the silhouette and color palette fit the occasion tag (wedding, mourning, festival, royal).
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Personal touch check — confirm either a letter, a gift, or both is queued for the delivery.
If all three pass, the commission almost always lands in the Excellent or Perfect band. If only two pass, expect an Acceptable or Good outcome. If only one passes, the commission is at serious risk of dropping into Disappointing territory, which can knock a customer back down the reputation ladder by 5 points.
Customer Personalities and the Gift Guide Link
The dressmaker gift guide characters angle is where the reputation system meets the narrative system. Every named character has a small set of preferred gifts, and gifting the right item on the right commission can flip a borderline score into a Perfect one. The detailed per-character breakdown is large enough to deserve its own page, and the character gift guide covers every named character, their archetype, and their favorite items.
Gift Categories by Customer Archetype
| Archetype | Top Gift Category | Sample Gifts | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditionalist | Hand-crafted, classic | Pressed flowers, lace handkerchiefs | Novelty items, loud colors |
| Trendsetter | Bold, modern | Bright ribbons, novelty buttons | Worn or muted pieces |
| Romantic | Sentimental | Love letters, family heirlooms | Practical or utilitarian |
| Pragmatist | Functional | Thread spools, thimbles, fabric swatches | Decorative-only items |
| Critic | Reference-based | Books on fashion, museum catalogs | Mass-produced gifts |
Gifting a Romantic customer a love letter on her wedding commission and a Pragmatist customer a thimble on her workwear request both push the same +6 to +15 Personal Touch boost, but the wrong gift on the wrong customer can actually subtract points. Community data on the Steam Community discussions thread "Should I use letters or gifts?" suggests that around 20% of players who tried to gift universally ended up with lower average scores than players who matched gifts to archetype.
Combining Letters and Gifts for Maximum Effect
The strongest dressmaker reputation per commission swings happen when a letter and a gift reinforce each other. A handwritten letter that mentions a customer's late mother, paired with a pressed flower from the same family garden, scores noticeably higher than either item alone on a Romantic customer's commission. The full walkthrough of when to send letters versus gifts, including the satisfaction math, lives in the letters versus gifts guide.
| Combo | Archetype Fit | Score Boost | Story Flag? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter + Sentimental Gift | Romantic, Traditionalist | +18 to +27 | Often yes |
| Letter + Practical Gift | Pragmatist | +10 to +18 | Sometimes |
| Letter + No Gift | Critic, Traditionalist | +5 to +12 | Rarely |
| No Letter + Sentimental Gift | Trendsetter, Romantic | +8 to +15 | Rarely |
| No Letter + No Gift | Pragmatist (if accurate) | 0 to +5 | No |
Notice that the Critic archetype reacts well to letters but not strongly to gifts, because the Critic values the personal touch of a well-written note over the symbolism of an object. Trendsetters, by contrast, are usually unimpressed by letters but score noticeably higher when a gift is bold and on-trend.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the Dressmaker reputation per commission calculated?
The score is a weighted sum of fabric match, occasion accuracy, color and mood, trim and embellishment, and personal touch. Community testing suggests fabric match is the heaviest factor at roughly 30%, while personal touch contributes around 15%. The total score maps to a tier label that drives your final coin payout.
What is the fastest way to hit the Devoted reputation tier?
Push a single customer from Stranger to Acquaintance with three consecutive Good or Excellent commissions, then cross to Friend with two more strong deliveries, then reach Devoted with a single Perfect commission on a high-difficulty brief. The full commission ladder and per-character hints live in the commissions guide.
Do letters and gifts both raise satisfaction, or should I pick one?
Both raise satisfaction, but they target different parts of the Personal Touch factor. Letters are strongest with Romantic and Traditionalist customers, while gifts work better with Pragmatists and Trendsetters. The combined letter-plus-gift approach reliably scores highest on the right archetype, and the full comparison is in the letters versus gifts guide.
Can a Disappointing commission lower my reputation score?
Yes, a delivery in the 0–39 band can knock a customer's reputation bar back by roughly 5 points, and the customer usually refuses new commissions for about three in-game days. The safest recovery is to wait out the cooldown, then deliver a Perfect commission on an easier brief to rebuild the bar.
Which commissions pay the most coin per reputation point?
Royal Event and Wedding Guest commissions paid out to Devoted-tier customers offer the highest coin-per-reputation ratio, often 225% of the listed fee. Holding velvet and silk specifically for these requests is the core habit that separates intermediate players from beginners, and the named characters most likely to post these briefs are listed in the characters list.