1.15.2012

let's hear it for the boy


friends... meet the red jacket.

and prepare for photo overload.

that self-satisfied smirk is totally justified. i finally finished it! to be perfectly frank, i sort of feel like i just gave birth! (i totally reserve the right, should my future self ever actually give birth, to come back and give my present self a good slap for that comment) but really - there were times there when i thought this lovely lady would never be finished!

and she is a beauty, isn't she? this red jacket was just the thing to perk up a chilly, dreary winter day (by texas standards, ya'll).


i spent the past evenings and weekend hand stitching all the finishing touches. the upper collar was fell stitched along the neckline and draw stitched at the gorge line. the lining was fell stitched in place at the shoulders, neckline, armholes and along the front edge - all, of course, as per claire's instructions. sometimes i have serious doubts about wearing a garment hard that has predominate hand stitching, but have you ever tried to rip out fell stitches or back stitches? they are far more resilient than machine stitching! i will be posting some construction shots shortly - it was just far too dark to get decent pictures once we got home from our photo session this afternoon.


and, of course, there is that leopard print lining! the print is a bit louder than what i originally had in mind, but it was also $8 a yard, rather than the (far more tasteful) $36 a yard silks. and truthfully, its kind of grown on me. in fact, i bought extra yardage - so you'll be seeing this print pop up in a, how shall we say, less subtle way in the near future.

i used burda's 07/2011 sweatshirt sports coat for the pattern, however i redrafted the upper collar to get rid of the collar stand. the actual coat is made from wool gabardine. its underlined in white cotton batiste and then interfaced with goat hair canvas along the upper part, lower edge, lapels, collar, and sleeve caps. the lining is rayon challis - not a very typical lining fabric, but it was soo soft, and, as i mentioned - cheap(er)!

i made the executive decision at the last minute to leave out my self-made shoulder pads. while they looked nice, they gave the jacket more of a structured, formal look, and i sort of had a slightly slouchier look in mind. the difference is almost insignificant, but i feel it was the right decision. i did, however, leave the sleeve heads in, to support my dimpled sleeve caps!


here i am testing the fit of the back and shoulders. the ironclad test? weird lunge-y moves on the pier (what? thats not what you do?) there were no popped stitches, so i gave it a gold star, and moved on before i start getting real nit-picky, because, lordy, i could pick and tweak until i'm blue in the face!

my inspiration for this outfit came from one of my favorite style blogs, calivintage, who first introduced me to the term "teddy girls". i was going for a sort of mid-century, boy-meets-girl look (thus the title of this post - and also this song - a favorite from yesterday my youth). my red jacket inspires such things in me.

i would be seriously remiss if i didn't thank my husband for these photos today. and for putting up with my farting about deciding where to take them. and for making the executive decision for me to not reset the sleeves on this jacket for the 10th time, and just let them be. husband, thank you. you are the wisest of them all, and i don't know where i'd be without you.

outfit details:
jacket - self made
shirt - american apparel
jeans - j brand
shoes - urban outfitters from a long long time ago
scarf - not sure. a thrift store perhaps?

xx



39 comments:

  1. totally awesome, and so worth the wait. love it!

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    1. thank you! and thanks for waiting! god it felt like it would never be finished for a while there!

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  2. Wow congratulations. And while other mothers might get mad at me for saying this....I think your jacket might have been tougher than giving birth. After all, I was able to get an epidural for mine. You did yours drug free (wine never counts). LOL. Fabulous job.

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    1. lol! true true! and oh lord - trust me... there was wine!

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  3. The jacket is stunning (and so are you, my dear)! Look at that collar! And those welt pockets! I absolutely love how you've styled it here. Bravo!

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    1. Thank you Lizz! This wasn't my first choice of styling to introduce the jacket to the blog - but I felt like it took SO LONG that I had better just snap some pictures... or else! So I'm sure I'll have fun styling it again in the future! Thanks again :)

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  4. Wow that's one AMAZING jacket!! Fantastic execution. It looks great!

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    1. Thanks Rochelle! Its definitely not perfect - but I'm pretty proud :)

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  5. Fantastic jacket - you should be proud. I love the color and your styling all the way around. I think red lips were definitely the way to go!

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    1. Oh thanks Crystal! Yes - I believe I'll have a hard time NOT wearing my red lipstick every time I wear this jacket!

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  6. Wowzers, what a fantastic jacket!!! Love the colour, love the fit and love the lining!!!

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    1. Thanks Suzie! Its so funny because until I saw it all together and on me I wasn't sure if the colour was for me - or that the fit was where I'd like it to be - but after wearing it around, I'm really happy with it!

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  7. Lovely lovely jacket, I love the colour. All the work you put into it was well spent.
    The styling is adorable too, great job :)

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    1. Thanks Paunnet! I do feel like it was worth the extra time.

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  8. It looks so so good. What a wonderful color. It suits you so well. I love the lining!

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  9. omg. OMG! I cannot believe it! Well, I can, as every other thing you've created here has been amazing... but a Blazer just seems above and beyond the DIY category to me. It is so absolutely stunning! I adore the pockets and shaping. The color is just the perfect bit of tomato and berry... but that lining! Le SIGH! I cannot get over it! Just the right amount of punch. Your talent and dedication is inspiring, and don't get me started on the red lips! LOVE!

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    1. Oh You! Go on.... haha! It turned out pretty good, huh? If I was a better sister I'd make one for you too... but, what can I say? I'm not. Haha!

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  10. ah, the husband sewing/photo wisdom combo. the BEST.

    girl you friggin GO with this jacket!!! this is stunning!!

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    1. Yes! I had to defer to him sooo much while making this - and he reassured me with plenty of "No one will ever notice that" and "I'm pretty sure I've seen ready to wear jackets do that..." Maybe I've just trained him well - but I wouldn't have it any other way!
      Thanks Oona!

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  11. Lovely jacket, so professional looking and pretty! I love the leopard cuffs and lining! The whole outfit is really lovely and your hubby did great with the photos!

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  12. So, so beautiful! This is absolutely perfect! Love your lipstick and scarf, btw! Girl, you're on FIRE in this outfit! All your hard work TOTALLY paid off!

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  13. Yay, you did it! This is really gorgeous and such a nice fitted look. I love those shoulders! And fabulous photos--perfect setting. Now, wait, I just realized you're in Texas! It's totally blazer weather right now, huh.

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    1. Thanks Amy! And yes, Texas is totally having blazer weather - and I love it! Although I generally can wear my blazers year round here because in the summer I need them for the blasting AC!

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  14. Amazing! Love it! I want one :)

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  15. that is a stunner, the self-satisfied smirk is completely justified!

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    1. I agree!!! In fact, I think the smirk could (and should) be turned up several notches! This is amazing and inspiring. Good thing I just ordered a ton of jacket suitable wool!

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    2. Ha! Thanks you guys! I always worry I might get too smirky in my pictures - so I might overcompensate by making grim school marm faces (see third from the top)!! @ Nettie - I can't wait to see what you do with your wool!

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  16. Ah, this is so fabulous. So, so fabulous. And your welt pockets look impeccable. Love it!

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    1. Aw thanks Liza Jane! I've been digging the welt pockets recently - they're oddly satisfying :)

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  17. You have every right to be proud - beautiful tailoring for a beautiful jacket.

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  18. Wow you've done a magnificent job she is just beautiful inside and out, just perfect well done.

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  19. i am dying over this blazer. it's perfect! i love your styling, the lining and the cut.

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  20. That is an excellent piece of tailoring! Great job. The red is so invigorating. Thanks for sharing your process!

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