This is a time when procrastination worked in my favor! I've have two giant, industrial size garbage bags full of clothes that I've been tossing in there for almost a year and have yet to drop them off. Which is actually a good thing. Every so often, I'll see something and think, "I have one of those!" Then I remember it's in one of those bags and thank the Heavenly Father that my lazy behind still have them sitting in a corner of my bedroom.
I sleeveless coat, long vest, gillet or whatever name you choose to call it, is still a great way to update your fall wardrobe. Some even question if this garment is practical? It's about as practical as a fleece or puffy vest that's commonly worn during cooler temps... this one is just way more polished! So, case closed on that...
I decided to upcycle a RTW Louben coat that I've had for years. It's a leftover from my days of corporate dressing. There were pants, a skirt and even a sheath dress that I had with this look, that have long ago been donated. But the coat was the only piece I kept. It's a beautiful marsala 100% virgin wool with perfect tailoring. The shape was perfect for a sleeveless coat. Here's how I created mine:
Instead of cutting the sleeves off, I carefully removed them with a seam ripper to preserve the seam allowances. I noticed that most of the seam allowances on here are 3/8" in some places and 1/2" in others. These are 1/2".
I created bias facings from the discarded sleeve and hand sewed them down.
I love the way it turned out.
In the process, I scored awesome uncovered shoulder pads, sleeve heads and 6 beautiful 5/8" buttons. These shoulder pads and sleeve heads will probably be going into the coat I'm working on.
And it also has beautiful center back vent!
And it was a perfect game day look to cheer on the Alabama Crimson Tide! Roll Tide, Roll!
Styling tip: I wore mine with my McCall's 6991 silk crepe de chine top and my Jalie 2908 flared jeans.
