This peplum blazer is made from this gorgeous Carolina Herrera "woven fabric. Stone-colored, it combines black threads with graphite, gray with soft silvery strands, in a textured weave that can scarcely be described as medium-weight with the prettiest subtle sheen", from Mood Fabrics. And it was perfect for this collarless jacket!
When I think Carolina Herrera, my first thoughts are elegance and sophistication. So I wanted to create something that would do this beautiful fabric justice. I chose New Look 6231. Even with the pleated peplum, the lines of this jacket are simple and uncomplicated. A perfect way to highlight the fabric.
But in order to get a garment that I would be thrilled about, I had to make some alterations and modifications. First, I lengthened the body of the jacket by an inch. I made a 1 inch FBA.
The shoulders are drafted really wide in my opinion. I had to shave an inch off of them.
And since I'm not a fan of one-piece sleeves on tailored structured jackets, I swapped them out for a two-piece sleeve in a full-length. Here's a post I did previously regarding sleeves: "One-piece Sleeves vs. Two-Piece Sleeves".
And I added 7" exposed zippers at the cuff. I like the bit of "edge" this detail gives this style.
Show me yours, and I'll show you mine: Don't you love seeing the inside of a garment? I do! It reveals A LOT about one's construction skills!
I also lightly tailored this jacket by block fusing nylon tricot fusible interfacing to the fabric. I added a back-stay made from muslin and I stabilized the neckline with a strip of silk organza. And I added a full lining. The jacket is held closed with a hook and eye closure.
Note: Here are previous tailoring projects with lots of pictures and descriptions.
As lovely as this fabric is, it does not take kindly to having seams ripped from it. You can easily catch those loosely woven threads. I learned that the hard way! So try to get it right the first time!
I'm already planning additional outfits in my head incorporating this jacket. This is going to be such a fun piece to dress up or down this season!
