Made by Me File: The Joy of the Red Coat.

Before I start talking about the joy of making the red coat, I encourage you to visit the post I wrote up at Fabric Mart first, especially if you are a sewer.  I am sure it would be fine to replicate, word for word, and photo for photo, that post here, but since this blog is more focused on style, fashion, and garment reviews, I am choosing to leave the bulk of heavy sewing info there.

I am choosing to focus here instead on the journey I took to getting to a place where I made up a fully lined, fully tailored red coat in a month's time.  :-)

The back story here is important.  I wrote to Fabric Mart and told them I would love to make a coat for my January make.  I always enjoy picking out my projects with them, but most of the time the projects are not so involved.  Usually I'll make up a dress, or a top and pants, but I tend to not sew up intense projects as they don't really fit in with my hectic school and life schedule.  But dang it, I really wanted to challenge myself, so I said to myself I could figure it out and make it happen.

I asked what coating they had in stock and they mentioned that they were getting in a red wool, and if I was interested they would send it my way.  After looking at, I leaped, even though I wasn't fully convinced that the red would be "classic" red enough.  It definitely didn't look like a yellow-based red (which I usually wear, it suits my warmer complexion), but it didn't look like a blue-red, either, which I know would look horrible on me.

It ended up coming and I fell in love since it was indeed a true red, with no additional tones of blue or yellow.  The color is one of the four universal colors all people can wear, regardless of skin tone.  Looking at that universal color chart, it's true.  I normally can't wear purple, but the one purple on the list is the only shade of purple that doesn't make me look ill.

Deciding on a coat shape and design took me FAR longer than you would think it would.  Especially considering that once I had figured it out, I knew immediately what to do.  I hemmed and hawed over which design I wanted for a week or so.  Did I want a double-breasted trench, did I want a full a-line skirt on the coat, did I want a more modern shape like a cocoon?

It wasn't until I put on my Alabaster Tweed coat from J. Crew that I realized my design was under my nose.  Even though I didn't use a shape or coating like the Alabaster Tweed one, I decided I was being silly not looking through my coat closet for inspiration.  After all, you all here (especially if you have been reading for years), know how much I love my coats.  We may not wear them all the time here, but I adore them all, and wear them every chance I get.

If you have been reading the blog for long enough, you'll know exactly where I went to find my design inspiration, my Sybil coats, and my Bella jackets.  Ever since I started sewing, I knew that one day I would want to try and make my own version of these and get them in my wardrobe, but with my personal measurements and aesthetics leading the way, not one of J. Crew's designers making those choices for me.

And I do fully realize I am being derivative here, but at least my version is a bit different, especially in the lower half of the coat (the Sybil is a more straight up-and-down shape).
 

So I stopped my constant searching through my coat patterns and ebay for the "perfect" coat choice, and decided on the two coat patterns that would come together best to suit me and to realize my vision of the red coat I had in mind.

Vogue 8626 is a pattern I had seen over at Sewing Pattern Review a couple of years ago, and when I saw it, I swooned.  It was so pretty, feminine, and yet regal, at the same time.  And it was out of print.  It took me a few months, but eventually one in my size came up on ebay, and I bought it without hesitation.  The only issue I had with the coat was the design of the collar.  I don't know if you can tell, but when the collar is buttoned, it makes a weird pointy collar jut in one direction, and the asymmetry is too much for my eye, and I knew it would bug me if I made it up that way.

McCall's 7024 is a pattern I had seen when it came out and bought it as soon as possible.  I loved the collar because of how much it reminded me of the Sybil and the Bella.  Really the rest of the jacket is fine, but the collar was what I most wanted.  Though it is designed with a drawstring, I knew I could probably (and eventually) figure out what to do to omit the drawstring and have it properly stand up.

I had to make a muslin to ensure I was using the correct measurements, and thankfully, they were pretty close to right.  I did note that I needed to change up the way the side pleats on the back laid (they favored opening up to the center pleat and it didn't look right on me, so I chose to turn them into box pleats).

I am pleased that Vogue 8626 has cup sizes.  I have a very small bustline, 32B if I am lucky, and I have noticed that any pattern that doesn't have specific cup measurements built in will often manifest themselves in a bit of wrinkling above my chest below my collarbone.  The same thing happens when I wear a bra that is too big (which is a lot of the time, it is really hard to find a 32B bra that doesn't have underwire).  This coat has an A cup bodice, and it is a dream fit up there.  Seriously, hands thrown in the air, waving around, kind of fit.  I know fuller-bust ladies get a lot of attention for having to make FBAs on their clothes, but for those of us who are wee-er up there than average, have to do the same thing if we want a good fit.  People notice it less when things don't fit me properly since it doesn't mean gaping plackets or straining streams, but I get really bothered by those darn wrinkles.

This doesn't mean I am going to take on the challenge of the small bust adjustment every time I sew anything for my top half, but for tailored garments I darn well will.  It is worth the effort!

BTW, the belt above is called a Martingale belt.  I always just called it a "half-belt at the back," but now that I know what they are called, I am gonna throw that term around like it's hot.  LOL.

So the collar, the most important portion of my coat in realizing my vision...turns out the McCall's 7024 is a great dupe for the Sybil coat.  It is nearly the same.  The Bella is a bit off, as the Bella collar sits on a faux collar stand.  The way I made it stand just so was to interface the non-pleated side with fusible hair canvas on the bias (wanted it on the bias so it would be more easily molded when I was steaming it, on the straight grain I would have had a few more struggles to shape it since the straight grain prevents any stretching).

The buttons.  Well, it turns out that even though I had chosen a near match for the Sybil coat (they seriously are the same buttons as the ones on my other coats, but red), I wanted to use a flatter, variegated reddish button instead.  Now it fully is a coat that is "inspired by" but not a samesy copy.

Now that I have published this post I can actually start wearing the coat out and incorporating it into my ootd postings here and at Instagram.  Yes!  (I have to wait until the post publishes over there before I publish here.)

I know that some of you might have questions, so if you do, I encourage them.  Maybe some of you can even make your own versions of the Sybil/Bella?  I would love to see some more of these out there in the world of sewing.  :-)

Boden: Catch of the Day! Outerwear and Knitwear!

UPDATE (8/13/14 @5:27 pm): I received the Eliza Coat this afternoon.  I wrote up the review of it below (no pics of it yet, but tried it on)...

Hey, all!  Good Wednesday morning to you all!

Today Boden's "catch of the day" is outerwear and knitwear.  Unlike the dresses this season, which I think have sparse offerings, this year's selections of coats, especially, are in abundance and are quite beautiful to look at.

In fact, because they are so pretty, I have pledged to clear out a few of my coats from prior seasons (either sell them here or at the consignment shop) so I could enjoy the pretty of the coats from Boden.  I have received one of them, the Rainy Day Mac, and while I haven't worn it in real life or written a review on it, I have at least tried it on and can give you my two cents on it.  I also ordered the Eliza coat (above in the photo) with some exchange credit, and though it is not here yet, I will let you all know what size I ordered and why.  I also will put a link to the mini review of the Pattern Sweater that I did a couple weeks back.

But before I start the mini reviews, I want to remind you that if you are just coming to the Boden "catch of the day" game, I wrote more on how it works, etc., here at the first post from Monday.


Rainy Day Mac.  Size 6R. This coat looks EXACTLY like it is pictured in the photo above.  I would say this coat is well made, useful, and very "Boden."  There are less in your face options (including some solid color choices), but I had to go with the London print.

I received it and immediately fell in love with the fleece lining.  The winter weather we get around here tends to be less snow and very cold and more RAIN, GREY, and COLD.  Ugh.  Most of the time the raincoats I have (I don't have many, maybe two and they are OLD) are not substantial enough to tackle the winter yuck, so this is exactly what I need.  So excited!

(BTW, I don't wear raincoats in the summer, fall, and spring.  Often we'll get rain that starts partway through the day and I get all drenched.  I just deal because at least it isn't cold.  The rain in winter is a day long occurrence.)

Anyhow, everything would be great...except the hips are just the right exact size in the 6R and I feel like I would like an extra inch or so down there.  So yep, I am exchanging for the size up.  If there had been a dual zip (one that can unzip from the bottom), I would have been able to make it work, but not with the current zip. 

The waist is a bit baggy, but not a big deal.  Just something to be aware of...


Eliza Coat. Size 8R.  I see this is a swingy shape, and initially wanted to order the size 6R, because the bust measurement for the 6R is great for my upper body, but after reading the UK reviews (you have to switch to that site from the US site, btw), I decided I wouldn't take my chances and ordered the 8R since every review says it runs small.  If it is too big, I will try the 6R, but it would be nice to get the right size the first time! 

I am supposed to be getting mine via USPS SurePost, and they typically come pretty fast from PA, so it is possible I will get it today.  I have a lot going on this afternoon, but if I do get it, and I am able to get a mini review in, I will, hand on heart.

UPDATE: I received it today and it is exactly like what you see in the catalog, that beautiful dusky pink color (not as light as the image above, but the one at the top of the post).  I am glad I bought the 8, it is a touch loose, but because of the very nice tailoring and shaping, it doesn't appear to be too big or loose, but I know the 6 would have been too constricting, especially with winter layers. 

The buttons are not buttons, per se, but buttons that cover a snap, which is wonderful.  I like buttons, but sometimes snaps are just easier. 

The length hits me right above the knee, where it hits on the models. 

The fabric is warm, maybe not warm enough for really cold climates in the very most frigid days, but will be more than adequate for most Virginia winter days.  The fabric has an interesting "box" weave that you can see on the product page but not until you see it up close to you realize what a feature of the coat it is.  I really hope the fabric doesn't pill.  I doesn't look like it will, but you never know, and I will keep my eyes wide open for that possibility. 

I also noticed they took the time to hand stitch on the lining near where it joins the main fabric.  What a lovely little detail that you almost never see anymore.  Very happy, Boden, keep this kind of detailing up! 

So all in all a very wise use of my exchange credit!  :-)




Pattern Sweater.  Size 6.  See my mini review of this one, with photos, at this blog post.

Okay, that's all for today!  Do you have any thoughts on today's catch?

Boden: Autumn/Fall 2014 Preview Picks (Coats, Shoes, and Accessories).

UPDATE (July 21, 2014): Some of the fall 2014 items have rolled out, including many of the below.  I have received a coupon from the people at the affiliate program.  You can find it below this first paragraph or in the sidebar of the blog if you need a coupon.  I will eventually be updating this post with proper links to the items that are available, so you can easily find the items you love below on the regular site.  :-)

15% off with free shipping coupon that is valid once you spend $50 or more!

Hey, all!  Happy Thursday!

Before I get started on the picks post (number three of four--this is the last one for womenswear, though), I wanted to let you all who want a popback on the regular Boden site to take a look around, because in the world of "perfect" timing (yeah, that perfect is sarcastic), the site got a whole bunch of popbacks this morning, *after* the better 20% off portion of the diminishing discount ended.  Now the discount is 15% off, which is okay, but it sure would have been nice to have some of those popbacks when the site was 20% off!  :-P

Okay, as you all know by now, to receive 20% off with free ship and returns here at the preview site, make sure to put the code H6G9 in the shopping bag page.  THIS CODE ENDS TOMORROW AT MIDNIGHT, so bear that in mind.  After that if you order from the preview site, you pay the full amount (not recommended, btw). 

Reminder that the other picks posts can be found here for dresses/tunics/skirts and here for tops/shirts/knitwear. 

Okay onto the coats, shoes, and accessories.

Autumn Trench.  I have one trench from Boden, and my stepmom owns one, too, so we can definitely recommend these above to anyone looking for a great transitional coat.  These two above are unique, especially the one with the allover bird print.

I LOVE how the model looks in the animal print version, btw (very top photo).  Just beautiful. 

British Tweed Blazer.  I know I can't shut up about my J. Crew Bella Jacket in Pink Herringbone, but the color and tweed is so pretty and feminine together.  This jacket is a great option if you always wanted the Bella in pink tweed but missed out.  Although this collar is meant to be laid flat, you can always pop it to get more of the "Bella" look.  Plus take a peek at the cute London print lining.  Love!

Edie Jacket.  This jacket is actually short, 3/4 sleeve, and very reminiscent of the 60s.  This would be very lovely worn atop a little black dress and a pair of heels (may I recommend the Jackie Heels below?).

Eliza Coat.  Pink Coat Sickness. My adoration of pink coats knows no bounds.  Must sell other pink coats to make room for this coat.  LOL.  I will, too, especially if this one ends up fitting me well.

Lebdury Pea Coat.   This color is amazing, and would very much make you the brightest person on any grey day.  And if you are buying Boden, you know doubt think *that's a very good thing.*

 

Rainyday Mac.  In years past, people have sent me reviews of the Rainyday Mac for my BWRRs, and this is the very first season I have actually wanted one for me.  (I love the British print one with all the guards.)  Question for you fans...should I size up to an 8R?  It seems that the measurements would indicate that, plus the online reviews all say the coat runs a touch small.  If you could weigh in, I would be so appreciative.  :-)

Fashion Pointed Pump.  Colorblocked Flats are not my thing, but I know a lot of you love them, so I made sure to include this pink/aubergine colored pair in my picks for you all.

Flat T-Bar Point.  I love the look of a beautiful heel but as a flat.  Eventually I will try and grab these on sale a little further down the line.  It could sell out, but I will take my chances.

Jackie Heels.  These are so chic.  Everything about them is so polished and ladylike.  They come in half-sizes, too!

Low Heeled Loafer.  I am recommending the loafer again.  I don't own a pair like this, and since I wear loafers more than any other type of shoe, I know these will be one of my best "cost per wear" purchases of this next fall.  I really hope that these are a bit more subdued in real life, not because I can't handle the shiny, but because I am hard on my shoes and would prefer that any dings that happen don't immediately mar the appearance of the shoe.

 

Mary Jane.  Yoohoo, J. Crew fans of their Fall 2008 collection...you may just fall over from excitement at the fact that you can buy the Penelope Mary Jane (well a close approximation, anyhow) again.  From another retailer, but as we are all able to say emphatically...Boden's offerings are often more old school J. Crew than the current J. Crew can say.

Smithfield Boot.  So my relatives in Mississippi buy cowboy boots for reals in an actual Western shop there in their town.  I have to say showing these short cowboy boots off may be a real affront to true-blooded country-western types in the USA, but dang (said with a southern accent, of course), these are pretty darn great dupes.  From a British company.  Buffalo Bill Cody may just be rolling over in his grave.  Sorry, sir.

The Lace Up.  Okay, I am so not a fan of these, but I have seen they are getting a real buzz over at all the various social media that Boden has out there, and I would be a real bad Boden blogger if I didn't let you all know that, just in case you are a fan. 

Wellie.  Cute!  I could see Boden making these for the kids, so the fact that they made these for grown women is pretty awesome.  I don't wear wellies, but I probably should in the weather we often get.  (Maybe on sale, though, if they stick around long enough.)

Casual Shopper.  This bag is stunning.  The color, the piping, the subtle hardware.  Good show, Boden.  Your bags get better and better each year!

Draycott Bag.  This reminds me so much of the Edie bag.  I don't really love the Edie bag, but I *know* a lot of you did, so this may be just for you.

Thurloe Bag.  If you want the cute British print but don't want to wear it all over your body, this bag may be the right way for you to show it off.  :-)

Umbrella.  Yay!  This umbrella is so cute.  They have had specialty umbrellas shown off in their catalogs in years past, but they have never had them for sale.  They finally listened to the fans of their unique prints and made them available!

Okay, that's it!  Hope you have a great rest of your day, and thank you, as always, for spending time here at my blog.  I may not always remember to say it, but I am so grateful for all of you.  :-)

Review: Boden Ingrid Coat.

UPDATE (Friday, 10/18/13 morning): It appears that Boden had a major restock of items last night, some completely sold out items are back in stock, including the black version of this coat.  The other colors are still gone, but thought I should tell you.  There are also some sizes and colors back in both the heeled loafer and the chic tweed shift (which I have in a size 8L and fits exactly right).  Good luck if you were hunting for a popback!

I know that this coat is super popular and was beloved by many during preview, so even though the darn thing is completely sold out (barring popbacks), I figured I would do a review for those of you than want to stalk this coat.  :-)

Ingrid Coat.  Size 6.  This is the electric pink color, and as you can see, it is pretty true to color for what Boden has on their site.  It really is a very lovely, bright, happy shade of pink, definitely not for the shy, and definitely not for anyone who feels pink has no place in a winter wardrobe.  (Obviously I do feel it has a place.)

This puppy is warm, its fabric is a lot like J. Crew's stadium cloth, 80% wool, 20% nylon, very thick, lofty, and soft.  I did NOT wear this coat out today, I would have died from heat exhaustion.  ;-)

They have no tall sizing, but I felt like the length on both the arms and the hem were fine for my height, if I were to quibble, I would quibble on the sleeve length, but it really isn't that big of a deal.

You will notice that all the photos of me wearing this coat I have it unbuttoned (even in profile and from the back).  When you get to the last shot, you will see why.

Side view.  Very flattering cut, might be a touch boxy, but it doesn't overwhelm my upper body even though it is a cocoon shape.  The bust darts are placed in an unexpected area, which may be why the overall coat has some shape, even though it is a fairly straight silhouette.

Back view.  Again, like the placement of the lines and how the shape just skims my curves.  Well, they skim my curves in an unbuttoned fashion.  Buttoned up, hmm...

Aw, there it is.  The one major flaw.  This coat was cut so straight through the hips that while the bottom button does do up, it is a tight enough fit that you can tell it is too small through the hips on me.  If I were in a place where I was required to button up in order to go outside in winter, I would be MIGHTILY ticked off since this coat doesn't do up on my pear shape, but fortunately for me, the weather in VA means most winter days I *do* go out in coats that aren't all the way buttoned up.  So while this coat is not a winner on me buttoned up, I do love it enough to not button it up and enjoy it unbuttoned (or only do the top three buttons).  But I will say that if you have an apple shape, or you are an inverted triangle, you will love this coat since it does seem to be made for frames like yours.

Hey, hers is unbuttoned too!

Ingrid Coat.  All sold out.  Check for popbacks, since they will come.

Stockholm Coat.  I think if you love the bright color of the Ingrid, desire its warmth, and are a pear shape, this one in coral could be a good option.  It's a shame that Boden didn't make more coats in this color (the Mia Coat is in this color, but it is shorter and more blazer-like).

Hope that helps someone out there.  :-)

OOTDs: Keeping Warm.

Good Friday afternoon!

As I mentioned in this morning's sale post, I will be trying to crank out as many blog posts as possible over the next few days.  I hope that I can put a dent in this backlog of reviews, outfits, and fun times I have ready to publish (in my head, at least).

This post features two outfits I wore over the past two days, since my return home from Mississippi.  It was fairly warm down there and I only had to pull out my jacket twice over an eight day period.  Virginia is a touch cooler, of course, and we are currently seeing high temperatures in the low 50s (which is utterly and absolutely normal for December). 

Because I am a wimp, and not a Canadian from the upper parts of Ontario, I cannot handle the frigid mornings where the temperature is right around the freezing mark.  Since I haven't felt properly cold in about a year and a half, I really have been enjoying the cold weather dressing (if not the cold weather itself, remember, I'm a wimp).  My coat closet is full of really lovely J. Crew coats, including a few from the old days that I just love and will hold onto until the end of time.  :)

Wore this ensemble on Wednesday.  Had a day of playing at the Little Gym with Angus, walking in Old Town (including a fortuitous visit to Mint Condition), a kid's bday party, and grocery shopping, so I knew that layers and flexible fabrics would be necessary.

The coat stayed on until midday, the tunic was on for most of the day (except at the birthday party where I was overheated), and the boots made it until Mint Condition.  After my visit to Mint Condition, I swapped out the boots for this pair by Frye that I found for a song.  They looked much better with this outfit than the booties, and the next time I try this silhouette, I will make sure to wear those.  For now, I am planning on wearing the new Fryes with a midi-length jersey skirt and a cropped sweater.

I like this necklace, but it may be too jarring for the overall look.  Next time, I will wear a necklace that hits higher up on the neckline (maybe a statement necklace like this one).

Ah, the old coats.  I love them.  I have this Sybil Coat in yellow, as well.  I like it in yellow so much that when I saw the purple come up on ebay for an insanely great price (wasn't listed as a coat or as the Sybil, had it been, I would not have been able to get it for such a great amount).

This outfit is from yesterday.  I went bowling, so I definitely needed something I could move in (the bi-stretch minnies are wonderful for that).  I also know that the alley can get pretty warm, so layers were positively necessary.  As it turned out, the alley stayed cool enough for me to keep on the cardi (under the coat), but I was ready, just in case.

BTW, I am now sort of kicking Dottie's butt.  She bests me about 2/3rds of the time, but I will beat her 1 of every 3 games.  Progress, people, progress.

This is the Cashmere Wrap from Boden, and like last year's Cashmere Cardi Coat, it feels like a million bucks, all while keeping me nice and toasty.  I have a silver cashmere cardi that is literally on its last legs (pilling horribly and misshapen--guess where from?), so it was nice to be able to replace that one with this one.  Plus this one is longer and thicker, so I will get more use out of it, simply because it is more versatile.

It looks really cute opened, but I wanted to do the whole belt over the cardigan and scarf combo.  This look was "in" a few years ago, but I never did give this look a try.

The scarf is from Madewell and is one of their ubiquitous Storyteller scarves.  This one features a huge map of the UK.  The wool is lovely and soft and lightweight, and the pattern looks wonderful whether laying open, tied up, or partially shown (like in the look I created).

 Close-up of the torso.  I may try a thicker belt next time, so that the belt doesn't get so lost.

From the side.  You can see that this cardigan completely covers my bottom.  This is rare in a long cardigan, for me anyhow.  ;) 

I was very VERY lucky to get this one for near half-price.  On cyber Monday (Sunday night, too, of course), I saw that I could stack 25% on top of the 30% off price (thanks to a wonderful blog friend!), and when I added this to the bag, it went from a price of $218 to $114.  I wasn't sure if that price was going to stick or if it would ship (since the extra 25% off was indeed a glitch), but it did ship and the price did stick, so I was super-stoked.

I bought this in a size 4, which is one size down from normal size, but I read that it ran big (which it must if it fully covers my bedonkadonk).  So if you are on the petite side, this may end up being too big, even in the smallest size.

Alright, that's it.  :)  More to come this weekend.

BTW, I received many e-mails from the Land's End affiliate over the last few weeks, and they seem to have some amazing promotions for their customers available to the publishers (that would be my blog), so I went ahead and accepted them as one of my affiliates.  Like Boden and Pure Collection, I can vouch for their quality, so I don't feel like I am sending you all down some horrible rabbit hole.

Like Pure Collection, I don't have a lot of items in my closet, so I don't do a ton of reviews and/or ootds with their items, but I will happily put their current coupon/promo in my sidebar and in blog posts (as appropriate).

Here is a pretty decent one from Land's End, so if you are a fan, this may be a good one for you!