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.  :-)

Made by Me File: McCall's 6844...Heavy Wool Knit Sweater Jacket!

As promised, this is the first post of four that centers around my first big project for the Fabric Mart blog.  The original blog post is here at their site.

What makes these four posts here at my site different is that I will focus on the individual pieces a bit more here, and end with a post on packing with these three pieces as my base for the whole travel wardrobe for my trip to Mississippi in a couple of weeks.  The rest of the posts will be published over the next week.

In 2013, McCall's issued the most amazing cardigan pattern, McCall's 6884, and I, along with every single sewer out there (including Mrs. C, who has made it five times?), purchased it.  Unlike every other sewer out there, I didn't get to my version right away since I am the world's slowest sewer (although my stepmom thinks that title should belong to her, lol).  In fact, though I pulled this one out multiple times over the past year, I never sewed it up until Julie over at Fabric Mart asked me what I wanted to do for my first blog post as an official contributor to their blog.

Because I am me, I had a gazillion ideas, one of which was to use this amazing heavy wool jacquard sweater knit (on sale today!) with view C of 6844.  I didn't know if the folks at Fabric Mart would go for it since it is a dear price for a couple of yards, but they said yes, and upon receiving it, I think I fondled it for about an hour.  It isn't that it is especially soft (though it is lovely to touch), it is that the sparkles from the silver threading combined with the heavily textured diamond jacquard pattern knitted throughout are stunning in real life (I hope you can get a sense of the texture in the above photo).  My stepmom was equally in love and was excited to see how it would look as a cardigan.

I do want to point out that if you are sensitive to wool, I would recommend lining this fabric, and since it is a lot like a felted wool woven, you should be able to do so easily.  If I needed to line it (I am not sensitive to wool, though), I would use something like this since it has a bit of stretch.

Well it turns out that because the fabric is so thick this cardigan is now probably closer to a sweater jacket because of the weight and heft of the fabric.  If you get cold in winter and like to have a wool knit that will keep you toasty, this is your fabric.

Here in Virginia, this is actually a jacket I can wear as outerwear in the fall and spring since there are always quite a few days where the temps will be in the low 50s, and this jacket is perfect for those conditions.  Otherwise this is a great dressy topper for chillier days when you need something to keep you warm inside.

If you can believe this, I had never sewn a sleeve in flat on an adult garment.  Ever.  Children's garments, sure, but not for me.  I was all set (haha) to set in this sleeve, just like the instructions told me to do, but after reading a gazillion and a half reviews of this pattern, especially Detective Houndstooth's awesome review, I decided that this fabric, while not the stretchiest ever, had enough give in it to properly set the sleeve in flat.  Above is how I did it and it worked perfectly.  So unless you have some reason to not sew it in flat, go for it.  I would dare say this fabric is pushing the limits of this particular type of sewing, so I suspect 99.5% of you making this pattern could sew the sleeves in flat.

Detective Houndstooth best describes this procedure, so I definitely encourage a visit to that blog post she wrote.

I know I didn't have to serge the raw edges of this fabric since it is a sweater knit, but this fabric is so special that I wanted to take the extra step to keep the edges tidy.  I didn't serge the hem raw edge, though, since the back peplum wrong side does show when wearing, and so far so good.  If the edge does start to unravel I will probably hand sew a edge finish (ugh...that's a lot of hand sewing!).

I want to point out that with a lot of steam from your iron, these seams were very easy to press.  I knew that I was going to keep the whole seam allowance intact, so I realized that fully pressed seams were the only way to go.  I used my tailor's ham for all of the seam pressing, and even at the armscye I got a very flat finish.  Success.  By properly pressing these down, I was able to control the bulk, and you can't tell from the outside that these were once very thick seams!

Speaking of bulky seams, in order to get what you see above (that is the join of the three fabrics where the collar attaches to the main body), I had to do quite a bit of trimming.

On the left side of the image you see the newly trimmed seam, where only the upper most seam was left full, the two below were trimmed to nearly an 1/8".  On the right side is the full thick seam as it was before the shears came after it.  ;-)

I first found the two lower seams and separated them from the upper layer.

I then cut the two lower layers with the scissors VERY carefully, leaving the top seam intact (it gets folded over the seams under it and is topstitched from the right side, which enclosed the lower seams under the upper seam).  Gosh, I hope that makes sense.

All cut away.  I would say the trimming took me a good ten minutes, and after that pinning the allowances so the upper layer encloses those newly trimmed under layers so it could be topstitched from the right side took another thirty.  Worth ALL the effort.  The topstitching looks great and the seams lay flat.  I didn't serge this seam, either.  Again, if it starts to unravel, I will hand sew a finish.  I really hope that its current state stays, since that is a lot of hand sewing.  ;-)

This pattern's view C is very extravagant.  That peplum flounce is not for the shy, especially in a thicker fabric like this one.  A lighter sweater knit would like fall more loosely and shyly, but this thick knit means that peplum will be super-pronounced forever.  And I am okay with that.  Obviously I don't mind clothing that is a bit dramatic.

What is great is that it is very easy to dress up, but surprisingly very easy to dress down.  It looks super cute with a tee and jeans, for instance.  And since this olive brown color is in my wardrobe in quite a few items (whether in a print or this exact shade), I will be able to wear it often!

Back view of the the pronounced peplum.  I have a rather large bottom, and this covered it nicely, so pear shapes, go for it.  Don't bother to grade up the bottom half, too, since there is more than enough room for all of our "assets."  ;-)

I did make a size small, but in a stretchier knit, I will likely have to size down to an extra-small since I suspect that the stretchier knit would make the small too large for my frame, especially in the shoulders and neckline area.

Even though I added snaps to keep the collar properly back like you see on the pattern cover, this collar looks darling when folded flat.  And since the snaps are black they don't even show up that easily (though my hands cover them in the photos I took from far away).  I may even prefer this way, especially with the collar up like that.

BTW, that is another bonus to this thicker fabric, the collar easily stays up, and I didn't even interface the collar.  (Can you imagine how stiff this would be all interfaced up?)

This is a photo I took this morning of it from above and though you can see the snaps, they are not that obvious, so I am fine with having added them.  It is really hard to get the collar to stay back without them, so it was a nice addition, in my opinion.

Close up shot of the snaps, both closed (right) and open (left).  I like this shot, too, since it shows off the amazing texture and shine of the fabric.  The fabric is not this light, though, I lightened the shot so you could better see how I did the snaps.  :-)

I haven't done this yet, but I did figure out a way I could add one snap to the front part of the collar to attach to the other snaps allowing for me to properly close the front of the jacket so it actually fully functions as a jacket.  I also have plans to belt this jacket since I bet that would look cute, too.  

Okay, that's it for now.  I am so glad I was able to finally sew up this pattern!  :-)

Thank you to Fabric Mart again for the fabric.  So beautiful!

Review: The Boden Military Wool Jacket and the J. Crew Tartine Satchel

First up is the Military Jacket review, followed by the review of the Tartine Satchel.

For more on the "Catch of the Day" sale that Boden is currently offering, please visit this post.  The Military Jacket is 25% off today only, which is why I bothered to put on wool in the middle of a 90 degree day here in VA.  (It is now hung back up in the closet, since I am not crazy.)

The jacket is a size 6, which is what I wear in Boden tops, jackets, coats, and some dresses.

I made the right call with the 6 since the waist fits exactly, which is where it seems to be the smallest.  So definitely go with your waist size if you want it to fit well.

It does run a touch big in the bodice, especially if you have smaller gals and/or shoulders (which I definitely do), but I have also read that it doesn't run *quite* big enough for some ladies, so whatever end you are on, it may end up being a touch too big or a touch too small.  Only a fortunate few will find it exactly right.

I prefer to wear it open, anyhow, so it really doesn't matter if it is a touch too big in the bodice.  I like it a bit more relaxed since when I wear it buttoned up, I look like this...

A German Frau who *might* work in a prison.  Just saying that it looks a bit severe on me.  LOL.

My waist looks really small, though, so small victories, right?

The back detail is darling, especially the self belt at the waist. 

I am wearing the jacket buttoned up here, when it is unbuttoned, it looks a touch more casual, obviously.

Look at the lining with the pretty pink piping.  What a special little treat tucked inside the jacket.  :-)

The tweed is an amazing shade of olive green, one of my favorite shades to wear in the fall.  The tweed wool is not super thick, but it is a touch itchy, so beware all sensitive types.

The buttons are absolutely nothing to shout about.  Seems a shame to have all the other details exactly right (including the lining, epaulets, waist belt detail, and buttonholes) and not bother with buttons that are a bit more special.

Heck, even the tag is pretty darn special.

And look at the pink and yellow thread there on the top button/buttonhole of the sleeve closure.


Military Wool Jacket.  Not selling out, but I suspect that is because people are having a tough time with the sizing.  Based on what I see in my jacket, if the sizing was better for more folks, this jacket would be sold out fairly soon since it is a pretty special piece.  Definitely worth the money since it will stay in one's wardrobe for many years since it is a classic piece that is made very well.

Tartine Satchel.  So I loved the Tillary Tote last year but didn't even notice it until it sold out completely.  Many fruitless ebay searches later and I decided, "eh, not worth my time."  Good thing because the Tartine Satchel came out this past year and although I wanted it, I saw that the stocks were looking pretty decent at J. Crew, so I figured I could wait for a big sale...which is what I did.  As soon as it went on sale, and then J. Crew issued a 40% off sale, I bit.  Basically I got the bag I wanted for more than half off the original price, which I was pretty thrilled with...

The moment I received it, I kind of freaked since I worried the leather wouldn't stand up to my lifestyle, but since I have started using it, the bag's leather has held up well, with barely a scratch or stain.  Of course it won't stay perfect forever, but at least I know it has a hearty soul.  ;-)

BTW, the link I have provided is to the fall version of this bag, a beautiful pebbled leather.  Yes, I have my eyes on that one, too, in the grey.  But I'll wait!

Close up detail of bag's hardware.  The top zips up, with the extra added security of that foldover bit.  The foldover part is a false buckle, rather than "unbuckling," the whole part is magnetized to the bag and when you gently lift it up, the whole part comes up and over to get to the zip in the middle.  Pretty clever!

Okay, that's it for now.  Do any of you own either one of these pieces?  Any thoughts on fit or function?

OOTDs: Teal, Grey, and Pink.

Good evening, all!

My poor poor lil Angus has come down with some sort of congestion and that combined with some real nasty teething means my lil guy is almost incapable of nursing.  He kept bucking and struggling and arching his back, which led to a visit to the local Urgent Care here in Mississippi.  Sigh.  I am so tired and down after this day of not being able to meet my baby's needs.  Fortunately the doctor ruled out any sort of awful infection and has given us a script for antihistamine to clear Angus's nasal passages, but blegh, poor kid.

*He has nursed since this morning, but it is a struggle, at least he is trying...*

Since this is a personal style blog and not a baby blog, I will move on, but I am going to keep it brief since my ability to type, think, and write are almost non-existent right now. 

Two Fridays ago, on the 16th, my brother and I hung out all day, he had the day off and I needed to get about a billion errands run, so we did them together.

It was a lovely, pleasant day, with bright blue skies, sunshine, and mid-50s.  Truly the best sort of fall day...

I had received these Cafe Capri in Herringbone pants in the mail a few weeks ago, but it has been just a touch too warm to wear them.  I did know, though, that I wanted to combine the pink with teal and grey, seemed liked it would be a pleasing color combo to the eye, even if the colors read more mid-winter or early spring.

With the utterly perfect temperatures for wool dressing on that Friday, I figured a grey herringbone (the Ryder jacket from 2006--worn here last) and the pink herringbone would keep me warm enough, and be texturally interesting, as well.

The capris, btw, are a tall 8.  I could have bought the regular 8 and had them hit higher on the calf, but I have discovered that if a capri is too short on the leg, it looks kind of ridiculous on me, so I always buy the tall when given the option.  Though these read as regular pants instead of cropped, I am okay with that, as I think this looks a bit less casual.

Without the jacket, the look becomes more casual, but still very collegiate preppy.  :)


I had to go to the neurologist for my annual check of my head.  Although my hubby would like to argue with her, I am not completely crazy, and it looks like my head is in perfect health.  Besides regular run of the mill migraines, I have no other issues.  (She confirmed that all the business with the PFO had been taken care of with my closure back in December of 2010.)

That bag is the Quincy hobo that I was able to pick up from the outlet down in Lynchburg for a ridiculously low price (I think it may have been $40).

There's my partner in crime, looking all hip to my square.  I seriously need a pocket protector and I would be set.  Peter *is* the reason fathers lock their daughter's windows at night.

Close up of the details of the jacket, vest, shirt, and necklace.  I kept missing the Crystal circle necklace on jcrew.com and figured I would never get it, but with a bit of money in my paypal account from selling some of my own items, I decided to see if it was available on ebay, and it was...for a great price (much better than the price on jcrew.com, too). 

The blythe blouse in polka dot was a random add on (sale, of course) purchase I made one day, and it turned out well, quite like it, and having seen it styled on so many bloggers, I get the appeal.  In fact, the lovely Audrey Bella has it on in her blog post from earlier today.

There's the patient.  He was in far better spirits that day, of course.

Since I have you here, I figured I would throw in this one off outfit, too.  The only thing that ties them together is the fact that this one has a sort of teal sweater as well.  (Although it looks like a deep dark blue here, I can confirm there is a bit of a green hue to it.)

The oversize merino pocket sweater is amazing, but I really can't see a way to dress it up.  I wore this to take Angus to a Little Gym class, hence the stretchy leggings, lack of accessories, and ballet flats.  If you have an idea of how to make this sweater more fancified, I would love to read it (or see polyvores). 

Here is a close-up of the sweater.  The pockets are there right below my hand, and I did find myself placing my hands in them throughout the day.  I wouldn't say you can put anything really substantial in there, but my phone went in there just fine and didn't fall out.

AJC did a great review of it a while back.  :)

Okay, that's all for today.  I definitely will be back tomorrow, so I will talk with you then.

I hope everyone is having a great couple of days, especially if you are in the United States and have had the last few days off from work.  ;)

The Long and Short of It...

Hi, all. Are you prepared for a pretty long review of a lot of goodies from J. Crew and Boden? I hope so. In addition to the reviews, I have four photos of me with some outfits from the past month or so that involve wearing a skirt. Hence the title of the post...the long and short of it. (I know, groan...)

The Long and Short of It! by dinagideon featuring v neck tops

Above is the polyvore of the pieces that I will be reviewing in the first part of my post. From what I can tell the cardigans are insanely popular, while the skirts may be "hidden" loves.


Sizes:
Cardigan: J. Crew Infinity Cardigan, Paradise Blue, Size Extra-Small. HeidiG. and I were shopping a while ago and we saw this in the store, only one left, at 69.99, so she HIGHLY recommended I try it on. I wanted a small, but she said that the small would swamp my shoulders. I guess she is right, but there is no way this puppy is being buttoned at my hips, then. LOL. I would say size up if you have broader shoulders and you need extra room in the sleeves. I have small shoulders and pretty thin arms, so this size worked for me.
Skirt: J. Crew Dolce Tweed Mini, Size 10. I fell in LOVE with this around a month ago at the store and bought it as soon as I could get a discount. I sized up to a 10 because I wanted to wear it lower so that it would pass the "sit-down" test (see photos below). The fabric is so beautiful and the texture has a nice feel. I definitely believe sizing up is the only option, unless you are VERY petite.


Passes the "crossing my legs at the ankle sit-down" test. Won't be crossing my legs unless I am wearing tights. LOL.


Length finishes at mid-thigh.

See it on Ema for another look. Umm, thank you, Ema, for having this ready for me today! (Very little searching required. Yay!)


Sizes:
Cardigan: J. Crew Dream V-Neck Cardigan, Heathered Nordic Blue, Size small. This fits well, may have been able to go with an extra-small, but the small will be great for layering. The color is incredibly luscious, may be one of my favorites ever, and that is saying something. I can't tell you about pilling as I have only worn it for this picture, but the color is worth the time spent with the fuzz-buster.
Skirt: Boden Upbeat Wool Mini, Size UK 12 Long, or US 8 Long. This is such a fun skirt...nice length, pretty colors, neat pattern. The shape is a tulip/pencil and is very flattering. The only beef I had with it was the first one I received had a bum zipper and I had to send it back. So far I have had no problems with the new one. (Crosses fingers.)


I felt very shiny and bright...a bit like a candle, really.

This was an outfit I wore a few weeks ago to hang out with some friends at a playdate. The girls loved the skirt. :)

Sizes:
Top: Anthropologie, Bordurette Tank, Size small. This has bits of sequins and lace and is very frilly...very Anthro.
Skirt: J. Crew Outlet, Wallpaper Mini, Size 8. I blogged about it a while back and have finally gotten around to wearing it. :)
Shoes: J. Crew, Size 10.


How very "Southern Preppy" of you, dinagideon.

That is a Liberty Print fabric on the skirt. I also own the jacket and the shirt. I am a sucker for a lovely print! :)

Sizes:
Top: J. Crew, Size Medium.
Skirt: J. Crew, Size 10 (?).
Shoes: Ann Taylor Loft, Size 9.


Nature clearly calls for a little bling...

Wore this to a fun little "nature" party for a friend of CW's. Yeah, it isn't really "natural," but eh. It was comfortable, though!

Sizes:
Top: J. Crew, Size extra-small.
Skirt: Boden, Size UK 14 Long, US 10 Long.
Necklace: Fiona Paxton Silver Harley. Yum.


Preschool Run in a Pencil Skirt!

And finally, today's outfit!

Sizes:
Top: J. Crew outlet, Size 8. This abstract rose print Victoria cami is getting a bit big (the bust and armholes are baggy) but I still love it!
Skirt: J. Crew, Size 6. Stretch Double Serge Pencil Skirt, Mink Color. Size down in this skirt. Trust me.
Shoes: Cole Haan, Size 10.

You all have a great day!

P.S. I have NOT received my "Mickey" card. I pre-order collection items, I go to the store at least twice a month, and I buy at least a few items (including crewcuts) at sale prices each month. If I don't get it, I'll live (clearly) but I hope that makes some of you who didn't receive it feel better. At this point I would be surprised if it shows up at my house! :)

Boden Greenwich Reefer IRL!

Back in this post, I suggested that many of you consider Boden's Greenwich Reefer for this winter. I have to say, I am convinced. I love the cut, the color, and the fit. The Greenwich Reefer is a winner.


Sizes:
Coat: Size US 6, UK 10. I am wearing my typical J. Crew/Boden coat size. It fits beautifully, almost a perfect match for my upper body. I really love this color, a heather light grey. I also find this double-breasted coat looks pretty good worn open, which is a rarity in anything double-breasted. LOL.


All buttoned up and ready to go. Not really. It was about 90 when I tried this on and took pics. Only for you, lovely blog friends. ;)

BTW, yes, I know I have done a lot of reviews on coats lately, but I will tell you something (secret, shhh), I am going to be putting at least three-four coats up for the sale soon. I plan on including a evergreen colored peacoat by Tulle, a dark peacock colored velvet coat by Boden, and a few others that I am finding don't suit me.

Have a nice night, all. Talk soon!