Marc Jacobs in the Wild

Courteney has been coat making again and this time I was completely envious of the results.  Is coat envy even a thing, because I had a very bad case of it!

She bought the fabric at the end of winter sale at The Fabric Store in 2015 on a very cold and snowy day .  She didn't actually get round to making it up last winter.  She also wasn't too sure what she wanted to make it up in.  Grainline Cascade ended up being the pattern of choice because of the difficulty matching up the pattern on this very heavy Marc Jacobs wool plaid.  Even at sale prices, it was also quite expensive so she didn't want to mess it up (you can see what Marc Jacobs did with it here and here.

After gathering all of her supplies and printing out a size 8 pattern because she needed the extra room across the shoulders especially to accommodate layer, Courteney set to work.  Last time she chose to make her toggle bits and pieces but this time round, she discovered it was actually more cost effective to order them form Aliexpress and the quality is actually really good.

This fabric is actually laminated.  It has the red plaid on one side and plain black wool on the reverse.  This meant she was able to use the reverse for the accent and also remove one layer for the front bands and basically anything that was going to be too bulky with both.

To line the coat we bought satin from Lincraft.  Her previous coats had cotton linings and she finds it difficult to put on with the cotton in the sleeves.  The lining grabs on the clothes she is wearing.  This proved to be a disastrous decision and was only worn twice before we reverted to plan B.  The entire lining began to fall apart to the point that there was really no resurrecting it long term.  So, she waited until the end of the University Semester and relined the entire coat using bemberg lining for the sleeves and cotton twill for the body.  Let's just say the whole exercise was a huge disappointment for her and added to the cost of the coat but fortunately despite not being easy, it worked out in the end.

Our trip to Queenstown last week proved to be the perfect time to get a photograph and to wear it in a cold and snowy setting.