A DIY Fall 2015 Fashion Hack | The Sleeveless Coat!
12:00 AM
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.
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28 comments
Way cooler without sleeves! Loving those flares,too.
ReplyDeleteThanks Justine!
DeleteNice refashion!
ReplyDeleteThanks Linda!
DeleteLove it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Bonnie!
DeleteGreat refashion and love how you styled it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Margo!
DeleteI'm always so happy when I forget to give something away. And then see that I can refashion that piece!! I've had the sleeves removed from two long jackets. There really is no down side to this. If it turns out you don't like it, you can still put it back into the give away pile. :-)
ReplyDeleteRight! If it hadn't worked out, no loss! Thanks Pam!
DeleteGreat refashion and I love how you styled it with your jeans!
ReplyDeleteThanks Carolyn!
DeleteGreat save and it totally works for now.
ReplyDeleteThanks Cidell!
DeleteThat is a great save.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lori!
DeleteOh I love it! You are totally on trend (as always). A very successful refashion - beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThanks Tomasa!
DeleteI love this! I am wanting one of these long vests, but I am going to have to make it from scratch, I think.
ReplyDeleteI'll make another from scratch too. This coat just happened to be available. Thanks Angela!
DeleteBrilliant!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Aminat!
DeleteAhhhhh! Love this look! I was just thinking of wearing a sleeveless cardi over Butterick B6258's top and skirt, but felt that would be too casual. A sleeveless blazer would dress up the look and make it edgy. Binding the armhole with bias binding is a great touch. Thanks for yet another style idea!
ReplyDeleteThanks makingtheflame!
DeleteBeautiful refashion! I thought you made it from scratch!
ReplyDeleteThanks Eryn. I still plan to make one!
DeleteOh, this looks much better as the vest than coat. And the colour suits you a lot!
ReplyDeleteGreat job on the refashion, love this look and I love the flare jeans. You look fantastic as always!
ReplyDelete