Not Your Basic Gray Suit

Sometimes the fabric comes first. I found this beautiful, lightweight Glacier Gray Heathered Stretch Suiting from Mood Fabrics.com. I knew it would be perfect for spring and that I wanted to make a suit with it.

First came the pants. I'd recently discovered DP Studio LE 302 Trouser. I'm always on the lookout for a great pants pattern that I can create over and over again and this one is pretty darn good. I needed a straight leg pattern because I wanted pants that I could wear with either heels or flats. That way I can get more mileage out of my pants. 

These pants are beautifully drafted. They're high-waist with the front pockets that extend into the center front that I've grown to absolutely love! 

I didn't sew the complete fly situation. I tend to skip that part a lot on trousers and only do it on jeans.

There is also one single-welt back pocket.

The pants have pintuck creases and inseam slits. This pattern was pretty good right out of the packaging. I cut the size 44, I added 3 inches to the length. This is a European pattern, so the seam allowance is 1cm. The only thing I would change next time is to create a contoured waistband. This one has a straight waist and I had very minor gaping at the center back that I quickly fixed by adding darts.

This jacket pattern has been in my pattern collection for 12 years. Since off-the-shoulder isn't going anywhere anytime soon, I thought I'd pull this jacket out. I've been seeing similar style blazers for a few months now, so that's how this one got back on my radar.

This jacket is Vogue 2893. It's been out-of-print now for many, many moons.

It's from the Donna Karan Collection Spring 2005.

I couldn't find any pictures from anyone that had actually sewn this pattern. I googled and searched for pattern reviews...nothing. The only other way I could get a glimpsed of what it looked like was from an old magazine ad.

The details of this jacket were crazy, spectacular and off-the-chain (do they still say that??)! This is why I was so drawn to it. Sometimes I want to sew something up quick, and other times I want things that will entertain me while I binge watch a complete series on Netflix. 

How often do you find suiting fabric juxtaposed with athletic mesh and a corset-style laced-up back? Like never! So, I was really excited to be able to add something so interesting to my wardrobe.  

Another thing that I loved is the decorative zig-zag stitching. I used the #46 on my BERNINA 350 PE. The athletic mesh was already in my stash. 

I really love both of these pieces and I can't wait to break them up and wear them separately. This jacket will be so fire with a pair of black distressed jeans for a night out. And these pale gray pants are going to be worn with everything. They're the perfect neutral that my closet has been missing.