I don’t often sew for James (preferring to fill my own wardrobe instead!), but every now and then he either sees something online that he’ll take inspiration from, or have a fully formed idea in mind that he’d like me to bring into reality. So this one is another fantasy jacket, this time modeled heavily on Betabrand’s reversible smoking jacket.
When we were in Paris in March, he bought a wonderful wonderful wool/poly blend corduroy at the Tissues Dreyfuss Coupons shop for €10 total (a complete bargain!) as well as some red chinese brocade to use for the other side.
I started sewing this when we were in drydock in April/May, then I stalled at the bound buttonhole stage since my little red machine isn’t great for precision jobs (no speed control!). Then the pressure was off during summer, but the cooler weather meant I really did want to finish it for him!
Even better – James surprised me buy buying Betabrand’s “open source” disco fabric, so now the jacket changed slightly in that the reverse will be PURE DISCONIUM!
What I’ve made here is the ultimate day-to-night jacket!
(Thank you to Kerry for the photo on the right!)
I started with his last fantasy jacket as the pattern base (which, in turn, started life as Burda 10/2008 #134) since it fit him really well, then James had a bunch of style changes to make to this one:
- The corduroy wales must run horizontally!
- Add 3cm to centre front to account for the button closure overlap (instead of zipper closure as before)
- Add 13cm to length at hip
- Wide 7cm facings on the disco side
- Slanted single welt pockets on the corduroy side
- Notched collar with collar stand 1cm taller than before
- 6 flat metal buttons on the corduroy side (with bound buttonholes)
- Chest single welt pocket on the corduroy side
- Centre back seam with 23cm long vent
- 7cm wide sleeve cuff (no placket) on both sides
- Disco side pockets: two long patch pockets with a top black band
- On the disco side, a single skull button at 24cm down from neck joining seam
- On the disco side facing at chest, two buttonholes 3cm apart for headphone cord keeper
The corduroy side…
When the black corduroy side is out, you can’t see any hint of the disco and it looks quite professional, respectable even!
He’s perfected The Flip already – he takes the jacket off while holding onto the sleeve cuffs and it all turns inside out (or outside in, depending on your perspective!)
The disco side…
Now, the disco side truly is 100% Party! Walking down the South Bank, we got all sorts of stares and “oh my god” type comments, it’s certainly not a jacket for a shrinking violet (not that James is, have no worry!)
Here you can get a good look at the disco fabric – it’s a black lycra base with little “sequins” printed on in silver foil in a regular grid pattern. It seriously does catch the light like a mirrorball!!
Here you can see the headphone cord holder he insisted on – it’s just two small buttonholes on the facing, only cut through the facing layer so the cable can be looped through and not jerked out of his ears or dropped on the ground.
The skull button (the only one for the disco side), bought from this Etsy shop that now looks to be closed, sadly.
He adores this jacket – we wore it out to our anniversary dinner last week and we got all sorts of attention, with me in my fuchsia dress and him with the disco side out!
Oh, and I should add that I’ve still got 2 yards of the disco fabric left for me, too… bwahahah! Whatever shall I make?