Epaulettes, Leather, & Olive

I always have and always will love jackets and coats--perhaps it's their structure or their strong presence and personality that emanates from their details and hidden surprises layered throughout them. Here I am anthropomorphosizing articles of clothing...

The first coat that I ever recall loving was much too tiny for me. It was one of my Barbie doll's coats and I received it as a Christmas present along with a whole array of gorgeous Barbie evening attire. Well, I loved it so much that I saved it. It's a bit dusty, but here it is below:


After this lengthy prelude, here is my first trench coat that I've ever made! I'm so pleased with how it turned out.





I made this from McCall's 5525, and my review for that pattern can be read here. I really didn't make many alterations--just a few minor tweaks. Also, I have such broad shoulders that I would have looked like a linebacker with shoulder pads. Accordingly, I didn't put in any.

The fabric is olive-colored cotton twill ripstop and the lining is black and white leopard matte charmeuse. Buttons(I got to incorporate three types!) include leather and metal ones for most of the jacket, an olive one (not shown) for the collar band, and a leftover beige one (initial photo) for the inside button.




It took me an entire week from start to finish, but it was well-worth it!