I just finished this make earlier in the week and decided to take a quick break from my B5719 challenge to share it with you. So, without further ado, the Orageuse Londres Trench Coat!
If you follow me on Instagram, then you would have seen some of my "in progress" shots. Basically, while on Spring Break with my kids, I came across this & Other Stories trench coat.
I loved how minimal it was, but I have been wanting a pink trench coat for ages. What's a seamstress to do? Well, she scours the internet until she comes upon the Orageuse Trench Coat which was a pretty close match to the inspiration! After tracking down some pink rayon twill on ebay, I was set to start sewing upon my return from Spring Break.
If you are not familiar with Oraguese Patterns, they are a French independent pattern company that have some the chicest designs. I could have honestly purchased them all. However, I had my heart set on the trench so I purchased both the Londres trench and the corresponding Lining kit pattern because I just love a lined coat. After spending AGES taping the pattern, making my usual pattern adjustments and then cutting everything out, the actual sewing of this coat was fairly quick. Let me go on the record as saying the drafting on this pattern is impeccable. I was very impressed with this pattern. However, because this is a French company, the instructions have been translated into English. I think there was a little lost in translation, but if you have made a coat with acollar before and are familiar with welt pockets, it wasn't hard to read between the lines.
Ok, let's talk about the finished product. It turned out JUST the way I was envisioning in my head. It's exactly what I was wanting.
That being said, there are a few things I would do differently. While viscose (rayon) is a recommended fabric and while I love the drape the rayon twill gives, it wrinkles like a monster. Since I am a completely lazy ironer, this will probably never see an iron again (although I did get a steamer for Christmas so steaming is a possibility). Therefore, this coat will probably always look a bit rumpled, which might be ok since I was going for a relaxed look anyway. If I make this coat again, though, I will probably chose a more traditional gabardine. I also bagged the lining on this one per the instructions. I don't normally bag linings because I find the hem has a hard time staying place, but I was feeling lazy and really wanted to wear this out, so I bagged it. Again, the rayon has made the hem less than crisp (even though all hems are interfaced within an inch of their life). I also have some pulling along the hem where the lining is obviously a bit too snug. That being said, I still really like this jacket and, because I have magpie tendencies, I probably won't take the time to fix it. So relaxed trench it is!
One of the things I love most about sewing my own clothes, is being able to create just what I want, which includes being able to line things in fun colors!
I promise the lining isn't so transparent in real life. I can definitely not see my pocket bags in the actual jacket!
I bought this silk crepe de chine from Cali Fabrics when they recently had their massive sitewide sale. I don't normally line coats in crepe because it doesn't slide like a charmeuse, but because the crepe was such a fantastic price, and because this is a spring coat (so probably very few long sleeves underneath), I decided to go for it and I LOVE it! This green is such a fantastic color. I would never in a million years wear this close to my face, but man does it make a fun lining!
I think this wraps up everything I wanted to say about this fantastic pattern! Keep an eye on this space for the first skirt I made for my pattern challenge!
Until next time!