I wanted for a while to sew a Chanel’s inspired jacket, I bought some patterns (of course of Claire Shaeffer!), and then I got all of her books about haute couture sewing. And still, I was indecisive – what fabric, what color, what shape. Should I buy fancy expensive fabric for it or can I train myself on “anything else” first? How long will it take me? So much hand-sewing! And what about buttons? And trims? How can I plan it all???
Then I learned how to draw patterns, and I have drawn and sewn several jackets for myself and my hubby.
And then… I saw RTW FW18 of Chanel and there were a few jackets that caught my attention! As you can see in all those collections there is a core detail and it is repeated in different fabrics and forms. I decided to concentrate on one piece, so it can serve as a guide and help me organize all my ideas about so many details a couture jacket can have.
First, I decided to specify how I wanted it for myself:
  1. I wanted a long jacket, so it covers my butt and a bit more, but not as long as the “inspiration”. 
  2. “Inspiration” is a bit too relaxed for my curvy body and the fabric is voluminous, I wanted to adjust it more to my curves without adding much bulk.
  3. “Inspiration” has a zipper! Not buttons… It removed a little bit from my headache of choosing perfect buttons for my first Chanel-inspired jacket. The only question here is – can I find a long zipper? My version was supposed to be shorter, so the length will depend on the length of available zippers out there.
  4. The shoulder details of the “inspiration” are super interesting! Curious to draft them, to sew them… But will they make me ginormous? After a lot of back-and-forth, I decided to keep the shoulder (of course!!!), but I have included an escape plan)) lol. I will make those shoulders in such a manner that if I do not like them on the finished jacket I can remove them without much work and without destroying the jacket itself. You see, I have the issue of not liking to change something, I prefer to make something from scratch than to repair or redo it. So, here if it goes wrong I will be UNdoing one little detail, lol!
  5. Sleeves of the “inspiration” are also too huge for my liking. I need narrower sleeves to be in my comfort zone for everyday wear.
  6. Hood… Well, I do now wear them. And the “inspiration” has it really very big. I will make the hood in my version just for the look of it and well, the fun of drafting it maybe, lol! I will make it slightly bigger, but less bigger than “inspirations” has it.
  7. Detail 1 to take into consideration is – I want this jacket for everyday wear, mostly with jeans
  8. Detail 2 – I want it to be a winter jacket for Barcelona weather. Warm enough to wear by itself on a t-shirt.

These are my general thoughts behind the first draft and how I want the final jacket to be like and feel. In the next post, I will discuss the fabric and other details.

    Have you ever worked tirelessly to create a garment that you thought you'd love, only to finish it and find out it does not look remotely like you thought it would on your body?

    Have you sewn a Chanel-inspired jacket?

    in plans?