If you read the previous post, you know I’ve been given the challenge of designing a wedding jacket to go with a purchased dress and make up a muslin sample for a dressmaker.

 I’d think I’d be exhausted just thinking about it, but it’s actually exhilerating — which tells me I’m on the right track dream-wise.

 So here’s how I started:

First, Elena sent me photos of her dress:

   

And a link to a type of jacket she admired — very Marie Antoinette:

 

And thus, the process begins. First, comparing the Marie Antoinette version with the dress, I can see some changes will be needed because first, a full-length coat is going to completely cover the train and most of the embroidery and beading of her dress. Next, I have to take into account Elena’s figure, which incidentally is about identical to mine. We’re both just a few inches over five feet, and we’re short-waisted with hips and a decent chest (which is also our Big Asset — you highlight it, you don’t hide it).

Keeping all this in mind, I started sketching, and came up with one sketch I thought combined all these elements. I shared it with Elena and we both thought it had possibilities:

   You can see here that we’ve kept the basic elements of the jacket. It still has the longer, pointed-front waist that will elongate her torso, the long, tight sleeves and collar/lapel. The point where the lapels meet in front will be slightly lower than shown in the picture, to show more of the dress’ decolletage. The upper collar will leave her collarbones bare for more drama. The jacket “skirt” (I must look up what that’s called) will fall smooth over the hips so as not to add inches where she wouldn’t want it and fall to the point in the back where the train meets the gown.

So, now that the customer is intrigued with the concept, the next step is devising the pattern, since I have never just “made up” a pattern for a jacket before, and am certainly no expert on patterns in general.

Tune in next time to see my step-by-step process in making a pattern for this design.