Upcycled! Vintage 1964 Heirloom Wool Coat

This was yet another great opportunity to take a well loved heirloom and rework it to fit a new generation! Sarah is a regular client of mine who had some alterations done on her gorgeous wedding gown that can be seen in two articles of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette this year. She brought her mother's coat that she wore during her college years in for an update. Sarah tried it on so that I could assess what could be done in order to achieve a better fit and possibly a more modern silhouette. Here you can see photos of the pinning I did in order to bring in the coat to flatter her figure and slim the silhouette of the bottom circumference of the coat. I also had to change the shoulder line where the sleeve was set to a more narrow fitted shoulder that matched her stature and slimmed the sleeve itself which allowed for a bigger range of motion. You can see some of the alterations in progress.

The second fitting was done in order to test the altered seam lines and shoulders for fit movement and comfort. Once those were confirmed, the next step was to look at the sleeve length. Due to taking up the sleeve at the shoulder it became shorter. So I measured the amount needed to add and purchased black wool, felt for insulation, matching satine trim, and lining to generate a new cuff. After all of that the coat was given a thorough inspection for un-secure buttons, loose stitches from wear and tear and a given a nice brushing with a velvet lint remover to spruce up the wool. Here is Sarah with her upcycled heirloom ready to keep her stylish and cozy this winter. Now where is that snow!