I don't know what came first Columbo or trechcoats but I l-o-v-e both. I've had a trenchcoat for many years but have sadly outgrown it. As much as I would like to try my hand on making a trenchcoat from scratch one day, I could not pass up the opportunity to refashion my mum's old trenchcoat from the 1980s.
Why sew a completely new trenchcoat when you have an oversized Burberry coat at your disposal? What could be more luxurious than a vintage Burberry coat? Their trenchcoats are far out of my price tag and range anywhere from £600 to £5,000 (gasp!) on their website. So, snipp, snipp, out come the scissors and needle and in no time my trenchcoat was transformed from sad, baggy and shapeless to more fitted, shorter and with an all-important belt.
I opened up the whole shell and lining at the side seams and along the sleeves and shaped it to make it more fitted. Then I cut off some of the length and pieced the leftovers together to make a belt.
I bought sew-in interfacing to replicate the way the hem that I had cut off was sewn and then neatly replaced all the top-stitching on the coat. I left the lining intact as there was no need to replace it and I like the iconic check anyway.
I really love the way the coat fits now and am happy that I can have what feels like a completely new trenchcoat for the price of a belt buckle and some interfacing. The only problem is that my mum likes it too and wants her coat back. No way! Sorry, mum! :)
Your coat is so beautifully made. I loved Peter Faulks in Columbo!
ReplyDeleteTrench coats - everyone should have one! I love what you did to your mum's. It looks great on you. Well done.
ReplyDeleteIt looks really great! I love that you dared to do that - and the new jacket is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThat is amazing!!! I would never have thought it could look so different!
ReplyDeleteHi Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteSo I've also got this similar oversized Burberry coat in my wardrobe (my mom said some friend gave that to her), but it is completely oversized and cannot be worn. I took it to a few (lame) tailors (I don't have a sewing machine at home) but seems they don't know how to size it down. Can you provide me with more details of how you did it? Thank you so much!
Hi J.G., unfortunately I can't provide you with any more details or specifics since it really depends on how your coat is cut. Mine was easy to take in since I only had to take it in at the side seams. It's best you find a good tailor. If they all refuse to do it, maybe it's way too big to be taken in to your size and would have to be recut entirey if you wanted to salvage the fabric. Good luck with your coat!
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