Montreal Frocktails came at the perfect time for me to have an excuse to make a garment that also qualified for Sew Frosting!
I'll admit, my thought process about sewing for Frocktails was all over the place. Assorted ideas that coursed through my head during the lead-up to Frocktails ranged from, "Wear something you already made!," "Sew something from your stash!," Only make something you'll likely wear again!," all the way to "Buy some silk velvet and have at it!"
So, clearly, I was a bit indecisive, and the practical and frivolous sides of my brains were in a major battle... in fact, I actually made another top and jacket (coming soon to a blog near you!), both from stash fabric, both very wearable for everyday life, but ultimately decided they were too summery and not fancy enough for Frocktails.
I made a Joann's run on the Thursday night before Frocktails, poked around the options with nothing particular in mind for either fabric or pattern, and some somehow landed on this bizarre, but cool looking fabric I found in the clearance section. It's actually from Yaya Han's Cosplay line. I'm not sure what that says about me.
It's a loosely woven cotton/poly blend in black and white, and the right side of the fabric appears to be painted with silver metallic paint of some sort? The black and white sort of still peek through. Honestly, it feels a little icky on the right side, and was terrible to press, melting the paint off ever so slightly at the seams, but I still contend it looks cool.
The second I saw this crazy fabric, I knew it would make an amazing '80s-style oversized blazer. I had just made the Style Arc Loren Jacket pattern (see overly-summery jacket above), knew I was happy with the fit, so I went for it.
Construction-wise, here are my comments on the Style Arc Loren Jacket:
This is a straight size 16. My measurements put me in an 18, but it's an oversized style, so I figured 16 would work, and it did. I didn't make any fit alterations. I like how it's loose, but the shoulders are still roughly in the right place so it doesn't feel sloppy.
I did make a few minor construction changes, though: first I followed Mie's tutorial for sewing the pivot at the neck/shoulder join, which was really helpful, given Style Arc's notoriously sparse instructions.
Also, my interfacing wouldn't iron onto the janky fabric, so I threw caution to the wind and skipped it, figuring the soft shawl collar would be fine without it. Seems to have worked out fine; the fabric has enough body to maintain the structural integrity of the collar.
Finally, the pattern indicated that the collar/front facing would be caught in the patch pocket. In my size it didn't seem like it was going to turn out that way, so I moved the packet pockets about 1.5" towards center front so it would catch the facing and help it from flapping outwards.
I am so happy with my blazer! It's a little bit ridiculous, superfluous and frosting-like, a la Sew Frosting, but also wearable, which appeals to my more reasonable, practical side. Perfect for Montreal Frocktails, too! See the photos above, professional shots from @monica_photographe. I think I'll likely alternate this jacket with last year's red velveteen one for upcoming holiday gatherings and such.
