More Swing Coats

I have quite a few swing coat patterns in my stash. These two are my most recent acquisitions.

  

The first one is Vogue 7902, dated 1990. The description reads: Very loose-fitting, lined, flared coat, below hip, mid-knee or above ankle, has collar, shoulder pads, side back seams, side pockets and long sleeves. 

To the left is the line drawing of the back. Besides the flare, I love the inverted V-shaped inset in the center back. 

The Burda pattern is 5417 and is not dated, but I suspect it's from a similar time frame as Vogue 7902. This is one of the older Burda patterns with no seam allowances, sold in a sealed plastic envelope. I really like the shape of the lapels. Unlike the Vogue, this coat is unlined.

Though I usually like my coats long, I'm draw to the mid-knee length versions. I could use a new raincoat and I think both of these patterns would work well in rainwear fabrics. I don't have any in my stash, but I'm keeping my eye peeled for the right one with these two coats in mind.

Swing Coat Love

I have a thing for swing coats. My infatuation with the silhouette is decades old, beginning when I was teenager. Let me introduce you to my first love.

This coat belonged to my mother. My mom had style. She also had the good sense to save a lot of her clothes and accessories from the 40s and 50s. Lucky me! When I was in my late teens and 20s, her vintage dresses, coats and gloves all fit me like they were made for me. This coat was one of my absolute favorites.

It's hard to tell from the photo, but the fabric is black ribbed faille, probably rayon. If I had to guess, I would say this is from the 50s. the coat is unlined and has narrow welt pockets. The collar comes to a point in the back and is detailed with rows of raised stitching, as are the cuffs. Click on the photo below to get a better view of the collar details.

Even though it no longer fits, I haven't been able to part with it. The fabric is stiff with age, and the color is faded in some spots. I still love it, not only for it's style, but for the memories it evokes.

I wasn't consciously thinking of this coat when I started collecting swing coat patterns. I'm not even sure I was aware that I was creating a collection. But I can't deny it. I have a lot of them in my stash and I always get excited when I find one for sale or auction.

This one is New Look 6595. Though this isn't my favorite pattern from my swing coat collection, but I think View 2 could easily be adapted to make a copy of my mother's coat. There's no date on the pattern, but I'm guessing it's from the early 90s.

I like the fact that it's fully lined. If I were going to adapt it to recreate Mom's coat, I would remove the center back seam, shorten the sleeves to 3/4 length and redraft the collar to come to a point in the center back. I have a lot of projects already lined up, including the Lady Gray coat for Gertie's sew-along. But if I were to come across the right fabric, I might just have to move this coat towards the head of the line.

Another Potential Fabric for the Lady Grey

Although this is a home dec fabric, it's not stiff or heavy. I bought it with the intention of making it into a swing coat, but still haven't found the perfect pattern. Hard to believe, considering I have at least half a dozen swing coat patterns in my stash. I wonder if it would work for the Lady Gray.

I think it's time for a little Photoshop magic to help me visualize.