The Care Coat Close Case pattern offers two great collar options, but what I really wanted to do was to take this pattern’s overall shape and style and tweak the collar a bit to create a similar look to the beautiful yellow one worn by Audrey Hepburn in Charade (1963).
I had purchased a magenta wool a while back and figured that this pattern would be the perfect compliment to the bold bright wool. I LOVE working with wool, it really makes you feel like a super star professional sewer. I took a risk and ordered a rayon floral by Art Gallery fabric online for the lining. Thankfully the risk turned out great! The colours complimented the magenta beautifully. I went with snaps for a hidden closure and made the decorative exterior buttons out of some left-over fabric I had laying around to finish the 60s vibe I was going for.
I went with View B for the coat body, but changed out the collar to one similar to View A. My first few attempts were total fails on the collar, as I tried to just elongate the View A collar to fit to View B. This pulled the wool in funny ways and didn’t really work. In the end, I drafted a new piece that used the height measurements from the View A collar. I also altered the inside panel of the jacket so that it didn’t overlap as much as the original funnel collar would have. I wanted a cleaner, shorter overlap at the top, more in keeping with Audrey’s original coat. I debated going with a 3/4 sleeve, which would have been more in keeping with the Audrey look, but I live in a climate that can get quite cold through the winter, so opted for function rather than fashion.
I am thrilled with the look! The pattern has that 60s swing shape that I love and the directions are easy to follow. The lines are crisp and clean and the simple pocket details are lovely. I had to make the arms a smidge wider around the biceps to offer enough room for a sweater. I think I will add an extra 1/2” to the arms length should I make it again. The length is fine as is, but I just like a little extra hand tuckablity in my coats.
Art & Sew 