Would you believe that a few short years ago I couldn't have identified a hibiscus if my life depended on it? Not anymore!
Michael's oversized hibiscus print blazer is finished and you can see him model it this very minute it by simply clicking here.
It seems like a lifetime ago that I draped this fabric around Michael and told him to smile or else. Who would have guessed just a few short weeks later he'd be hobnobbing in huge hibiscus like he'd been born to Lily Pulitzer?
Let it never be said that I don't sew for my loved ones. OK, I hadn't originally set out to sew this blazer for Michael but I realized as soon as I started stitching that it wasn't going to fit me and he (fortunately) loved it. Does that diminish my magnanimity? I don't think so!
Have a great day, everybody!
That first photo of Michael is stunning. He looks fab in this jacket and it is styled perfectly as is. What a beautiful garment.
ReplyDeleteHe looks stunning!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on following your own instincts. A resounding success.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I read MPB.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I had my doubts but this is the biggest surprise I've seen on your blog; I didn't think I would, but I love this jacket and the way you've placed the faded/bled parts of the pattern actually add to its overall effect, giving it an intentionally weathered, more beach-y look (and it helps tone down the print's loudness to a perfect pitch). And your photos of Michael would grace the pages of any magazine. I especially love the hopscotch shot. Kudos!
Perfection!!!
ReplyDeleteStyle options could include a wife - beater (can we rename that "t-shirt for those with anger and authority issues"?), over black linen pants? Thereby blurring Lily Pulitzer with trailer trash and urbane gentlemen (a stylistic mosh-pit for the non-discerning, but up to the minute, among us). I think Michael could pull it off effortlessly.
My teen son is a devotee of "tank" shirts. The minute I start to say "wife bea-" he cuts me off with "tank. Thanks, tank!"
DeletePeter, that is astounding. You turned a beach umbrella into a fantastic jacket, Michael wears it well. Normally, I don't like sunglasses in photo shoots, but Michael mastered it very well. I don't know who he is, but certainly he MUST be some famous arts celebrity. Peter, I think the suggestion merits repeating. You are more than good enough to make custom shirts and jackets. You have for sure the technical skill, but even more so "The Eye". Maybe a breakfast at a diner with various couture designers might get you some business in niches they don't handle..Who can resist an invitation for eggs and bacon and fried potatoes with a chance to "talk shop"?
ReplyDeleteSTUNNING...Love it...He is a lucky guy!
ReplyDeleteWow! Brilliant job on the jacket and Michael looks stunning in it.
ReplyDeleteSpud.
Love love LOVE it.
ReplyDeletePretty spectacular.
ReplyDeleteAs a tailor a few comments, the overall fit is too big, the sleeve is too wide especially at the hem, the upper welt is too long and should be placed higher, the sleeve heads are collapsing from the back and the right sleeve looks like it has too much head ease, it needs a small pad or at least some wadding to support and fill out sleeve head ease. Tailored jackets are difficult but keep practising.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Brendan. I really appreciate the feedback! I sewed this straight out of the envelope and it definitely reflects the boxy, more generous fit of 1958. (I think of this as a vintage recreation.) I still have to insert the sleeve lining which will hopefully fill out those wide sleeves a bit and I'll see what I can do with the right sleeve head. The whole jacket is minimally structured -- e.g., sleeve heads but no pad, no back stay, etc. Home sewing patterns for men are always a bit of a crapshoot!
DeleteI love the jacket and Michael looks fabulous in it. I wondered if you meant to make the sleeves a bit shorter than I'd expect. Since the tailor above "red penciled" your work I thought I'd ask this here!
DeleteNo -- and please don't give Brendan any ideas, LOL!
DeleteLove me some rules and 'specially love it when they get broken- that's the best part of rules!
DeleteNice job! Looks great for any summer event at all. Tropical clothes are worn looser than continental clothes--allows better ventilation, so I think the fit is perfect for a mai tai after the hula show. Congratulations.
ReplyDeleteGreat jacket! Love the photo shoot!
ReplyDeleteNeve in a million years would I have imagined that fabric as a blazer. So glad you can think outside the box! Absolutely gorgeous! I really need to be more creative with my fabric selection
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you turned this fabric into a jacket and not an umbrella! Looks great and certainly Michael looks happy.
ReplyDeleteOn a jacket pattern between 1940s and early 1970s it's always worth revising the sleeve pattern because they are generally too wide for modern tastes, as Brendan noted above. This is especially so in cotton where you can't shrink and stretch the elbow as you would with wool. The only other comment would be the right back accounting for Michael's low shoulder.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great and interesting jacket that a lot of other people wouldn't have bothered making. I hope Michael gets a lot of wear out of this summer.
This jacket is a terrific vintage look! That vintage sewing pattern has made its own contribution to the silhouette in a good way. I checked the jacket again after reading Brendan's comments, and my take away on that is: if you shorten a jacket, perhaps the pockets need to be lifted as well (add buttons to that too). Wider sleeves probably mean it was designed to wear with a long sleeve shirt, so maybe summer sport jacket sleeves are more slender due to the 'hallow' sleeve effect? But, only a tailor would notice that on a hibiscus jacket!
ReplyDeleteThe wider sleeve is because it has been cut with a standard sleeve, which is always generally wide to accommodate all possibilities, and not just at the the cuff. Most tailors manipulate the sleeve for every jacket, it is the last part that is cut and fitted once the jacket body has been properly fitted. Even a long-sleeved shirt can be accommodated by a fitted sleeve and it looks sharper.
DeleteFor the record, I'm also a tailor, though I specialise in trousers.
Thanks for the fun and joy you bring to the world of us home sewists!
ReplyDeleteLove it. It really looks fun. Michael is a great model
ReplyDeleteWhat can I say that hasn’t already been said? A triumph! To repeat, when I saw that fabric, I wasn’t thinking, “jacket,” but this is outstanding – and Michael wears it so well. Now I’m jealous of both Michael AND Cathy!
ReplyDeletePeter, I absolutely love this and Michael looks great in it.
ReplyDeleteNot in a million years could I have imagined that fabric would have such a wonderful choice for a blazer. My hat is off to you! Absolutely stunning!
ReplyDeleteYour model looks so handsome in that blazer!
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