Sewing blog for clothes, costumes and soft furnishings I have made.
Monday, 29 January 2018
1950 Lined Military Cape Jacket Original Vintage Pattern Mandarin Collar
I was inspired by the city of Hong Kong which was both vintage and high tech at the same time. This is a military cape style jacket with mandarin collar was started after I returned from there launching my first book, Cry of the Flying Rhino. I enjoyed the visuals of an eclectic world made famous by the 2000 Wong Kar Wai movie In the Mood for Love set in 1962. The mandarin collar of this cape is supposedly a nod to that movie however it is 1950s or a softer and semi-structured version of the traditional high and hard collar of the 1960s. This is a still from the movie, showing the mandarin collar.
High semi-structured collar
Hong Kong was an eye-opening experience for me. I had never before had the opportunity to visit somewhere not just for a holiday or vacation, but in order to pick up my literary prize and to launch my book. As it was such an auspicious occasion, I took the lead and decided to make from scratch a formal short cape in a military or auspicious colour.
Exhibition of vintage cheongsams - this is from the 1930s
Bustling and exciting all the time, new and old world collide
Bamboo scaffolding on modern skyscrapers- again new and old
Old Hong Kong - colourful vibe of a vintage coffee shop, strong colours, red is always present
Exhibition of different mandarin collars on vintage cheongsams
I used a pattern I bought on eBay last autumn/fall something like 3.50£ - I forgot already. The pattern is an original 1950s vintage pattern and it only comes in small medium or large. I went for small.
The fabric is a heavyweight military red wool and it is also from eBay and it cost only 6.50 for 1.6m. I never use the metreage requirement on the packet because it is quite wasteful and you end up with a lot of leftovers. So I usually recalculate fabric requirements. The lining cost about 3.50. There were only three "reds" to choose from in the linings section. I went to a sewing and fabric shop in Tooting, so not exactly very much choice. One was too brown. One was too orange and one was pink. Naturally I had to go for 1.6m of the orangey one as you can see. The horsehair interfacing was from eBay and it was pricey at 6.50 so I got only a metre as that is the minimum you have to get.
Once I returned from Hong Kong I proceeded to cut out the pattern and in typical frugal style I have cut out with the pattern very close together.
When you make a fully-lined jacket, I forgot you have to make the same thing 4 times. The jacket outer, the lining, the facing and the interfacing. That is why it takes so long and 80% of that no one will ever see even. Except maybe your drycleaners.
Thanks for reading this blog post! If you like South-east Asian and vintage arts and cultures, you will love my award-winning novel Cry of the Flying Rhino set in Malaysia and Borneo in the 1990s. It is dark, macabre and thrilling, it has received a handful of five-star reviews already. And of course, it is stylish like you and I.
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