I feel a little silly sharing this outfit today. It is nearly identical to one I shared last week, but hey, that’s real life. Rinse, wear, repeat. I styled this skirt for the blog, and enjoyed it so much I decided to wear it to my husband’s company party over the weekend. This time, I mixed it up a little with a different top and a different jacket.
You may remember a few weeks back I mentioned that I wanted to alter a wool jacket that I had thrifted over the summer? My overly-ambitious self decided I could shorten a vintage wool coat by about a foot and a half, no big deal. For comparison, this is how the coat looked before:
Looking at the ‘before’ picture, I kind of like the way the length looks, but it was a tad too formal for my lifestyle. This coat had been collecting dust in my closet all fall because it just didn’t mesh with my day-to-day life. That’s when I got the idea to take it from mid-calf to mid-thigh. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as hard as I thought, and I only had to stay up till 2am one night to get it done. Sewing the liner was simple, it was hand-stitching the final hem that took the longest.
Ironically, the first outfit I chose to wear this coat with was a dressy one. The long coat would have looked great and would have created visions of 1990 in all the right ways, but I just don’t dress up that often. I am pretty happy with the way the shortened jacket turned out. It’s very straight and almost boxy, and I really like that. That’s probably in partial rebellion to the overly-feminine wool jacket currently in my closet. I also really love the way this jacket looks when worn open.
Friends, I am by no means an experienced sewer, if I can do this, you can do this. I just looked at the way the jacket was already sewn and tried to replicate it. So far, no hems have fallen out!
[ T-Top, c/o Jamie + the Jones, currently sold out in Black, but the Umber is definitely worth checking out! | skirt, vintage GAP | tights, Modcloth (Made in Italy) | Heel Boots, c/o Everlane | Mantis Necklace, c/o Loop Jewelry]
The holiday party was quite fun. It was one of those dinner-detective events. There were actors seated among us and we had to figure out which one had ‘murdered’ an audience member. It was a bit intense at times for this self-professed introvert, but it still made for an entertaining evening. I felt pretty great in my outfit choice, even though, as I mentioned Sunday, a little less black (maybe a little more bling or sparkle) would have been fun.
Are you going to any holiday events? I’d love to hear your dress-up philosophy.
xo,
Andrea
You did a wonderful job with the coat alteration. I like it both lengths too, but it makes sense to go with the option go that suits your lifestyle.
I’m a fairly new reader and I am loving your blog!
Hi Charissa, it’s good to have you here! I love it when people introduce themselves. :) Thanks for the feedback on the coat. I was nervous to tackle it at first, but I’m glad it worked out. :)
My Christmas outfit is very similar to yours with a plaid skirt, black top, tights and boots. :-) I ended up buying the skirt new from J Crew after weeks of looking for what I wanted on Poshmark, eBay, Thredup, and my local consignment store. I also am wearing it my daughter’s reception and going away party so I feel even though it wasn’t ethical it will be worn often this season. It is also a very classic color/style that will always be festive during the holidays so I can see wearing it for years to come. The rest of my outfit was second-hand, so I am pleased with my efforts to stay away from fast fashion for the most part.
I am impressed with your alteration skills!! My daughter gave me her old sewing machine and I keep saying I need to learn how to use it so I can hem stuff. Great find on the coat!! And I SO want a Jamie and the Jones top!! :-)
That sounds like a decent compromise Rebecca. What color is your skirt? Sounds like you will get a lot of use out of it!
Sewing is fun! As long as you can figure out how to thread the machine and get it to work, it’s great! So much faster than knitting, haha! I hope you get your J+J top one of these days!!
This is a fantastic idea! The coat looks great both ways, but I completely get that the longer version would have been worn less.
Thanks Alex! It was a fun project to tackle. Do you ever alter your clothes?
I don’t really have a dressing up philosophy for parties. If anything, I just wear what I already know I like and and play with hair and makeup to elevate a look instead. I think the coat turned out great- I love the length you hemmed it to!
That’s such a great idea! And a good reminder that the details of a look are what pull it together.
Thanks for your feedback on the coat. :)
Looks great, and what a find! I got an oversized toggle coat at the thrift shop last winter and it’s my staple coat now.
That’s awesome Leah! I swear it’s so much easier to find high-quality coats at the thrift store than it is a regular store!
I have an oversized, long herringbone wrap coat that was my mom’s (she’s had it since she was 18!) that I’ve just had sitting in my closet for about two years now. When she offered it to me, I couldn’t say no because the print is classic and reads so much softer than black for a dressy event (which I love) AND I’d really been eyeing wraps coats at the time, but I knew I’d need to get it altered to suit my true style and mesh better with my lifestyle.
I think you’ve given me just the nudge I’ve been needing to finally make it happen! And if I’m up until 2am as well you can bet I’ll be messaging you! Haha!
Ooooo! I want to hear all about it!!! You can do it Laura!!! It sounds like a beautiful piece.
Love this! How tall are you?
Hi Morgan! :) I’m 5’7″
Congrats on remodeling the coat into something that works for you! I haven’t gone so far as to remodel a tailored item, but I was inspired by your pants saga to cut off a denim skirt I had that was much too stiff and heavy for the length. It’s still a bit stiff, but since I’m actually wearing it now, it’s getting much softer.
My dress-up philosophy is to wear fairly basic, but nice, items with special jewelry. For late Fall/early Winter holidays (i.e. everything from Thanksgiving to 12th Night) I have a necklace of faceted beads that are alternately translucent dark green and clear.
Hi Anne! I’ve definitely noticed that denim seems to soften with time (thankfully!). Your dress-up philosophy sounds spot on. The key is definitely in the jewelry! Your necklace sounds beautiful.