Tailored Coat Ensemble

April 2017

In tailoring I practiced traditional tailoring techniques using muslins and samples. The culmination of learning these techniques was developing a portfolio of four original coat and dress designs for the bridge market. My concept stemmed from symbolism in Ancient Egypt, mainly the lotus (a symbol of creation) and the Egyptian gods. A critic selected one of the four designs for construction. Each of the “feathers” along the curved hem of the coat are pieced together and hide a pair of pockets. I constructed custom shoulder pads for the raglan sleeves and hand stitched hair canvas throughout the coat. A hidden button placket allowed the double-breasted coat to maintain a clean look. I also designed a custom lining print to make this coat truly unique. The back of the dress is leather laser cut in an intricate lotus and Horus wing design. The lotus is engraved while the wing is cut out.

Tech Pack

As part of the product development process I created a tech pack for my tailored coat ensemble. In this tech pack, I’ve included CADs made in Adobe Illustrator, callouts, color way placements, and a bill of materials. I’ve also included a label placement, which doesn’t exist in the real dress, but demonstrates my vision for the label.

Design Process:

Above are excerpts from my design journal showing my design process. In tailoring I practiced traditional tailoring techniques using muslins and samples. The culmination of learning these techniques was developing a portfolio of four original coat and dress designs for the bridge market. My concept stemmed from symbolism in Ancient Egypt, mainly the lotus (a symbol of creation) and the Egyptian gods. A critic selected the final design for construction.

Each of the “feathers” along the curved hem of the coat are pieced together and hide a pair of pockets. I constructed custom shoulder pads for the raglan sleeves and used traditional tailoring techniques throughout the coat. A hidden button placket allowed the double-breasted coat to maintain a clean look. I also designed a custom lining print to make this coat truly unique.