This was one of those projects that took forever at every step, not least getting the photos. But here it is and as far as I’m concerned the end result is worth the aggravation – and there certainly was a lot of that.
The pattern is Style Arc’s Genevieve jacket and the fabric is an unusual grey stretch denim with a brushed back from Croft Mill, sadly no longer available. The jacket is unlined and fairly unstructured. The only interfacing used is in the zip area.
I wasn’t sure of the fit of Style Arc patterns – I’ve made a couple before but they were very unfitted designs – so I made a toile and based on that I did a rounded upper back adjustment. This adds length and width. The extra width is absorbed into shoulder darts at the shoulder seam, so the shoulder and back neck seam lengths don’t change.
You can see in the back view below that I slightly overdid the adjustment. However there is no pulling when I raise my arms and I’ll take a slightly baggy upper back over lack of arm mobility any day.
I ran into a few minor problems with the pattern instructions. Style Arc’s instructions are always minimal so I was relying on the technical drawing to some extent. However it’s slightly inconsistent: it shows the zip applied on top of the fabric on the left front, where the instructions seem to have you set it into the princess seam. And if you’ve put the zip into the seam then the top stitching on the left princess seam needs to go on the side furthest from the centre, unlike in the digram, and the top stitching on the right front dart ought to mirror it. I think the pattern is designed for the zip to be applied on top as that way the diagonal style lines would line up perfectly. I prefer my zip in the seam, so if I ever make this again I’ll have to adjust the left front to move the zip placement over slightly. As it is the diagonals are off by a little, but I don’t think it’s obvious.
And on the subject of the zip I found it on eBay and I think the puller adds the perfect finish. I’ve been debating whether to post a link to this particular eBay shop on the blog for a while. They have a really excellent range of metal zips and they post stuff faster than anyone else I’ve ever dealt with, but some of their stock is definitely not safe for work browsing. So here’s the link: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/armoryauctions/ ; click at your own risk.
I thought about adding a lining to the pattern but chickened out; the front pattern pieces are enormous and asymmetric, and I found them very difficult to manipulate on my dining table. I still kind of wish I had though, because I ended up having to hand catch stitch the front facings down all the way around the jacket to make them stay put. It’s a sign of how much I like this jacket that I bothered to do that because we all know I’ll go a very long way to avoid hand sewing. Having done the facings I also catch stitched the hems as it wasn’t very much more work and I didn’t want to spoil the design lines with an extra row of top stitching.
The best thing about this jacket is definitely the collar. There are supposed to be a couple of snaps to hold the ends in place but I think it looks best when allowed to do its own thing so I didn’t bother sewing them on. The collar naturally falls very well when turned down, but if you want the full dramatic Ryan Gosling in Blade Runner 2049 effect you can turn it up and hide behind it.
Here’s a slightly more wearable arrangement.
I’ve worn this a lot, as you can probably tell from the creases. I’m very happy with it indeed; this is probably my favourite thing I’ve made this year. I doubt I’ll use the pattern again for a few years because who needs two of these on the go at once? But it’s definitely a keeper.
Catherine Daze's Blog 
So happy you did this post. I like the design lines and love the collar in this pattern. It looks as though it would adapt to many fabrics, and is of the moment without being over the top.
THat’s a stunner- bet it would be a great cardigan in a knit…but of course they ave a similar pattern already [which is on my to do list lol] Love it
Fabulous and a great colour
Great coat. It’s always sign when our makes get worn repeatedly. My favourite pic is your take on Blade Runner, complete with the intense facial expression! 😀
Wow — fantastic coat. I love that collar.
Looks great. I love the collar and asymmetric zipper.
This coat is definitely NOT for the faint of heart 🙂 I love it too though – love it’s asymmetrical design (as I do with so many StyleArc patterns) but to do a coat this complex with their notoriously paltry instructions is several steps beyond my skill level (TEMPTING as it is seeing yours!)
what a perfect silhouette for you, it looks fantastic and dramatic. and the fit seems just right. love it.
What a great looking coat. I love diagonal lines. Looks like the perfect fabric too, and it’s always a bonus I think if one doesn’t have to line it.
Love it! Great drama – and a warm neck (protected from the winds).
It’s perfect. I love the color, the fabric weight, the length…everything!!!
Wow, this looks fabulous! Love the fabric and shape so much. My favourite bit is the collar and how you can play around with the different positions.
I love this….I was looking for a different pattern to do a coat with and this looks perfect and thanks for the amazon tip for the pattern (as well as that ebay shop) just ordered the pattern
What a gorgeous coat! You did a wonderful job and it looks great.
I thought this would look good on you and it does! Well worth all the work that went into it.
What a fantastic coat! I always admired your style, and this fits right in. I love it paired with the leather look leggings and boots too. And I completely second your loath of hand sewing, I am truly in the same camp. Thanks for the zip link. I am looking for a nice puller for my next coat too! Hope you get loads of wear out of it!
This is wonderful Catherine! Great choice of fabric and zip for the style and it suits you down to the ground
It looks great on you! I love the neck – I used to have a cardi with a similar collar and keep wondering how I could replicate it – this could be it!
Wow, that collar looks great – very Rick Owens-y. I love Style Arc for their high fashion dupes! Your reviews are always helpful and your wardrobe is really an inspiration for me! Thanks for blogging this.
I love it! I have their Marie cardigan pattern (that I am wearing now funnily enough) which is a similar style. How does the jacket look if you wear it unzipped or is it one of those asymmetric styles that needs to be worn done up?
Thanks! It doesn’t look great unzipped…not awful but I wouldn’t want to use it as a cardigan.
What a fabulous coat. It may have been awkward at times but it’s proved it was worth it. Gotta love Style Arc patterns 😃
Dramatic yet very wearable! Stunning jacket and well worth the trials and tribulations.
I can’t imagine what’s in armory actions – so off to look (at home!)
This looks so awesome! It’s a perfect compliment to your pants, and it looks like you will get a ton of us from it. The zip is very cool. I’ll definitely check out the source (at home) as I’d love to find more interesting zipper details, so thanks for sharing that. Anyway, looks great, enjoy your super stylish jacket!
Very “Blade Runner”ish! No spoilers, I haven’t seen it yet! Glad it all worked out for you!