Staying Warm In Style!
Here it is— the first Stitched Up article of the year, and Cassidy is entering 2022 with a bang! This month, Cassidy shows us how she created a gorgeous winter coat that looks like it belongs in Vogue, from a comforter found at Triad Goodwill.
For those of you who are new here, Cassidy is an incredibly talented Fashion Designer and owner of CassB By Design. She is our local guide to exploring all the thrifted fashion possibilities within your local Triad Goodwill with just a few selective alterations!
Explain your process for selecting the item from our store. What drew you to it?
January brought even colder weather and with such, we wanted to create a winter coat look for this month’s Stitched Up. My stylist and I were inspired by the oversized coat look that’s in right now, and the only way to have an oversized coat without buying it is to make it. Goodwill has a fabulous selection of blankets and comforters for sale as well. Thus, my stylist picked through quite a few blankets until arriving at one that had a very unique pattern and color. After comparing our final options we decided on a comforter, brought it home, washed it, and began creating a coat.
Explain your process in editing / altering items.
I wanted a rugged look for the coat, so I didn’t spend a lot of time pattern making. I have a good understanding of what the general shape of a coat looks like and cut pieces out from both memory as well as for the size that I wanted. This can also be done by purchasing coat patterns and laying it on top of the blanket/fabric.
First, I cut out the patterns. Then, I performed a sewing technique to hold all the layers together while also creating the classic puff jacket look. After I stitched all the layers together on each piece, I sewed the side seams and shoulder seams together for the main body. Next came the arms, the collar, and the facings. I gave everything a nice even press and it was done!
What was your inspiration for the finished piece?
As I mentioned, we have been seeing a lot of the oversized trench coat aesthetic and wanted to recreate it with an even more creative approach. We also wanted to pair this oversized coat with a sleek onesie, tights, platform knee high boots, and big gold jewelry to give it an even more over the top high fashion/editorial look. Once all the parts came together, we were very pleased with our finished product.
“Life is too short to be wearing boring clothes” – Cushnie Et Ochs
Credits:
Photographer: Adam Stewart @adamstewart_sv
Stylist: Eutasha Harewood @eutashastylesharewood
Models: Cassidy Burel @cassidy.burel
Designer: CassB @cassb_by_design
