15/09/2026
Turns out removing the option to just… buy the thing is a surprisingly effective way to get better at sewing 😂
And I think this outfit might be my favourite example of how wildly that rule has escalated.
I’d made a trench coat before, but when I came across the by and saw that it had a detachable hood, I was sold. Because I primarily reach for a trench when it’s raining and, respectfully, why do so many trench coats not have hoods?!
This time I decided to leave it unlined and finish every exposed seam with the teeniest tiny silk Hong Kong binding instead. Was this actually less work than lining it? Absolutely not. Does opening the coat and seeing those little bound seams make me disproportionately happy? Absolutely.
The instructions are in French, which I do not speak, so I mostly ignored them and Google Translated the bits I actually needed 😂 I did have a bit of a saga with the pocket construction — I’ve saved the full details of my construction experience, including the bits I struggled with, in my highlights if you’re thinking of making one yourself.
And obviously once the leopard trench existed, it needed a matching mini skirt. That one is self-drafted.
🐆 Fabric: cotton elastane twill from
🧵 Skirt: self-drafted
🎀 Inside: silk bias Hong Kong-bound seams
👢Boots: (because I know you’ll ask)
Anyway, 10/10 recommend making ridiculous rules for yourself. Worst case, you end up dressed head-to-toe in leopard print.
