Trench coat plans

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I have been dreaming about sewing my own trench coat for a while. Now that my old one is starting to show some wear and tear I have really started planning. It was difficult to find a pattern for the trench coat. Burda has several options:

Trench Coat 12/2011 #118

Trench Coat 10/2015 #129

Mint Trench Coat 09/2015 #105

Gabardine Trenchcoat 09/2010 #113B

Piped Trench Coat 11/2012 #118

The problem in the Burda patterns for me is that the fit is often quite hit and miss, especially what comes to the shoulders and the sleeves (including the armholes). I have narrow shoulders and relatively thin arms so the Burda blouse, dress and jacket patterns that I have tried all needed heavy modifications in that area. I am not a big fan of toiles (muslins) so this is very annoying. Also most of the Burda coats are quite straight and I know from experience that it isn’t a good look on me. I need to have some A-line shape and a defined waist and just a belt won’t do it for me.

Isla trench from Named clothing. also is quite straight and too long and I think it looks better on women longer than me.

Robson coat from Sewaholic patterns was actually a pattern I considered quite a while. It has that A-line shape and it would look pretty good, I think. However, the pattern doesn’t have lining, which is a must in this cold climate. Also I do not like the roundness of the collar.

Luzerne trench coat is a nice new pattern but doesn’t have storm or gun flaps that I’d like to have. Like Robson, it is unlined.

For a long time I was really searching for McCalls 5525 trench coat pattern that I liked although it also lacks the gun flap. However, there are several very good looking results at patternreview.com and many people have made theirs with a gun flap. However, this pattern was impossible to find and I gave up.

Then I found an old vintage pattern from the 60s: Style 3858. It is a crisp A-line double breasted coat that has a really current style despite its age. It doesn’t have the flaps or epaulettes but I decided that I could draft those using my old trench as a model.

I was after a classic look, so I ordered sand-coloured polyester-cotton gabardine from Calico Laine. As I was searching for the lining fabric I found this Burberryish check from Estonian fabric shop Abakhan fabrics and thought, why not? It is not that I could get any more classic lining fabric than this. However, the sleeves need a more slippery fabric so I bought also viscose satin lining fabric from Eurokangas.

I found some nice looking buckles from a local sewing machine slash haberdashery shop and had to buy those. I decided also to include black faux leather piping to the edges of the coat opening to add some edginess.

So, am I going to uptake a project well above my level? Perhaps. But I have made a trench coat before. Remember this?