An Oversized Suit

The androgynous look has been in style the last few seasons and this is bound to continue with the forthcoming menswear exhibition at the V&A: "Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear”.

As in the 1980’s, the trend is not just adopting items from menswear, but it’s wearing them oversized as seen above.

I have had some lightweight wool suiting with a sateen finish for a while and an oversized suit is the perfect project. For the trousers I simply used The Wide-legged Trouser pattern. But for the jacket I decided I wanted a looser, straighter silhouette than The Blazer pattern so opted for a version of the single-breasted Classic Coat. Above you can see the difference between The Blazer on the left and my suit jacket made with The Classic Coat pattern on the right. As you can see the new jacket has no darts but I think it works as it is so oversized. Here’s how to achieve this silhouette.

I used the single breasted coat pieces from The Classic Coat pattern amending the front, front facing and back pattern pieces. I traced off the front and front facing pieces, shortening the length by 30cm then drawing a line 3cm from the edge at right angles to the hem line. The original coat pattern is designed to be slightly roamer at the front to compensate for thicker coat fabrics and wearing more layers underneath. Then I chalked a curved bottom to the front edges allowing for a 3cm hem. For the back, I traced the main shape but shortened by 30cm, then added a new back vent starting 23cm from the hem. The amended main pattern pieces look like these. I opted for the patch pocket option given in the pattern. For the lining I used the original front lining just folding up the pattern paper by 30cm and for the back I used my new traced off pattern piece.

The jacket was made in exactly the same way as the instructions given for the coat except when it came to the curve. 

Here, when stitching the facing to the front, I followed the curve stopping in line with the hem extension. When the hem is turned up a smooth line can run from curve to hem.

The finished suit is quite a statement and works best with a simple slim vest underneath but I also love the jacket over a stretch pencil skirt or ski pants. The trick is to keep everything else slimline and the looseness of the jacket hides any lumps and bumps!