bubblegum barbie

One of my projects this semester was a tailored wool coat.

I've been affectionately referring to it as my Bubblegum Barbie coat because it reminds me so much of something a 1960s stewardess Barbie would wear.  I actually shortened mine by nine and a half inches from the pattern our professor gave us-- a straight, below-the-knee coat just isn't something that has a place in my wardrobe.  It would smoosh all of my twirly dresses.  But I love it at this length!  It's hard to tell when it's on the dressform, but the shortened version of the coat has a cute little balmacaan shape, it's much less boxy when it's on a real life person.

As for the 'bubblegum' aspect...

The lining is bubblegum pink!  I'll probably wear it with the sleeves cuffed like this because, being 5'7", long sleeves tend to stop about an inch short of my wrist, which is just really awkward-looking.  So 3/4 sleeves it is.  The whole coat is so comfortable, it's made of a slightly felted wool, so it has a nice spongy feeling.  (Ew, I never noticed what a gross word spongy is.  Spongy.  Sponnnnngy.)  Oh, and then there's my favorite part of all...

Are these not the cutest  buttons ever?  There may have been grabby-hands made when I saw them in M&J.  Luckily I had a very tolerant professor who didn't mind that they are definitely not the kind or size of buttons he told us to get.  I just adjusted the buttonhole size, moved them over an extra eighth of an inch from the end of the lapel, and tah-dah!  Flowery goodness.

♥