Cocoon Coat from the 1980s: Vogue 1958
I promised last week to feature a cocoon coat as large squishy garments are especially comforting to wear. I made and loved both the coat and the dress from this pattern. Donna Karan made this loose coat in a knit which was a good idea as the armholes come low as you can see from the sketch. The pattern recommends double knit and jersey knit as well as wool crepe and tissue faille. I made it in a remnant I found, a lightweight, wool melton coating in fuchsia which was beautiful, but meant a limited range of motion through the arms.
The cutting is so creative, Karan are her best: there are only 2 pattern pieces to the coat, front and back, so the seam running across the back shoulders is where the front and back pieces meet. The draping occurs because the pieces are laid out so the front fold and the back seam run along the bias. I always learn some clever technique from Karan’s patterns. It is a clutch coat, but I recall adding big buttons and loops along the front edge to make it more practical, as well as big pockets into the side seams. As is, the pattern really is best as an evening coat.
The dress is remarkable and daring. The front neckline only closes when it reaches at the waistline. I ended up adding tiny snaps further up after I spent entire evening wary of any movement. The neckline is a standing shawl collar that then drapes down, this draping is echoed in the gathers at the waistline, and the skirt cleverly conceals pockets in the pleating. It was the 1980s, when a strong shoulder was the mode despite all the draping, so the pattern calls for 1/2″ raglan shoulder pads.
Again, the cutting is fascinating: the front facing, the entire sleeve, the front bodice and front skirt, and the pocket is are cut as 1 garment piece. There is a gusset at the underarm. An elastic casing inside draws the dress to the body and a concealed zipper shuts the skirt. I used a black wool crepe, but wished I had used a knit here too. as the sleeve is cut low and deep.
Despite my fabric choices, I ended up with a beautiful coat for work and a dramatic dress for evening. And now that I have taken another look at the pattern, i am thinking I must really make that coat again, but I should find the right knit this time.