DIY Formal Jacket

[Zardoz]

About a year ago I picked up two nice pre-owned tailcoats from a reseller with plans to do a formal kilt jacket conversion. I didn't have a solid idea about what I wanted to do, but I knew I didn't want it to look just like a PC as far as the details.
I kicked around a few ideas for quite a while, and a couple of the Girltourage did up the first version (1.0) for me just in time for this year's mardi gras party back in Feburary;


Here we are at the party; about the best photo I got of it before it went in the trash.

It came out OK, but my seamstress friend, (who I won't be too critical of, she worked for free) sort of took my precise pattern for the tails as more of a 'guideline'... and I wasn't totally happy with the result. I was happy with the cuff detail, then I wasn't, then I tried adding buttons to the cuffs, and then after a failed attempt to re-work the tails the whole thing went in the dust bin....

So a few months later, we just finished up Version 2.0, I had the tails done up by the nice Chinese lady at my local tailor shop this time, (30 bucks and she got it perfect) and decided to go with plain one button cuffs this time.


the front,


the back,

While it obviously has the same basic layout as the PC or it's variants, I like that it's more "streamlined", not having as many buttons, the tri-point cuff and tail details, or epaulets.

[English Bloke]

I like that, I like it alot. Nice and simple.

[Grizzly]

Zardoz

That is a fantastic looking ensemble, you should be mighty pleased. I hope you gave the nice Chinese lady a hefty tip. The tails look really great. Congratulations a really classic looking outfit.

[Thomas H]

That is a great job

[LewdiKris]

I like that, I like it alot. Nice and simple.

I do too!

LK

[Downunder Kilt]

Very Nice Zardoz. The first thing that struck me in the first photo was the cuff facing and I liked it. I also liked the facings on the pockets of your waistcoat.
BTW What are the buttons? They look a treat on the jacket and waistcoat, I like them being round

[triolamj]

Great pics (even without Mrs Zardoz, LOL). That's really close to what I want for a new jacket, but still minus the tails in back. I think I'll go with the 3 buttons on the sleeves like a Prince Charlie cuff. Now if I can only find a coat that's the right size.

PS. It reminds me a lot of Maxie's Spencer tux when he was little. If those are the buttons that I sold you, three of them on a sleeve may not look that great because of the color but three in a line up the cuff did look good on Maxie's.

[Zardoz]

Very Nice Zardoz. The first thing that struck me in the first photo was the cuff facing and I liked it. I also liked the facings on the pockets of your waistcoat.
BTW What are the buttons? They look a treat on the jacket and waistcoat, I like them being round

Thanks!


Yeah, I initially liked the cuff design on the earlier version, but it didn't make it to the more streamlined 2.0.

The buttons are the brass round harp design as seen on the Brian Boru type of jacket, I was going to use some round silver Celtic knot styles, but went with the more subtle antiqued look of the harp buttons.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Nice job and an excellent variation on an oft-heard theme. Well done, in my book.

[auld argonian]

I do like the squared off tail...very elegant.

Best

AA