Autumn Wardrobe | Northwoods Toggle Coat

Another year another new winter coat right? This coat has been a long time in the making. I designed the coat quite a while ago but started on it last winter when I made the pattern, got it cut out and attached the Thinsulate interlining to the body. Then I stalled out...hard. It was SO THICK! How would I ever be able to move around? I felt like a slightly paralyzed grey marshmallow in it and I could tell that I was not going to enjoy wearing this coat. For me, if I'm not comfortable it doesn't matter how good it looks, I'm not going near it. So I set it aside until I was ready to come to terms with the fact that my original plan needed to change.

Cut to two weeks ago, I took out the Thinsulate and continued on with the new non-interlined plan. I figure that in Chicago either it's wool coat weather or it's puffy coat weather and no amount of Thinsulate will change that. This is something I learned, but apparently had forgotten until now, when I bought a Thinsulate lined J. Crew coat years ago. That sucker was nowhere near puffy warm.

Once I took out the Thinsulate, the coat went together pretty quickly. I only started yelling at the coat once, when I was trying to pull the entire coat out of a hole in the sleeve after I bagged it...that was definitely a feat in an of itself. I even left a pretty big hole!

I'm really excited about the hood. It's not the typical oversized shape usually found on toggle coats, instead I patterned it to be a bit closer fitting in the crown with room for a scarf around the neck. It gets so windy in Chicago that if my hood doesn't fit close to my head then there is literally no way it's going to stay up, and if it doesn't stay up, what is even the point!?

The Details

Pattern : My Own (now the Cascade Duffle Coat available in our shop)
Fabric : Wool Coating + Plaid Flannel from Mood (both fabrics are no longer available)
Toggle Buttons : M&J Trimming
Leather : Remnant from Etsy
Scarf : Hilary Grant Knitwear
Boots : Madewell
Bag : Hudson's Bay Company
Chai Latte : PQM (best in the city, get it with almond milk!)

I'm beyond pumped about this coat. It's the coat I've always wanted and never been able to afford, much like last winter's coat. It's got room for a pretty good sized sweater and it's really really warm, I was sweating on our shoot and it was pretty solidly in the 30's which is a good sign. It also feels SO good to have this thing out of a bag on the floor and onto my back. Phew!! Winter, I'm ready for you now!