DIY Sew a Drape-Front Cardigan Jacket
The cardi-jacket has become a wardrobe staple. Many of us who have moved to a casual workplace now wear sweaters instead of suit jackets, and we certainly spend our weekend in comfortable knits.
Travel Trio One's Drape Front Jacket is an asymmetrical jacket with a gathered-and-draped side tie. The jacket is easy to wear and looks great open or closed.
Let's explore this jacket in more detail. On our model, Sherry, we've paired the drape-front jacket with a simple textured white tee (Three Tees, cap sleeve version), jeans and boots. This great casual look could be scaled up with slim black trousers and high heels for a daytime or evening look. Adding bright accessories, like the magenta scarf with the Drape Front Jacket transform the tee-and-jeans look from ho-hum to wow.
Looking inside this jacket's pattern envelope, you will see a jacket front pattern piece with a clever darted drape. If you simply gathered up the side of a rectangular jacket, you'd end up with too much bulk to tie, let alone wear in a sleek silhouette. The Drape Front Jacket's darted drape reduces bulk, creates a trim front tie and flatters the wearer.
But if you want to make a non-draped version, there is a front pattern piece without the drape that creates a sleek front panel that, much like the passionately-loved wrap dress, creates a slim silhouette on all figures. The drape front jacket's construction in a drapey knit - this is a semi-sheer sweater knit, a perfect choice for the jacket - means that it skims the body gracefully, and has the coverage of a sweater coat.
Styling tips for the Drape Front Jacket from Travel Trio One
For a dance-sport-yoga look, wear the Drape Front Jacket over your yoga top and leggings with athletic shoes. Mix it up on the weekends and wear jeans, a tee and boots with the Drape Front Jacket (like Sherry, here). For a spring version, wear colored jeans, a print tee and the Drape Front Jacket in a pastel rayon/lycra knit. Go beachy with wide-leg linen pants over your swimsuit and toss on a gauzy light sweater knit Drape Front Jacket for a great apres-pool bar look as the sun goes down.
The Drape Front Jacket also goes upscale to work - pair it with a slim pencil skirt for a chic wrapped separates look. Or try it with slim black pants, high heels and a silky jersey knit top.
For evening, the Drape Front Jacket is a great layer over a long slim column dress. Try this for evening in a sheer black sweater knit over a dress with your best jewelry.
The Drape Front Jacket is part of the very-popular Travel Trio series and comes with a sleek banded-neck tee, and boot cut front-seamed pants with a flat stretch waistband.
