This jacket has one grace, and thatâs clarity. This is a denim dolman coat with decorative denim frogging across the front. That sounds rad. But it never stood a chance, because itâs clear the designer doesnât know or like anything about denim.
Those frogs. Now, typically a frogged coat like this will have gold cord or a dramatic contrast color, but if you want to look subtler than a Hungarian cavalry officer OK I guess.
When you want to make frogging of self fabric (the same fabric as the body of the piece), you typically cut strips of that fabric and fold them into cord on the bias, across the weave of the fabric. When pulled diagonally like this, the pockets of air between the threads of loosely woven fabric collapse, allowing it to flex and curve into a nice rounded cord.
Denim doesnât have a bias. Itâs too tightly woven to warp that way. Instead you get those wiggly flat noodles that have to be folded back and forth. You canât make an intricate knot and it doesnât look neat. A dolman is a uniform coat, so the knotwork should be regimented, each ornate frog identical for a blindingly impressive effect. The lack of color contrast and the clunky detailing arenât doing anything for each other.
Roll a thin strip of denim into cord if you must, and use two shades of denim, like a deep new blue on an acid-washed body or vice versa.
Hey whatâs this cut? What are those darts for? What are those leg-of-mutton sleeves?
Dolman coats can fasten in the middle of the chest or in a csakora (no relation) cut, where the lapel folds across the chest and fastens at one side of the frogging to really emphasize that impressive Dorito-shaped chest. I think this item is a great example of how people get so set in modern cuts that they canât comprehend how old coats approached the body differently.
Front darts, which run from waist to nip, help get a closer fit but also break up waist-shoulder lines for a less triangular chest shape. Here theyâre bumping into and distorting the lines of the decoration, but theyâre also just awkward in denim: you want a dart to be a subtle shaper, not a blatant line, and denim is so thick that seams should usually be doubled over and when they arenât they make obvious puckers in the fabric. Admit that you canât hide the seams and make sure they follow the lines of the design, with more triangular chest seams from a strong horizontal banded hem to the shoulder, outlining the space you then want to fill with ornament.
The sleeves were cut so they hang straight down. So the sleeve piece is cut at a very tight angle. If you took them apart and just follow the edge of each piece of fabric, the edge of the sleeve piece is longer than the edge of the body-piece itâs joined to, so the fabric gets rucked up at the top there. This isnât factually wrong, itâs accurate for the historical style I guess and is something you might be able to manage in a wool suiting, because the weave will work with you and warp to fall nicely, but itâs technically wrong, itâs bad technique, because denim is too stiff.
Dolmans tend to have a sloping shoulderâthe seam would normally be at the shoulder joint, not dropped off the shoulder, butâŚit doesnât need to be exactly there to emphasize the shoulder for the Look. While hussars did wear modified epaulettes sometimes, they more notably wore the pelisse or short fur cloak, which you want to be able to swish freely around your rounded shoulders without catching on a big square, structured, or pointy shoulder. So I donât see any problem cutting this more like a denim work shirt, where the sleeves are set in more of a T shape. There are other issues in making a tight denim sleeve, but I think my issues with modern âslim-fitâ denim jackets might be appeased by taking a trad sleeve cap and then playing around with narrowing them toward the forearms.
Also: I canât think of a more disruptive design for those pockets that isnât a full-on prank. Theyâre the only horizontal line here, theyâre at the natural waist where I donât put my hands much (and would have trouble inserting my hands at that angle), they end up inside the frogging but not interacting with it, and they have a flap with no button which, can we agree, is the worst pocket even when itâs not in denim which is stiff.
I know tiny-waist big-titty cavalry boy isnât a Look that Fashionâs into anymore but then why even try, you know?
Thanks darling, this cheered me up and if I find a defenseless denim coat lying around and make one I will somehow tack you down and make you wear it
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