This Bespoke Coat features Cordovan Lacing and Custom designed and cast Sterling Silver Buttons.
This couture-crafted Bespoke coat is made of the finest French domestic Lambskin. The lacing is a different, slightly stiffer and smoother glossy skin. Giving the lacing on this coat a subtle contrast. The additional body on the lacing also helps accentuate the curves of the coat.
The lacing on this coat is done during the construction. First the seams that are to be laced are stitched and the seams glued open. Then each side of the seam is hand punched – the punch cuts 4 tiny slots at a time. I had this punch made to fit my preferred type of slot and spacing. It covers maybe a linear inch at a time. So first there’s a lot of punching! Then each seam is laced by hand. It’s labor intensive and slow going, your have to be aware of each pass of the leather, that it doesn’t twist or stretch during the process. knitting, or embroidery, the tension needs to be very even. Like both, it’s a very specific hand skill. From start to finish this coat took around 150 hours, to complete.
The NYC jeweler who commissioned this bespoke coat, Margo Manhattan, also designed the sterling silver buttons. She specializes in Sterling silver and gemstones, and her line has a clear Rock and Roll aesthetic. But but, instead of skulls and crossbones she favors more regal and feminine shapes influenced by crowns and stars and hearts.
The buttons she created for her bespoke coat have a great dimensionality, and the rich a hematite finish works so beautifully with the leather. The buttons, along with the royal purple silk she chose for the lining really bring all the elements of this project together. Making this bespoke coat perfectly embody her singular aesthetic.
For me, that’s one of the most fulfilling things about creating special pieces for my clients.
A garment like this will always require multiple fittings, since once complete, a bespoke coat or any other piece that has cordovan lacing, will have minimal or NO possibility of future changes or alterations.