Guess what. We have a brand-new pattern for you! The Prado Trench Coat is both trendy and classic, by which I mean it’s a classic style that you can wear for many years to come, but it’s also very on-trend right now. Trench coats are everywhere, have you noticed? And I think this one is particularly elegant. I’ve been having so much fun sewing and wearing it, as have our pattern testers! I hope you will, too. Here it is.
The Prado Trench Coat is an unlined trench coat with lots of wonderful details that you will find only in high-end trench coat styles. It’s a double-breasted style that includes notch collar with collar band, princess seams, a cape with inverted box pleated at the back (which gets sewn into the princess seams to give you very cool styling), front welt pockets, two-piece sleeves with button tabs, epaulettes at the shoulders, and a back walking vent. The pattern also includes a very cute cropped version without the pockets and walking vent.
You can create so many styles with this pattern! Eliminate the cape and belt for a pea coat style, or lengthen it to be more dramatic like I did with the khaki version below above. Or be bold and sew it in wool coating with an added lining to make a winter trench coat, which I’ll show you in a day or two.
Here’s the thing about trench coats: they’re so versatile! For a long time I thought they weren’t my style at all because every time I tried to wear one it felt too stiff and formal. But a few years ago I realized that I just needed to find my silhouette and fabric. The traditional mid-length trench coat in light stone gabardine didn’t suit me at all. But length or shorten it and play with the color? Yes, please.
Once you decide on which fabric and view is your style (or styles–why stop at just one trench coat when you could make several different styles?) you can wear it so many ways! Over a hoodie and sweatpants or with a white Classic Shirt and faded jeans or over business attire or even over a fancy dress for evening. I’ve been wearing mine non-stop for months now, and I don’t have to think much about grabbing it when I’m headed out because it goes with everything.
I added about 12” to our View A to make this one in dark khaki, which is made from a water-resistant treated cotton twill . It’s very lightweight, and the double-breasted styling with the big collar gives it a more casual, relaxed vibe. I prefer my trench coats a bit oversized (more trendy, more relaxed in feeling), with the sleeves pushed up and the collar popped a bit. I might belt it or leave it unbuttoned with the belt tied in the back to keep it out of the way. It can be styled a lot of different ways.
Recommended fabrics include gabardine, denim, linen, cotton twill, canvas, or even home dec fabrics like sateen or jacquard. Like I said, I sewed a winter coat with a fully lining using this pattern, and I used a heavy wool for it. So you have lots of options here. This is a fun pattern to sew, with a really high achievement level when you finish! There is nothing difficult about it, but it does take some time to sew this style because there are quite a few pieces. But if you know our patterns you know I walk you through all the steps carefully and you’ll feel so satisfied and accomplished when you finish!
So what do you think? As always, I can’t wait to see what you do with this pattern! I hope you’ll give it a shot. I’ll have more inspiration and testers’ photos for you in the days to come.
But meanwhile, you can pick up a copy of the Prado Trench Coat, which is available in digital format only at this time right here. I hope you’ll tag us with #pradotrench and #lieslandco so we can see what you make. This will be so exciting!