My first impression of a Cape has me thinking of Sherlock Holmes sporting his pipe, and Deerstalker hat, now I am going a little off-piste here with the hat, as I made an interesting discovery about the famous hat worn by the detective and its multifunction. Yes, I figured by the name it is a hat typically worn for hunting or fishing, however its functions took me by surprise, I learned the side pieces (the flaps of the hat) can be let down to cover your ears, the peak at the back is to keep your neck protected from wind and rain and the front peak is to protect your eyes from the sun, the front peak I understand, but the other design aspects were a ‘well I never’…
Meanwhile back from my trip down the rabbit hole, onto the story of a bespoke woman’s cape. The discovery chat with my new client was about having a dress made for a family wedding; however on deeper investigative work which led onto a consultation I discovered that my client did not have a penchant for dresses!
Now whilst you may be thinking it would be my role to convince her of the benefits of having a bespoke dress made for this special occasion, my reaction was the exact opposite. You see, with the exception of encouraging you to step out of your comfort zone when it comes to embracing life, I do not believe in coercing individuals to either buying or having a bespoke dress made, especially if that dress will only ever see the light of day once, and being relegated to the back of your wardrobe for the remainder of its lifetime.
However, my client did have an evening dress in her wardrobe that had not been worn which she described to me; it had been purchased for a day when it may serve a ‘special occasion’. I know there are many of us who have those purchases in our wardrobes that we could not resist because they are so lovely, we don’t have a ‘present moment or occasion’ for that particular purchase, more a ‘one day’, and this was now my clients ‘one day’!
Whilst DCI Ellis in the series ‘Ellis’ is a character portrayed by Sharon D Clarke a determined detective known for solving unsolved crimes. I wear the hat of CTC (Coral Turner Couture) fashion detective known for solving fitting and what to wear mysteries.
Now that we have cleared that up, I thought about the dress my client had purchased for clues as to what could be missing from ‘the look’. I asked that she take some photos of herself wearing the dress in question, and email them to me, the email arrived and I was presented with a lovely purple Grecian style dress with voluminous draping, however, I could instantly see some fitting issues in the shoulder and side seams that with a bit of alteration would tailor the look, so we arranged to meet at my studio.
In the meantime the more I studied the dress I thought it needs a little ‘something’ to complete ‘the look’ in addition to some silver jewellery which would bring out the features of the dress more. Oftentimes with evening dresses as you are not wearing a jacket or coat the option is to wear a shawl of some sort, Pashmina, fine lace etc., and whilst looking good, depending on the day and the weather, it may not be a choice providing adequate coverage.
Think about it, if you are attending a wedding for the whole day from the church, to the reception, and late into the evening, the church is often cold, and then there is the standing around for photographs, and who knows the temperature of the reception hall!
Now this is where I had my ‘aha’ moment, the missing link styling her garment moving away from a shawl to ‘a Cape’. Think elegant simplicity, the style of cape I had in mind would be a cover for her shoulders, showing off part of the dress and upon removal, comes the big reveal the dress in its entirety. Meanwhile back to the Cape which is now providing warmth and comfort from day to evening, but also a design aeshetic for my clients overall look.
OK so whilst writing this I also discovered according to Marie Claire ‘Statement Capes’ will be a big fashion trend for 2025 and this Cape was made for my client last year 2024, – so we were way ahead of the game!
I set about making a toile for this design concept, and decided that on fitting the clients dress for alterations I would then unveil this finishing touch whilst presenting ideas as to fabrics. The client however is under no obligation to make this purchase; my intention is to provide her with an additional style option with which to wear her dress.
The day of the consultation arrived and went swimmingly, I fitted the Grecian style purple dress she had brought with her making the necessary alterations which looked great. I then revealed my big surprise, I had not said anything beforehand about the design I had in mind, as I wanted to see her first reaction. Well the surprise and smile on her face as I buttoned up the toile said it all, as she stood back to take a full view in the mirror, yes the Cape and dress complimented each other.
However, much to my surprise my client had a surprise for me, she had also brought along another dress that she wanted my opinion on, changing into dress number 2, well I stood back, as her second choice was even more picturesque; this was a combination of black strutural design for the bodice with an abstract print of varying hues of purple and lilac for the long skirt of the dress, the fit was absolutely perfect, length, style detail, it ticked all the boxes – I said to her “this has to be the one”…
It just so happened that I had in stock a beautiful black pure wool fabric with a slight sheen to the surface, I draped the fabric across her shoulders, it was a perfect match to her black and purple multi patterned dress. Running her fingers across the fabric I left my client to her moment as she looked in the mirror admiring her transformation. I did however make it quite clear having a bespoke Cape made was not her intention, and I would like her to take 24 hours, go home and think about whether or not she would like to add this garment to her second choice of dress, which was clearly the winner. “No need” she said “I don’t need 24 hours to decide, this perfect, yes, let’s do it provided you have the time”.
We then discussed hair, make-up, shoes, and having a little clutch bag, we also spoke about three-quarter-length gloves, more something to think about as the styling evolved as opposed to a must have. It was so much fun for both of us playing dress-up – which is what bespoke design coupled with styling, and discovering your look is all about.
Now I had to get to work on the Cape, from toile to finished garment, I had to think about lining fabric, its colour and finish, buttons that work in harmony with the style but also take into consideration her jewellery, she had decided upon silver. I also had to think of the timescale, as I had other clients scheduled.
I emailed the client 2 types of lining and 3 styles of buttons to choose from, her choice a satin gun metal grey for the lining, and hammered metal buttons for closure, handsewn finishing touches, the Cape is now completed. Time for the final fitting, putting the whole look together, dress, cape, jewellery and shoes.
Why you may ask put the whole look together before the day?
Well I have found that it makes dressing easier on the day, for the big day, moving you from stress to confidence and calm. You have already planned ‘your look’, there’s no second guessing, you know you look better than good; you are up there with the word fantastic! And I can say that without bias, as yes she looked fantastic, to which, after the event my client messaged me to say how wonderful she felt and the compliments received.
To close I will leave you with a snippet from the client’s review as follows:-
“One of my favourite things about her sessions was her ability to positively re-frame the thoughts and feelings I have towards my clothing style and preferences, and opening up the possibility of new but comfortable style choices. This meant that although what she created for me wasn’t what I originally set out to do, it was precisely what I wanted and needed. Hopefully you will start out with a clearer idea of what you are after, but if you have no idea (like me) the end result will still be fabulous and you will look and feel amazing! I felt confident and comfortable in what she created for me, got so many compliments, have a unique and timeless piece that will last forever and can be utilised in so many different ways, and I honestly couldn’t be any happier with the result. Thank you Coral, you made an initially scary process way easier and more fun than I ever could have expected.” ♥
To read the full Marie Claire article titled ‘Statement Capes Will Be One of 2025’s Biggest Fashion Trends’ click on this link https://bit.ly/412DmNj