The Trim's the Thing

For me, the best part about making a faux-Chanel jacket is picking out the trim. The trim's the thing with a Chanel jacket, don't you agree? I've already logged many an hour looking at Chanel jackets past and present as I try to decide what kind of trim will gave my jacket that certain je ne sais quoi.

Birgitte and Claudia went the fringe route with their recent Chanel jackets, and Marji, Phyllis and Erica B chose braiding; Coco Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld use(d) both types of finishes. Personally I lean toward trim that provides more contrast than you get with fringing, which uses the jacket's own fabric for the fringe.

On Tuesday I spent my lunch hour happily playing with trim options at one of my favorite stores in the garment district, M&J Trimming. I brought a swatch of my black wool bouclé that has flecks of cream yarn interwoven in it, plus the cream chenille braid I had bought to go with it two years ago. The chenille braid alone on the jacket is nice but lacks a kick. I thought I'd try stitching a smaller contrasting trim on top of it. In the photo collage above you can see some of the different trims I tried. When I wondered hmm, what would Karl do, I decided the black fringy trim on the far right is the one the designer would select. And it was only $2.98 a yard (I needed five yards).

Thinking about trims for your own faux-Chanel jacket? Here are some resources I recommend to help you decide which direction to head in:

To see current and the most recent past seasons of Chanel:

• Chanel.com You have to put up with lots of multimedia and annoying runway music but it's worth it to see the clothes at a size where you can examine the details. Only the most current seasons here.
  
• Style.com, New York Magazine ("Runway Look Finder"): These sites have search features where you can select a designer and then further refine your search, for example, look at all Chanel jackets from Spring RTW 2007.
  

To see vintage Chanel:

• The Costume Institute collection database at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Pages and pages of Chanel through the ages, heaven for Chanel addicts. (photo at left from the Costume Institute)
  
• Luxury-Shops.com, an online consignment shop where newer vintage pieces of Chanel are for sale; I love this site because the photos really let you see all the details, like the trim.
  

Let me know if I've missed any other online sources. I also recommend keeping a style file of tearsheets featuring Chanel and Chanel-type jackets. And before you go shopping for trim and buttons, read Ann's sage advice here. (Repeat after Ann: I will not buy trims from the home decorating department.)

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I think M&J Trimming's web site is one of the better online sewing supply sites but it comes nowhere near all that the store has to offer. Just look at all the braids in black or white in this unit above. There are easily several hundred types of black braid alone. Note: M&J's home dec trims are on the walls. Remember Ann's advice and keep away.

Did you see the recent Threads article about feathers? I had to show some of M&J Trimming's fantastic feather options.

And look at all these fur trims, some real, some faux. I have more photos of all M&J Trimming has to offer on my original review of the store.

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Next up on my faux-Chanel jacket: Cutting out and putting in the silk charmeuse lining. I hope to get everything but the hand-sewing done on my jacket this weekend. Enjoy your weekend!