Men's Double Breasted Coat

Double-Breasted Coat with Generous Lapels, Flap Welt Pockets, Back Belt & Center Back Vent

A men's below-the-knee double-breasted coat with peak lapels, a six-button front, a chest welt pocket, flapped double-welt hip pockets, a buttoned half-belt at the back and a centre back vent. Fully lined.

When To Wear

• Over a suit for business and formal occasions in autumn and winter.
• Over knitwear and wool trousers in cold weather.

Key Design Features

Silhouette: Straight, shaped by front darts; padded shoulders.

Length: Below the knee.

Collar: Peak lapels with a buttonhole in each lapel. The upper collar has a separate stand and is joined to the facings; the under collar has a cut-on stand and is sewn to the neckline.

Sleeves: Two-piece set-in sleeves with eased caps and wadding sleeve heads; functional vents with three buttons each.

Front: Double-breasted, six buttons in three pairs; buttonholes on the left front plus one at the top of the right front for an inside button. Separate front facings.

Pockets: Chest welt pocket on the left front; double-welt hip pockets with lined flaps on both fronts.

Back: Centre back seam with a vent lapped to the left; a two-part half-belt with rounded ends is caught in the side seams and buttoned at the centre.

Finishing: Fusible interfacing on the fronts, facings, collars, stand, chest welt, flaps, welt strips, back belt and hems; flaps topstitched 1 cm from the edge, optional decorative topstitching on the belt; sleeve hems secured by hand; shoulder pads.

Lining: Full lining with a 2 cm ease pleat at the centre back and a jump pleat at the hem, sewn around the vent; the coat is turned through an opening in a sleeve lining seam.

Level Of Difficulty

Advanced. Welt and flapped double-welt pockets, an upper collar with a separate stand, a lined back vent, mitred functional sleeve vents and a bagged lining.

Fabric Recommendations

Wool or wool-blend coating: drap (dense coating wool) or wool velour.

Additional Supplies

• Lining fabric in a matching colour
• Fusible interfacing, 2.10 m at 140 cm wide
• Polyester wadding strip, 80 cm long and 8 cm wide, for the sleeve heads
• 7 buttons, 27 mm
• 6 buttons, 22 mm
• Shoulder pads

Cutter’s Must

From Main Fabric:

1. Back – 2 pieces
2. Front – 2 pieces
3. Upper Sleeve – 2 pieces
4. Lower Sleeve – 2 pieces
5. Upper Collar – 1 piece
6. Stand Collar for Upper Collar – 1 piece
7. Lower Collar – 1 piece
8. Chest Welt (marked on pattern as “Off-set Welt”) - 1 piece
9. Pocket Flap – 2 pieces
10. Back Belt (marked on pattern as “Strap”) – 4 pieces
11. Center Front Facing – 2 pieces
12. Pocket Welt Facing - rectangle 17.5 × 2 cm - 4 pieces
13. Pocket Underlay – rectangle 15 × 6 cm – 1 piece (chest pocket; trim to the width of the pocket bag)

From Lining:

For drafting the lining pattern pieces, use the following modifications:

1. Back – use Back pattern piece, add 2 cm center ease pleat, exclude vent extension, cut 2.
2. Front – use Front pattern piece excluding center front facing area, cut 2.
3. Upper and Lower Sleeve – use Upper and Lower Sleeve patterns excluding sleeve vent extensions, cut 2 each.
4. Chest Pocket Bag – use Pocket Bag pattern without any changes, cut 2.
5. Hip Pocket Bag – rectangle 19.5 × 23 cm – cut 4.

From Fusible Interfacing:

Cut fusible interfacing pieces using main patterns for Fronts, Center Front Facings, Upper and Lower Collars, Stand Collar, Pocket Flaps, Back Belt, coat hem allowance.

Important Information

Before cutting your fabric:

• Print and lay out pattern pieces to determine yardage.
• Check mirrored pieces, notches, and grainlines.
• For patterned fabrics, align carefully for symmetry.

Assembly Instructions

1. Preparation – Fuse Interfacing

From the wrong side, apply fusible interfacing to:

• Front Parts (lapel and hem area)
• Center Front Facings
• Upper Collar
• Stand Collar
• Lower Collar
• Chest Welt
• Pocket Flaps
• Pocket Welt Facing rectangles
• Back Belt
• Hem allowances of Fronts, Back, and Sleeves

Press with a hot iron and press cloth until fully bonded.

2. Chest Welt Pocket (Left Front)

Stitch the Front dart and press toward center front.

Staystitch or baste along the pocket opening marking.

Construct Welt:

• Fold the welt piece right sides together lengthwise. Stitch short edges, trim corners, turn, and press.
• Place welt face down on left front along pocket marking.

Assemble Pocket:

• Place the pocket underlay wrong side down on the right side of one lining pocket bag, aligning the upper raw edges; turn under its lower edge and edgestitch; baste the remaining edges.
• Place one lining pocket bag over welt.
• Place the second lining pocket bag (with the pocket underlay) above the pocket line facing upward.
• Stitch 5 mm from each side of the marked line through all layers.
• Cut between stitching lines, clipping diagonally into corners.
• Turn pocket bags to inside.
• Zigzag or understitch welt’s free edge to lining pocket bag.
• Align pocket bags, stitch around to close.
• From right side, secure welt ends with small diagonal stitches.

3. Pocket Flaps

• Place flap and flap lining right sides together.
• Stitch around all sides except top edge.
• Trim, turn right side out, press.
• Topstitch 1 cm from edges (omit top edge).

4. Double-Welt Pockets with Flaps (Both Fronts)

Fold pocket welt facings (rectangles) in half lengthwise, right sides together, press.

Attach Welts & Flap:

• Position upper and lower welts along pocket marking (raw edges to opening).
• Insert flap between upper welt and the second lining pocket bag, flap pointing upward.
• Place one lining pocket bag on lower welt.
• Place the second lining pocket bag on upper welt over flap.
• Stitch 5 mm from each side of pocket marking through all layers.

Finish Opening:

• Cut between rows of stitching, clip corners.
• Turn pocket bags inside, roll welts 1 cm to form lips.
• Press flap downward.
• Zigzag welt allowances to pocket bags.
• Align pocket bags and stitch around contour.
• Secure corners from wrong side (bar-tacks to fabric triangles).

5. Back Assembly & Center Vent

Stitch center-back seam from neckline to vent marking; press open.

Vent Construction (Center Back):

• Fold left vent allowance to right side along hem fold; stitch along hem foldline.
• Clip corners, turn right side out, press.
• Fold right vent hem allowance to right side, stitch along vent edge, turn, and press.
• Overlap right vent under left; secure top with diagonal reinforcement stitch.

6. Back Belt

• Place belt pieces right sides together.
• Stitch along long edges and curved ends; leave top short edge open.
• Turn right side out and press.
• Work decorative topstitching if desired.
• Pin belt to back along markings, pointing toward side seams.
• Baste in place — belt will be permanently stitched into side seams.

7. Main Body Assembly

Join Fronts to Backs; press seam allowances open.

Stitch shoulder seams; press open.

Anchor belt ends permanently into side seam stitching.

8. Collar & Facings

(Upper collar has a separate stand; Lower collar includes integrated stand)

Prepare Collars:

• Lower Collar: No separate stand.
• Upper Collar: Stitch stand collar to upper collar, right sides together; press seam open.

Attach Collars:

• Sew Lower Collar to jacket neckline, right sides together.
• Clip curves and press seam allowances downward.
• Sew Upper Collar + Stand to Center Front Facings at neckline; press seams open.

Join Jacket & Facings:

• Place Center Front Facing + Upper Collar unit right sides together onto jacket body (Lower Collar already attached).
• Stitch in one continuous line: hem → front edge → lapel → collar → opposite side.
• Trim bulk, notch curves, turn right side out, press flat.
• Turn inner edge of collar stand under and hand-slipstitch to cover neckline seam if needed.

9. Sleeves — Two-Piece with Vents

Assemble Sleeve:

• Stitch upper and lower sleeve together along front seam; press open.
• Stitch elbow seam up to vent notch; press open.

Construct Sleeve Vent:

• Fold vent and hem allowances to right side at marked fold.
• Stitch diagonal line across vent corner to form a clean mitre.
• Trim to 1 cm, turn allowances to inside, press folded vent edge.
• Secure vent seam allowance by hand (vent must remain functional).

Set Sleeves:

• Ease sleeve cap with two rows of gathering stitches between notches.
• Steam-shrink fullness.
• Pin sleeve into armhole, matching notches; stitch from sleeve side.
• Add sleeve head wadding and shoulder pads.

10. Lining Assembly

Construct lining identical to outer coat except:

• Add 2 cm center-back pleat for movement.
• Exclude sleeve vent (lining sleeves have straight hems).
• Leave 20 cm opening in one sleeve for turning.

Attach Lining to Jacket:

Insert lining into jacket, right sides together.

Stitch lining to:

• Center Front facings
• Back neckline

Do not stitch lining to hem or sleeves yet.

11. Hem & Sleeve Lining Finish

Hem:

• Turn hem allowance to inside; press.
• Fold lining hem up 2–3 cm shorter; form jump pleat.
• Stitch lining to hem allowance.

Sleeve Lining (Functional Vent):

• Turn up shell sleeve hem allowance; secure by hand. Leave vent open.
• Insert lining sleeve into shell sleeve.
• Fold lining edge under 1–1.5 cm and slipstitch to sleeve hem allowance — only across closed sleeve section.
• Stop stitching before vent opening; lining must hang free at vent.
• If tight, make a small diagonal snip at vent top.

12. Finishing

• Turn garment right side out through sleeve opening. Close opening.
• Work buttonholes on lapels, fronts, belt (if functional), and sleeves.
• Attach buttons.
• Remove basting, give final press, shape collar and lapel roll on tailor’s ham.