Men’s Classic French Jacket with Patch Pockets

Men’s Classic French Jacket with Patch Pockets

A men's hip-length single-breasted jacket with a stand collar, three patch pockets with rounded corners, zips at the sleeve hems and two back vents. Front darts, side panels and a full lining.

When To Wear

• In place of a blazer at the office, over a shirt or a fine knit.
• With chinos or jeans for city wear in spring and autumn.

Key Design Features

Silhouette: Straight, shaped by front darts that run down to the lower pockets and by side panels between the fronts and the back; padded shoulders.

Length: Hip length, straight hem.

Collar: Stand collar with a buttonhole. One stand is set into the jacket neckline, the other into the lining neckline, and they are stitched together with the front edges in one seam.

Sleeves: Two-piece set-in sleeves; the sleeve seam is left open at the hem and closed with a zip.

Front: Single-breasted, buttoned to the top of the stand; buttonholes on the left front and stand. Separate front facings.

Pockets: Two lower patch pockets and one chest patch pocket on the left front, all with rounded lower corners; top edges turned under and topstitched, pockets topstitched to the fronts.

Back: Centre back seam; two vents in the seams between the back and the side panels.

Finishing: Fusible interfacing on the fronts and stand collar; shoulder pads.

Lining: Full lining with a 2 cm ease pleat at the centre back; the front lining is joined to the facings, and the lining is slip-stitched to the hem, vent edges and sleeve hems.

Level Of Difficulty

Intermediate. Double back vents, zips set into the sleeve seams, a two-piece stand collar and a lining sewn to the facings and collar in one continuous seam.

Fabric Recommendations

Suiting in natural or man-made fibres. The sample is made in a melange suiting.

Additional Supplies

• Lining fabric
• Fusible interfacing
• 6 buttons
• 2 zips for the sleeves
• Shoulder pads

Cutter’s Must

From Main Fabric:

1. Front – 2 pieces
2. Back – 2 pieces
3. Side – 2 pieces
4. Center Front Facing – 2 pieces
5. Upper Sleeve – 2 pieces
6. Lower Sleeve – 2 pieces
7. Lower Pocket – 2 pieces
8. Upper Pocket – 1 piece
9. Stand Collar – 2 pieces

From Lining Fabric:

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

• Back lining: use Back pattern, add a 2 cm ease pleat at center back, exclude vent extensions, cut 2.
• Side lining: use Side patten, excluding vent extensions, cut 2.
• Front: use Front pattern excluding Center Front Facing area, cut 2.
• Upper Sleeve: use Upper Sleeve pattern, cut 2.
• Lower Sleeve: use Lower Sleeve pattern, cut 2.

From Fusible Interfacing:

For drafting the fusible interfacing pieces, use the following patterns:

• Front – cut 2.
• Stand Collar – cut 2.

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

Preparation

Fuse Interfacing:

1. Apply fusible interfacing to Fronts and Stand Collars

Fronts

2. Stitch the front darts and press toward the center.

3. Patch Pockets

• Press the upper edges of the pockets to the wrong side, turn under the hem allowance, and topstitch.
• Press the remaining open edges to the wrong side.
• Position pockets on the Fronts according to the markings and topstitch along the pressed edges.

4. Join the Side front seams the Fronts; press seam allowances toward the Front.

Back and Vent

5. Sew the Center Back seam.

6. Sew the Back side seams down to the vent; press allowances toward the Back.

7. Turn the left vent allowance to the right side along the hem fold, stitch along the hem foldline, turn right side out, and press. Topstitch the left vent edge.

8. Turn the hem allowance of the right vent to the right side, stitch along the vent facing edge, turn right side out, and press.

9. Lay the vent toward the side and secure the top of the vent with a diagonal reinforcement stitch.

10. Press the garment hem allowance to the wrong side.

Assembly

11. Join Shoulder Seams; press allowances open.

12. Two-Piece Sleeve with Zipper Vent

• Sew the upper and lower sleeve seams to the zipper notch.
• Insert the zipper into the vent opening and stitch.
• Set sleeves into the armholes, matching control notches.
• Press sleeve hem allowances to the wrong side.

13. Sew in Shoulder Pads.

Lining

14. Join the Center Front Facings to the Front Lining pieces.

15. Assemble the remaining lining pieces in the same manner as the outer garment.

Collar

16. Attach the Lower Stand Collar to the neckline of the outer garment, right sides together.

17. Attach the Upper Stand Collar to the neckline of the lining.

Bagging the Lining

18. With right sides together, place the outer garment and lining together and stitch in one continuous seam:

• 3 cm along the lower edges of the facings along the hem fold of the Fronts,
• up the front edges, and
• around the collar.

Turn right side out and press.

19. Secure the lower edge of the upper stand to the neckline seam of the outer garment back.

20. Turn under the lower edges of the body lining and sleeve lining and hand-stitch invisibly to the garment hem, vent edges, and sleeve hems.

Finishing

21. Work buttonholes on the Left Front and Collar Stand.

22. Sew buttons on the Right Front.