If you've been following us on social media, you might have seen a few tidbits about how our latest addition, the "Marie" swing coat, came to be.
It's been a long journey, all the way from the end of my college days in 2007 until now, to bring this design to life (for anyone other than myself, that is!)
I thought for this blog post it might be nice to traipse down memory lane for a minute... wax poetic, if you will. (har har har!)
My senior collection in college was inspired by Marie Antoinette, or rather, the perception of Marie Antoinette - the aesthetic for this collection was definitely more 2006 Kirsten Dunst rather than 1700's Parisian aristocrat. The focal point of this collection was an absolutely magical gray, blue, and pink houndstooth that I found at Mood. Out of all of the designs that were in this collection, the coat was the masterpiece, my pride and joy. I draped, patterned and sewed all of these pieces on my own. It was a labor of love (and tears, and late nights!) and when it was finished, I knew I had created something GOOD.
(the OG, pictured above, along with my original illustration! There were a lot of changes from the original concept to the finished piece)
Everywhere I wore this coat, I got compliments. I knew that someday, somehow, I needed to be able to make this coat so that other people could feel absolutely magical in it, too!
Fast forward to 2020, when Wax Poetic had gotten to a point where we were able to branch out to making separates and accessories, I knew that this coat was on the horizon. We tried to make this style here in the US, but unfortunately the limitations on fabric and construction made this impossible - we also wanted our customers to be able to afford it! So we found an amazing manufacturer in China who allowed us to make only 50 pieces per color, so that we could keep the Marie coat as something special, and not mass produced.
The end result is nothing short of perfection. The wool blend houndstooth is soft and cozy, the contrast inner lining is sturdy yet comfortable, with an amazing handfeel. The sleeves - the real star of this show - are made out of the MOST amazing faux fur I've ever touched in my whole life. The buttons were also specialty dyed to match the lining for both coats.
So much thought and time went into the creation of this style, and I really hope that our customers can feel the love and passion that I have for our designs when they wear it!
Do you want to know more about our design and manufacturing process? Let me know in the comments!
xoxo,
Johanna