Bluebird of Happiness - Coat - Part XXVII

The Collar, Again.

Here are the photos with mock-ups of the collar.

Fur (leftover from another project, but close enough to get the idea):

Ivory fabric, same as lining:

Blue collar, eventually with same border as coat sleeves, front and hem:

Hmm. Well, I can tell you that I don't like the light colored collars at all. I thought I would because they would be a nice contrast to all the blue. The fur is all wrong with the borders, feathers and flowers. If this coat was solid (like red dupioni!), the fur would look wonderful. It isn't so out it goes. Feathers, which weren't pictured, looked as bad or worse than the fur. So much for those. I didn't like the ivory fabric, either.

That leaves one option: a blue collar. Surprisingly, this is the option I really like, and was the one I didn't think I'd like at all. I draped one side with an old border sample and determined that it wouldn't be too much. I was afraid that it would be too.much.border. and that the coat would wear me, not me wear it.

The soft bow at the neck is staying, regardless of collar option. I'm not sure how long it will be - I'll need to test that. The original pattern just had some tie ends at the neck, but I think the coat needs the bow for a few reasons. First, the bow will be made of silk georgette, which will make the bow soft and drapey. Because the coat is quilted and has a stiffer silhoutte, the bow is a nice contrast. Second, the bow color helps to break up the blue a bit without being overwhelming. Third, the bow is very feminine and pretty - a recurrent sub-theme of my art garments. Fourth, another bow will also be used on the back of the dress at the bottom of the collar giving the dress some interest at the back and will look pretty with the tails floating down the runway. I suppose you won't be able to talk me out of the bow, huh?

My son wandered into the studio while I was comparing collar options and taking pictures early one morning. I showed him the options and asked him what he thought. His opinion was the same as mine: he liked the blue collar best and the fur was too much. What do you think?

Parting Shot: Scrabble. I think I've created another Scrabble addict. We both like to play, but it is hard to find people to play us. The computerized version is the perfect solution because we can play at our own levels and is much faster than a real game. BTW, you readers did have me laughing over your responses to yesterday's Parting Shot. If you do have more computers than living beings in your home, I understand.