DIY military coat

Posted by MrKate on September 29, 2013

Military style coats and jackets are in for this Fall and Winter… but really, they're IN most cold weather seasons because it's just a fun way to spruce up a coat! So inspired by the pervasive military trend I set out to jazz up my 4 year old J. Crew coat to make it officially chic and make me re-enthused to wear it during the future chilly days. You can do this DIY to any jacket or coat and interpret it in your own way and march to the beat of your own drum!!!

Watch the video above for the full tutorial and my bizarre hybrid sailor drill sergeant character… listen up, maggots!

The coat BEFORE...

Prep it:

jacket or coat
scissors
needle and thread to match your coat
metallic gold spray paint
buttons(you can use the ones already on your jacket or add extra - look for military-style buttons at the fabric or crafts store)
gold ribbon or trim - I used a very embellished one but you could use a smaller gold rope, etc.

DO IT!:

think out your plan of attack (on your jacket) and decide where you want to add more buttons, trim etc. I chose to add trim around the sleeves but along the top of your shoulders or around your collar could be great too!
snip off the buttons from your jacket using a seam ripper or scissors
lay them on a plastic drop cloth outside (trash bag will work fine too) along with your other buttons you want to add to the design
spray paint all the buttons gold
let dry and sew the bottons back on
for extra flare, sew your extra buttons on the collar, along the breast line in a row, etc.
cut the trim/ribbon to fit around the cuffs of your coat or along the shoulders or collar - leave a little extra to trim later
sew on the trim with a needle and thread (make sure the thread matches the color of the jacket) - sew along both edges of your trim and along the line where you cut to make sure the trim doesn't fray. snip your thread and done!