Last week I showed you this beautiful shearling jacket that we took to New York for a Leather Waves photoshoot. In the next three episodes of “In the Shop” I will show you how it was made. I started with a bundle of six absolutely gorgeous skins from Italy that were an unusal find. The matte black finish backs with the fur tipped in silvery combinations of shades of grey was fairly long-haired and very luxurious. I only had the six skins so that helped me determine the style, short and somewhat boxy, knowing that I’d have to add some leather parts and trims to complete the jacket. I started with a simple pattern, something like a jean jacket, because that style works for so many body types and is very flattering! I cut my skins with the utmost care maximizing the footage, leaving out all trims to see how far I would get. I then started the construction by adding the pockets and using these beautiful black gunmetal zippers that are thin and refined. I invented alot of the details as I progressed, which is a bonus when I’m not creating a custom order and meeting customer specifications, time to invent new ideas. I love this method because things can happen that work really well and it’s a fun diversion from the norm. I added in my trademark label and also our new vintage label, as the stying evokes that genra. Interesting to see that the hairs need to be pulled along the seems and sometimes even trimmed to get an even look inside-a jacket “haircut”-the inside it is always just as important as how the jacket looks on the outside. Combining the leather trim with the shearling is great looking.