A peplum moto jacket seems like an odd combination. After all, moto jackets are tough while peplums are so feminine. But there’s something about marrying the two that somehow works — kind of like how opposites attract!
My version has the requisite hardware of a moto jacket — visible zippers in the front and on the sleeves — with the addition of a flouncy peplum to give the jacket a beautiful hourglass shape. But what makes this design so cool is that it can be customized to be more “moto” with additional hardware such as zippered pockets and visible snaps or more “feminine” with puffed sleeves and deeper flounces.
Close up shows the interesting textural details of the fabric
The fabric is a mystery from my deep stash — a deeply textured fabric made of a synthetic ribbed background overlaid with raised cotton shapes. It is such an interesting fabric!
Draped on the dress form, the fabric has body and structure
The jacket is fully lined with a polyester charmeuse, which is slippery and soft and has a nice weight to it. The hem facings and sleeve gussets are made from a fine cotton khadi fabric from India. I chose a soft striped gray color for the facings and gussets for contrast.
Close up of the hem facing made with lightweight Khadi fabric from India
Peplum Moto Jacket Construction Details
I started with a commercial pattern, Vogue V1714 and made a toile to get a better sense of the pattern.
Toile with bodice fit adjustments pinned in place
Some things I liked that were borrowed from classic moto jackets:
- Notched collar
- Asymmetric zipper front
- Slim-fit bodice
Some things I wanted to change:
- Add zippers to the sleeves
- Shape the peplum with curved fronts and hem facings to accentuate the flounce
- Narrow the sleeves (I didn’t make this change for this version)
- Narrow the shoulders so they don’t extend out as much (and therefore remove the need for shoulder pads) (I didn’t make this change for this version)
- Add a self-fabric belt + metal buckle for a more classic moto feel (I didn’t make this change for this version)
Handmade shoulder pads in progress
Sleeve zippers and gussets made with lightweight Khadi fabric
Adjustments for Petite Figures
Women who are petite (under 5′ 4″ in height) come in all shapes and sizes, so any pattern adjustments may be different.
Fit adjustments made to the toile are transferred to the paper patterns
In general, the following adjustments I made (for myself!) would apply for most petite women.
- Decrease the total bodice length so the waist seam hits the natural waist (the length between the neck and bust and the length between the bust and waist)
- Decrease the shoulder width
- Decrease the sleeve length
- Check the peplum length (this is key for petite women because a too-long peplum would create an unflattering body proportion)
- Check the collar size (a too-large collar may be overwhelming)
Snaps added to the shoulder pads so they can be removed if needed
Final Thoughts
I love how the Peplum Moto Jacket turned out, especially in this mystery fabric. It strikes the right balance of a bit of edginess with tailored and feminine details. My next version will incorporate some of the pattern adjustments I mentioned above, which I think will improve the overall fit for my figure.
To learn more about the history of moto jackets and peplums, check out my posts!
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