Costume Remix #24: Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
As a baby costume designer, I’m so eager to learn and enhance my craft and I spend a lot of time studying other artists’ work. I am always inspired by the costume pieces from some of my favorite films. So, I decided to start trying to recreate, and in some cases, revamp or put my own spin on some famous and not so famous pieces from these films.
I love Denzel Washington. I love Walter Mosley. I love Sharen Davis. I love Easy Rawlins. Ergo I love Devil in a Blue Dress. I think the choices that Sharen made when dressing this 1940s vet turned private dick, were brilliant. My favorite piece is not the blue dress that Daphne wears, although it’s beautiful. No, my favorite piece is Easy’s gaberdine zip up jacket.
I was able to find a vintage pattern in my husband’s size. Though vintage, the pattern was not from the 1940s, it was from the 1970s. So I had to adjust the length and collar to look less Superfly and more Mike Hammer. At the same time, I wanted to give it a modern flair. So I went with a railroad twill fabric and added burgundy ribbed knit for the waist and cuffs.
Pattern: Simplicity 6004 Unlined Jacket
Fabric: Railroad twill from Rye Canyon Supply Co.
Style: Jacket
Vintage/Contemporary: Vintage © 1973
I wish I would have waited to get all my materials before starting this jacket. Because having to stop and wait for the cuffing or zipper made me lose some momentum. That said, I’m really happy with the end result and so is hubby.
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