A Tale of Two Sleeves

My Thrifted Wool Coat Saga. TLDR; Go see a professional.

Let me tell you about this coat. It’s cashmere. It’s angora. It’s vintage Holt Renfrew, made in Canada—basically, it’s perfect. Thrifting it felt like the W I’ve been holding out for my entire adult life.

When it comes to thrifting wool coats, here’s a few key tips.

First: Look for a raglan sleeve instead of a set-in sleeve. Raglan sleeves create a sloped, timeless shoulder shape, unlike set-in sleeves, which were often designed to accommodate the shoulder pads. Those pads can instantly date a coat, and not in the good way.

Second: Don’t let wild buttons scare you off—they’re one of the easiest things to fix. Case in point: the buttons on this coat were a lot. I wish I’d kept them to show you just how unruly they were, but trust me, they needed to go. I swapped them out for neutral, chic natural horn buttons I found at my local sewing supply store. Same size, infinitely better vibe.

Details like the exaggerated notch collar and the long, looong length sealed the deal for me. (Tall girl privilege noted.)

All of these things on one vintage piece are exceedingly rare, but I’m living proof that they exist. Stay strong, friends.

Now, after wearing this heavenly piece a few times, I decided to tweak the sleeve shape slightly. The original design had a long, billowy sleeve meant to be cuffed deeply—a style choice of its time, but not quite the tailored energy I crave in a wool coat. So I pulled out my sewing machine.

As a trained apparel designer, this kind of DIY is in my wheelhouse. What’s not in my wheelhouse? Patience. I tackled one sleeve start to finish, and it was a huge success—clean, modern, perfect. Then, feeling a little hungry, I put my setup away, telling myself I’d tackle the second sleeve the next day.

That was 2.5 weeks ago.

So here I am. Here we are. Is it noticeable? Barely. But now that I’ve told you, you can’t un-see it. Will I ever finish the second sleeve? Honestly… not sure. This is my cross to bear.

The moral of the story? Take your coat to a professional tailor. It’s worth every penny and its extremeley likely they’ll complete the job.

What else am I wearing?

Sunglasses: Thrifted, no logo.

Necklaces: Wolf Circus, Leah Alexandra.

Sweater: Thrifted cashmere, no label.

Belt: Thrifted, Armani

Trousers: Decade Studio Noel Trousers

Footwear: Tabi Boots, Maison Margiela