Dark Academia - anyone who loves this style?

[highlandcoo]

And where to find it?

This is how I want to dress this winter. More skirts and dresses rather than trousers as my waist is not the best and the trousers can look bulky unless you have a good waistline I think.

I love tweed and wool and flannel and autumn colours. Not black! Although brown is sometimes hard to find. Love brown leather for boots and bags. I really want to get away from jeans and chunky boots for a change.

I think I can knit some jumpers and cardigans. But I would love a big tweedy coat. I have a couple of really nice brown tweed hats from a shop in Edinburgh who made the hats for Peaky Blinders. But I need the right sort of coat to go with them. My long cosy puffy coat is cosy but totally wrong.

Any aficionados out there?

To all the seamstresses here, how easy would it be to sew elbow patches onto a tweed jacket?
Bought a lovely Eliz Scot jacket from eBay recently. Great bit of Harris Tweed, but I NEED elbow patches!
No knowledge of sewing...any hints n tips??

Hmm. You can machine sew leather, but you need a fairly heavy duty machine and I think trying to get a patch on to an existing sleeve would be difficult.

Hand sewing would give a more rustic effect but would prob work if you had a big sharp needle. Corduroy would be easier to apply for similar effect?

@teawamutu funnily enough, I was thinking cord patches. I might look around locally for someone. I don't want to wreck the jacket.

You can buy pre-punched leather or suede patches in any decent haberdashery shop or online. John Lewis used to have them but I think their haberdashery has gone a bit downhill. These are very easy to sew on with just a needle and thread. Sewing them on with a machine would require deconstructing the sleeve which I would not recommend unless you are an expert if it's a nice jacket!

For instance:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kleiber-Suede-Leather-Patches-Brown/dp/B0074O6VQC

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/392274516024

Corduroy will be harder as you will need to hem or zigzag the patches to stop them fraying and I am not sure you can buy these ready made. Hemming something oval is not that easy (don't know your level of sewing expertise, you might be fine).

@BonjourCrisette This is great - thank you! I might look into it a bit more.
My sewing level is pretty much as low as you can go 🤣 Keen but very much lacking in ability and talent!

If you can find a tailor / good seamstress they’re worth their weight in gold. Especially if you buy second hand clothes online… getting the fit perfect or reimagining an item. It’s great. I tend to have to have sleeves shortened and as someone has also just told me I have small hands I’m thinking I must be like “tiny arms” T Rex in middle aged woman form.

My concern about sewing elbow patches would be getting them even - I’m not sure if that’s as easy as it looks. I would have a look on Nextdoor.com because that’s where I was recommended a lady who does mine. She actually makes costumes for the West End and film so when I’ve visit her studio I often see what they’re working on. I saw a lot of the costumes for Harry Potter stage show and 42nd Street. The last time I was they were cutting out pieces in a white fabric but she wasn’t allowed to tell me what it was ( other than it was a film ) Needless to say she’s really good at her job. ( but she moved her studio and it’s a bit of a trek to the new one)

Good advice @Divebar2021
Thank you. Yes, I think I will seek out someone who knows what they're doing!!

Good day to you, Tribe! Hope you're all having a lovely Saturday.

Chores and dog walk done and am walking round shortly to a little local festival with autumn food and wares. So, I thought I'd better look the part.

Oh, and there are a few charity shops on the way 😊

One more thing - elbow patches - just marvellous!

The charity shop addiction continues unabated...grey wide leg cords, tapered red trousers (darker than they look in the photo) and checked culottes in a felty wool type material.

My Uniqlo boots arrived and they are ace! I've made the move from skinny jeans to boyfriends with a small turn up so chunky boots work well!

@helenahandcart78 you are the charity shop queen!

@helenahandcart78 I spent a couple of hours wandering round affluent area charity shops today and found NADA. HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS?

Must be my spidey senses tingling 🤣🤣

Show us your boots please?

No outfit to show, but reckon my coffee table tableaux is suitably Dark Academia.

I've been having a very frustrating time ordering things online lately despite all the inspiration on this thread. I've given up and decided I'm making myself some culottes instead.

I made the Megan Nielsen culottes in the short variation for summer a few years back. I've ordered some beautiful tweed from the Fabworks website to make a long autumn version. (Well worth a visit to the shop if you're near W Yorks and fancy starting sewing btw).

I also got the most beautiful bag which I think is quite DA without being a satchel. There's a tweed version as well!

@MoltenLasagne I love that bag! Very DA👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

And @Bookist wonderfully atmospheric. And the owl is ace😊 What book have you got on the go?

@Iamanunsafebuilding I moved into the boyfriend Jean zone recently too.

Well, I say Jean, but actually Seasalt Crackingdon cords in moss green.

They look great tucked into stompy boots.

Looks lovely! Very soothing 🥰

@MoltenLasagne I was actually thinking about leather backpacks today and I agree they are definitely DA.

@MoltenLasagne are you going to line the tweed culottes? Another lucky person with the skills to make your own fab creations!

Ooh I love the set up @Bookist - what are you reading?

Yes, @helenahandcart78 I think I'll have to line them just so they hang nicely. I'm hoping I can get away with mid thigh rather than fully lined, but I'll see! I'll post photos when I'm done.

They'll be gorgeous - I can't wait to see them!

@helenahandcart78 these boots. I'll take a pic when I wear them and post it!

Ooh I love the set up @Bookist- what are you reading?

Its an old, favourite book from my childhood called The Sisters' Tale. Beautifully written and set in early Christian Ireland I had somewhat eclectic reading tastes as a child

Thank you. It's The Sisters' Tale by Frances Castle. Much loved, very obscure, childhood reading. I have a thing for owls, they're dotted all over the house but mainly in the library because owls love books, obvs!