Luxury Look, Everyday Wear: ReDPants Designs Espresso Jacket & Pants Set

This project is a perfect example of why we sew. We can have luxury style, custom fit, and smart fabric choices without the designer price tag. Inspired by a Loewe jacket (priced at $1,965), Ruqayyah created an elevated athleisure set using Espresso Sand Washed Cotton and the Mathilde Jacket by Etta Patterns. This fabric is great for year-round wear and highlights this season’s popular brown tones. For busy days and real life, the jacket and pants work together or worn separately for wardrobe flexibility. Shop the fabric and notions here.  

What made you choose the Mathilde Jacket and Vogue 2138 pants for this project?
It may sound cliché, but the fabric truly drove the pattern choices. The jacket has a strong Loewe-inspired feel, and I knew the drape of this fabric would lend itself beautifully to that design. I also wanted the overall look to feel sporty and athleisure-inspired, but still elevated and a little unexpected. The draped-front detail of the Vogue 2138 pants felt like the perfect pairing with the jacket — relaxed yet intentional. This pattern has been sitting in my “to-make” stack for a while, and this fabric finally felt like the right moment to bring it to life.

Why did you select Espresso Sand Washed Cotton for this two-piece set?
The brown totally won me over once I saw the swatches — I knew immediately this was the fabric. It’s just so beautiful, and the hand and drape felt perfect for both patterns. I could instantly picture the full outfit and how I’d style it, all because of the fabric. It was also something that I did not have in fabric stash and the completed look was something that I did not have in my closet already.

 How did you prepare the fabric before cutting?
Honestly, there wasn’t much prep involved. I know this breaks all the “rules” of sewing, but I didn’t prewash the fabric before cutting (please don’t come for me, sewing friends!).

What method did you use to transfer markings onto this fabric?
I marked the wrong side of the fabric with tailor’s chalk so I could easily tell the right side from the wrong side while sewing — both sides are equally beautiful. For darts and welt pocket markings, I used white tracing paper. Both the tailor’s chalk and tracing paper were easy to remove from the fabric.

What needle and stitch settings worked best when sewing the Espresso Sand Washed Cotton?
I used size 80/12 universal needle for the majority of the construction. I did switch to a vinyl needle (size 90/14) to stitch the leather patch to the fabric.

Tell me about the patch. It’s such a design detail!
I initially embroidered my logo onto the patch after it was stitched to the jacket. I did not like the ReD thread on the logo and decided to remove it and make another patch stitched in gold. The second patch was a slightly thicker leather, which I think also helped in the construction and was embroidered prior to adding it to the jacket.  The leather pieces were scraps from other embroidery projects.

When pressing, did you use a press cloth?
I did have to use a pressing cloth to prevent some of the darted areas from transferring the pressed pattern to the outer fabric.

What interfacing choices did you make for key structural areas of the jacket?
I used a black soft shape flex interfacing for the front inside panel and waistband facing for the pants. I used the same interfacing for the collar and collar stand of the jacket.

The jacket is inspired by a Loewe design. Did you make any pattern adjustments to the Mathilde Jacket to improve the fit or shape?
I made a muslin of the front and back jacket panels before sewing the final version. One adjustment I didn’t account for was the side-seam pocket placement. I found the pockets to be somewhat unusable, as they sit too far toward the back of the pattern. This didn’t come up during muslin testing since I didn’t include the pockets in my test version. If I make this pattern again — which I’m sure I will — I would adjust both the front and back panels to improve the pocket placement.

What was the trickiest part of sewing the jacket?
The pleats themselves were fairly easy to lay out, but making sure they were folded in the correct direction took the most attention. I used the YouTube video as a reference to confirm the pleat placement. I did initially sew the two side back pleats in the wrong direction and had to go back and change them to fold inward instead of outward. That small change made a huge difference in the overall fit of the jacket.

You chose a red lining for the jacket. What inspired that decision?
Red — or ReD, as I like to call it — is my signature color, so that part was easy. The contrast of the chocolate brown with the red lining just worked. It felt rich and a little unexpected — kind of like red velvet cake or a box of Valentine’s Day chocolates.

What advice would you give to sewists who want to try a jacket like this but feel intimidated?
Don’t let the pleats scare you! This is actually a very approachable and relatively easy jacket. The front and back pleats may look intimidating, but once you sew them the first time, they really make sense. After that, they’re much easier than they look. The YouTube video is a great resource and helps take the guesswork out of the process. I did skip or handled a few steps differently from the written instructions and the video, including bagging the jacket to attach the zipper to the front facing. Overall, it’s a great project if you take it one step at a time and don’t let the details scare you off.

Why did Vogue 2138 feel like the right pants pattern to pair with the jacket?
The inspiration for this look came from sporty, athleisure-inspired styles with an elevated feel. I wanted the outfit to look effortless and relaxed while still feeling intentional. An elevated track-style jacket paired with wider-legged, slightly slouchy pants felt like the right balance and made Vogue 2138 the perfect match.

Did you make any changes to the pants pattern to improve fit or balance with the jacket?
I did not make any changes this time…but moving forward, I will adjust the fit of the side seams to better accommodate the side seam pockets that are placed too far back, rendering them somewhat unusable.

What seam finishes did you use for this project?
For the jacket, I used straight stitch seams and pinked edges on the lining.
For the pants, I used straight seam stitches with a 4-thread wide overlock. Hindsight, a 3-thread overlock may have been a better option.

Were there any techniques you used on the pants to make construction easier, especially when sewing details like the welt pockets?
I don’t follow the pattern instructions for welt pockets — I find they often make the process more complicated than it needs to be. Instead, I start by stitching a basting outline around the perimeter of the welt pocket opening. Those stitched lines become my placement guide and help keep everything precise and aligned.
While the pattern instructions recommend assembling the pocket lining and pocket bag before attaching it to the pants, I take a different approach. I first turn and secure the welts, then attach the pocket pieces from the wrong side of the fabric. This method gives me more control over placement and helps achieve a cleaner, more accurate finish.

If you were to make this two-piece set again, is there anything you would do differently?
Two things I would approach differently next time relate to placement and construction. As mentioned earlier, I would adjust the side-seam pocket placement. I would also reconsider lining the front drape of the pants. While the peek of lining is beautiful when it shows, I found it tricky to get the drape to lie smoothly, and I think the lining ultimately affects how the flap hangs.

The two garments work beautifully together. How would you style each piece separately?
I have so many ideas for styling each piece on its own. The easiest look would be pairing the jacket with wide-leg jeans, a rugby-style shirt, and sneakers for an effortless, sporty vibe. I could also see the jacket layered over a slip dress with heels — or even sleek sneakers — for something more unexpected.

The pants would work just as well styled with a blazer or kept simple with a classic T-shirt. Both pieces are incredibly comfortable, which was the goal — elevated, casual, and sporty, all at the same time.

Overall, this fabric was very easy to work with and draped beautifully. It’s a great weight for a wide range of designs and stitched and pressed effortlessly. I’m confident it will wash well, and I would recommend it for sewists at any skill level. The color is the perfect shade of brown and feels versatile enough to work with current and upcoming color trends. And the ReD lining was honestly the best choice against such a rich color.