Bias binding accents garment edges, but it can make them bulky. The wider the binding is, the more difficult it can be to achieve a smooth and flat finish. For the contrasting trim shown on the back cover, French designer Jacques Esterel skipped a binding and instead appliquéd mitered 1-1/8-inch-wide silk bias strips by hand along the exposed collar and lapel edges. This method is time-consuming and requires control to get a precise result. You can try the following alternative method that adds the contrast band by machine early in the garment construction.

The double-breasted coat also features what, at first glance, look like in-seam buttonholes, and yet the coat front panel is cut as a single piece with no available internal seamlines. The sleek and unobtrusive buttonholes are openings in three narrow, horizontal darts. This ingenious solution is worth considering when you want a nearly invisible opening…