A Cape RepliKate

Something about fall just puts me in the mood for a good cape. Last fall, I posted here about styles similar to the sold out plaid Zara cape worn by Kate when she was pregnant with Prince George. This year, finding myself still without one of my own, I decided to sew a cape repliKate myself.

I found the perfect pattern made by Burda for the repliKate (it’s style A of pattern 7313 if you want to get one for yourself!). It had the same basic shape of Kate’s cape and—bonus—the package said it was “very easy” to make!

I didn’t find quite the fabric I was looking for, but I thought this brown houndstooth suiting fabric would have the same overall effect. I was also excited to find a leather buckle for the top, very similar to Kate’s.

While there were a few hiccups (as there inevitably are), the project was actually quite easy. There were only four pieces for the whole pattern, so I would definitely recommend this to any beginning sewers out there! It only took about five hours to sew completely.

I shortened mine a bit so that it would hit further above the knee than the original pattern, more like the Zara cape. I also sewed the buckle so that the front sides would overlap more and it would be warmer.

The size worked out perfectly! It is loose enough to fit over cozy sweaters, but it’s not too big or bulky because of the lightweight fabric. Even though I didn’t find a large plaid print, I think the overall effect turned out really similar to the Zara cape. Overall, a successful DIY repliKate!