My tails - a shell

I have started taking a TAFE (technical college) Clothing production courses in the evenings. For the sewing part of the course, I am making a jacket. I had a few ideas about what I wanted to make, and narrowed it down to the following two:

I couldn't choose between the two, so I decided to combine the elements of each that I liked. I love the fitted tails look of the first, and the stripes look of the second. So, using Vogue 8061, I traced the pattern and altered the front piece to give the shape that I want. Then, I changed the grain lines so that I could see the way the stripes would of the second. Then after spending ages drawing the stripes on the calico, I cut it out, and sewed it up to make my shell, and check the fit. (Which is awesome).

I'm really happy with how it looks, so now I feel comfortable to cut the expensive wool fabric that I'm planning to use for the jacket. And, the fit is great - nice and form fitting, not too loose anywhere, and the shoulders sit well.