The Photos Of Peril

For those who read my earlier entry, All Change, you will know I have radically shaken up the fabrics I am using to make my latest Tennant Coat.

Although I am still using my fabric of choice – Malabar – I have found a much better colour match to the screen used material, which in reality is a lot darker than you might think.

Anyone who has engaged me in conversation about the fabric for my coats will know how much I love Malabar!
My reasoning is because it has a very natural feel to it defying its 100% polyester label; has a luxurious weight; drapes just right when made into a coat; is tough and hard wearing; washable at 30degrees; and is a nice material to actually cut, handle and stitch.
So to find a better colour and still be Malabar was fantastic bonus.

I have been plotting and working on my newest coat since just before Christmas, when a friend pointed me towards the Self-Striped lining on sale at a store in Los Angeles. Later I did a coat for Benjamin Rudman, and he specifically wanted this to be used for his coat (see right). The results were very nice and I had to admit the new lining handled a lot better than the heavy satin twill I had been using to date.

I think it was the idea of making myself a new coat using the more screen-accurate lining that made me take a second look at other fabrics I could revise.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I was planning to go to the Time Quest 2 event, so I had an incentive to get my new coat done in time for this.
Besides, I had recently sold my then current coat to Roland (see left) in anticipation of making a new coat, so for a brief period I did not own a Tennant Coat I could wear – at least not one I actually liked.
I might explain that comment at some future time.

Customer review - Ian Cummins take 2

Ian has already commissioned a coat from me, and he wrote a review you can read here:
Customer review - Ian Cummins
But he had to commission another one . . .  here’s why.

The story so far ...

I commissioned Steve in July of 2009 to make me a Tennant Coat, the details of which can be found in another review I wrote which appears on his blog. Needless to say, that particular coat exceeded my expectations, as did Steve's customer service. Often when you’re parting with wads of cash to enter into some mail order type transaction, the potential for disaster can be quite considerable. And, often, your fears are fairly well-founded, like when you order the Dark Knight cape and cowl, so you can sweep through the icy night, gazing at the glittering city below from atop churches, your night-black cape whipping against the stars... and you get something made of party hat plastic with a hair-thin piece of elastic stapled to it to keep it precariously perched on your nose. As many of you who read my initial review of my first Steve Ricks Tennant coat can attest, this certainly wasn’t the case with that particular garment.

There was, however, one tiny issue with the coat, which many people would have been happy to overlook, or possibly not have even noticed at all. But to a psychotic perfectionist like myself, it was an insurmountable problem. The hem was about three inches too short. (cue dramatic musical sting ... Da-da-da ... DUUUUUUUUMMMM!!!) I know, I know, who cares, right?

Well, me.

To me, one of the primary features of this coat is the very fact that it's ankle length, which is a rarity in any off-the-rack coat. And three inches makes all the difference (I never believed my partner when she said that, until now). I should reiterate though, that this had nothing whatsoever to do with Steve, his skill as a tailor, or his communication. It was squarely on my shoulders, as I had miscalculated the length of the hem. By THREE INCHES!!! I had supplied Steve with the numbers, and he had cut the coat to exactly what I had asked for.

All change!

I make no bones about it – I am a self-proclaimed perfectionist.
If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing right!

Now, I am also a realist.
That means that sometimes, just sometimes, you have to compromise and use an alternative if the goal you are aiming for is truly unobtainable, or just not justifiable on a budget. But it has to be a good alternative.

But occasionally, even finding the perfect materials can be double-edged sword, especially when it does not live up to expectation.

The Alcantara is a case in point.
Ever since the costume design display at the Earl’s Court exhibition last year, a hand-written note (see right) caused a frenzy of forum activity, and the hunt was on to find out what it meant, and ultimately track down the fabric the coat was made from.

I hunted high and low, and despite the main Alcantara range being easy to find, it lacked the colour needed, and just lacked the texture and feel of the coat I had seen at Earl’s Court.

Ultimately I did find a range from Alcantara that is a good match and I got a swatch to take along to compare to the coat on display (see left).

Under the rules of if it seems easy, it’s not, the fabric soon proved to be from a discontinued range, with no supplies in the UK, so I had to import it across Europe at enormous expense, bringing the cost to over £75 a metre. Ouch!

Customer review - Roland

So, another happy costumer who has no idea what he can write about Steve’s gorgeous work that has not been said already. So I’ve dicided to have a look back at how I came to buy one of his coats at all.

I’m from Germany and Doctor Who is almost unheared of here. The 2005 Series ran in television two years ago but with very little success and was cancelled very fast. Still I watched some episodes and liked it quite a lot. When David Tennant took over from Christopher Eccleston, I found that rather strange (having no idea about this whole regeneration stuff) and I gave up on the series. Quite a mistake, as I found out a few month later, when I remembered the show and gave it another try. I really liked Tennants Doctor and what very soon cought my eye was the Doctors new look. This long, smoothly flowing coat did just look amazing and worked just well with a suit. I always liked long coats, but never saw anything like this. Everything I’d found before was somehow looking like from an old Western and that was just not the thing.

So, after seeing that coat on Tennant I kept looking for anything like it in the shops, but, of course, there was nothing there. I had never been into cosplay so not knowing where else to look I considered google and ended up with the obvious sites. Magnoli was the first thing I found, but at that time spending such a fortune on a piece of clothing seemed rather ridiculous. Besides, the pictures of the Magoli Coat didn’t make me want it that much, it looks way to stiff, the colour didn’t seem right and after looking at some costumer images i was sure that this was not it.

Next place to go was ebay, and drawn in by the cheap price I ended up ordering a coat there form the seller tssy2005. Those people were nice enough and the coat arrived quite soon. It does look ok, considering the price, but it was nowhere near the real deal (see right). Just to start, the lining was black and it didn’t really fit around the shoulders (which was probably my mistake in measuring).

Bonhams costume sale - viewing

Well this week was the latest Doctor Who sale at Bonhams, and on Sunday I went along to the viewing. The write-up below features the Tenth Doctor items, and I have written about the other Doctor eras under the appropriate blog.

I had arranged to meet a couple of friends, who had been to visit me a few weeks back so I could pattern trace their screen-used Colin Baker Costume. They were at the auction with the serious intention of bidding on some items. I won’t divulge what, as that would be telling, but suffice to say it does not clash with anything I have my own eye on! Phew!

The main thing I wanted to have a look at were the Doctor’s ties, which were in a glass display case (see right), just along from Sylvester McCoy’s hat with hatbands, something else I have my eye on.

Below this were the ties including the TimeLord tie that Magnoli has copied – twice now! Knowing the tie was there I took advantage of the opportunity to compare and see how close the copies were.

Firstly the original printed tie, which although a good effort, is clearly very off from the real thing (see below, left).

Customer review - Benjamin Rudman

I have no idea what I can possibly say about Steve Ricks’ Tennant Coat, that hasnʻt already been said. But I shall certainly give it a go!

I have always been a big fan of unique clothing. Whenever you recall a lovable or popular TV character, they always wear such unique designs rather than off the peg, mass produced items. And it’s part of this that makes them stand out and helps us remember them. We like this so much we often want to dress like them ourselves! This is something I have always tried to dress by. I have always wanted things people couldn’t have in order to feel unique, and have thus searched endlessly to find these things!

One thing I have found myself partial too is long coats. People rarely wear them outside of the movies these days and I adore them. The trick was finding one that seemed just right. In my house I have a few long coats, that I have found over the years from thrift stores. And though these items are different than that of which is sold now. I have never found my perfect coat. The coat I would wear all the time. My second skin. That, was until I saw the tenth Doctor throw on his overcoat in The Christmas Invasion! It was perfect! The lapels and length, though different, were exactly what I had in mind. But where would I get this dream coat?

Bonhams costume sale - 24th February 2010

In a few of weeks time there is another costume sale at Bonhams in Knightsbridge, this time selling off a vast number of items which have featured in the various exhibitions that have been held around the country.

Since I covered the previous auctions at Bonhams on the 16th June 2009 and 16th December 2009, I felt I should do the same for this, but because there are SO many items on offer, I have split them up by Doctor.

Geronimo!

This week marks the start of a new era: Matt Smith as The Doctor.

It also heralds the start of another unintended project of mine – on as you may come to read, I had no desire to begin.

At first glance, the new Doctor’s costume is somewhat arid of reproducible, unique items, so though I find it interesting (but not to my taste) I could see little I to indulge my sewing skills on.

But as time progresses, the off-the-peg costume he wears has become increasingly difficult to track down, and I have been approached by a number of cosplayers asking if I would be looking to replicate the shirt he wears.

My first thoughts were that it was out of my capabilities, having never made a shirt before.
But I hadn’t made trousers before making my Five and Six Trousers, so maybe I just need to learn.

As a coincidence, the set-learning part of my recent college course covered shirt-making, showing me it was actually a little easier than I thought.

So, I’m up for the challenge . . .

You can start to follow my progress on my new blog:

eleventhdoctorcostume.blogspot.com

Customer review - Rick Crouse

Back in October I had an email from a lady who wanted a coat made for her husband for his Christmas present.

As well as being an unusual request – especially since it was being kept a total secret from the recipient - it proved to be the largest coat I had ever made . . .

I got the best Christmas gift this year – a Doctor Who coat! Not just any coat but one made with such attention to detail that it could/should have been worn by David Tennant himself!

My wonderful wife, Kirsten, commissioned a coat by Steve Ricks in the UK. We live in the cultural crossroads of Conroe, Willis and Cut-n-Shoot, Texas in the US. Yes, you read that correctly, and yes it is as culturally barren as the names imply. Anyway, she was a little apprehensive of ordering something from someone we had never met and who had no storefront – you know the usual concerns with sending wads of cash to some unknown email addy 5,000 miles away.

After Steve’s referrals (thanks Ian!) and several emails back and forth, the coat was commissioned. Steve’s communication was so frequent that I wasn’t allowed to use her computer until after Christmas. Kirsten typically would leave several tabs in Firefox open for me to see after I got home. Now I get email with links – like that’s something to look forward to. ;-)

She had to measure me and was quite nervous that I would guess what she had in mind. This is a bigger deal than one might initially think as I am over 6' 6" (a hair past 2 meters) and around 225lb (100kg) So lots of fabric was harmed in the making of this magnificent coat!

I figured I was getting a coat but did not fully appreciate what that meant. I thought it might be a period swashbuckling type coat as we are getting ready to vend at a new Renaissance Faire this spring. Christmas came and I opened the box to find the most amazing coat. A full on Doctor Who coat complete with Sonic Screwdriver (available at Think Geek).

Happy Christmas to all my readers!

You may have noticed that I recently added some hit counters to my sites, and I have been amazed as to how many readers I have out there!
When I started out I was writing it mainly for myself and one or two friends who knew I was about to make a new, and possibly ultimate, Tennant Coat.
From there my blogs have grown, and I never really knew how many cosplay enthusiasts were bothering to look.

Well, now I know it is more than just a few, I want to thank you all for taking the time to follow what I have been up to this year, and hope you will continue to see where I go in 2010.

I have pretty much written the last entry for 2009 (don’t worry, I’ll be back in January fired-up with ideas!) so all that remains now is to wish everyone a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

I wish to especially thank a few people for
their support this past year: 

Ramie for showing faith in my work

Lisa for aiding the breakthrough with the GAP trousers

Timelord25 for his faith in me to make him a new Five Coat

Seth for his invaluable input and eye for detail, giving me something to live up to

Finally Primrodo for being a sounding board for ideas and direction, and for the use of the image of his TARDIS,
which appears above

A new blog - but not mine

There is a new blog on the block, and for once it’s not one of mine!

George Chase (see left), aka Seventh Doctor Fan on the forums, has started his own blog, tracking his thoughts and ideas for wider consumption.

George has been a follower of my blog for some time, especially, it goes without saying, my Seventh Doctor Costume Blog!

I’d like to think I inspired him into taking the plunge and starting the blog, though I am sure we all have it in us to write our inner thoughts and enjoy sharing them, not-so-secret diary style.

You can find his blog at:

seventhdoctorfan.blogspot.com

Do take a look, and support you fellow fans!

Tennant Coat - customer review

“I should like a coat
like that!”

If I can just paraphrase the Second Doctor there, as that is pretty much the thought that was running through my mind from the moment the Tenth Doctor stepped before the press in 2005.

I’ve always been a coat person, more specifically, I’ve always been a long coat person, but in the past this predilection has been confined to mere mid-length coats; long but not long. Not until I saw Tennant’s trench coat did I realize that THAT was the coat I had been looking for. And you just can’t find it anywhere – it’s unique.

To cut a long story short, I, like Mr. Steven Ricks, was searching eBay and came across the Honest Dragon ‘Tennant Coat’. Could this be the answer to my search for the perfect coat?
No.
Read Steve’s blog for the reasons why, but suffice to say, it’s really not a workaday coat or a good replica.

Two years down the line, I’m reading Steve’s blog and notice that he does commissions and his ‘jewel in the crown’ is most certainly that coat. I looked at all the pictures of both the work in progress and the finished article and it looks good. Very good. Impossibly good! (I must stop paraphrasing Doctors!)

After a little bit of deliberation, I took the plunge and upon the initial flurry of e-mails that were exchanged, I could tell I was dealing with a gentleman and one who really knew his stuff at that. Measurements were given and a clear time scale was agreed from the outset and then the wait…

It really was an excruciating wait, not because of any problems with the coat-making process, but simply because I knew what was coming was going to be it and I just had to have the coat there and then.

Throughout the whole process, Steve was never less than professional, but in addition to that he was always willing to answer any questions I had (which were many!) and provided constant progress reports and any unexpected delays that were met along the way. I felt confident that my money was well spent.

Onto the coat itself; it arrived, nicely packaged and it was a marvelous moment when it unfolded – such lovely fabric, beautifully heavy and very very LONG! Oh and yes, it fit perfectly, my coat.

The Five Doctors

No, the title of the posting is not a reference to the classic 20th Anniversary special from 1983, but to collectively the Third, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Tenth Doctors!

Confused?

Well, I have been having a lot of fun recently, slowly expanding the costume pieces I do.
To start with, they all appeared together in the original Tennant Coat or Tennant Suit blogs, but I have since started building separate blogs to cover the costumes of each Doctor, so they are easier to find and digest.

So far I have added a special blog for the Fifth Doctor to cover the Five Trousers and Five Coat I have been working on.
I also added a blog for the Sixth Doctor, to pull out the information about making my Six Trousers.

This past week I have added the Seventh Doctor blog as I have been working on a replica of the Hanky that goes around his hat (see left).

Now I am adding the Third Doctor to the portfolio! This is because I am starting working on making the Inverness Cape he is often seen wearing.
I am doing it as part of the college course I am currently on.


So start checking out my other blogs as I slowly add to them.

Smaller on the INSIDE!

This week signals a special landmark in my tailoring work.

Up until now all my tailoring has been done in classic cottage industry fashion on the kitchen table - literally! In fact that was a step up from when I did the Mk I Tennant Coat, which had been made on the floor of our spare room, spending my whole time hunched over the sewing machine. Not good for your posture I can tell you!

From the Mk II I managed to get promotion to the kitchen table, as it was the only decent space in the house where I could lay out a large enough expanse of fabric to properly cut the cloth for a Tennant Coat and that has been where I have worked ever since (see above, while finishing the last garment made in the kitchen).

Launching a new blog!

This week I am launching a new blog to run along side the Tennant Coat and Tennant Suit blogs.

As part of my research into making the Tennant Suit, I practiced making trousers before embarking on my Tennant Trousers by first doing a pair of Six Trousers, and then a pair of Five Trousers.

The Five Trousers (see left) were a real hit with readers, and before I had even finished the first pair I was taking enquires from people keen to commission me to do them a pair, which I have now done a few times and you can order there HERE.

I have subsequently expanded to include both designs of trousers worn by Peter Davision.

I then started making a Five Coat, which again I have had enquires for commissions - even without anyone (including me) seeing the finished result!

With all these Five costumes I have been doing, as well as some in the pipeline which I have yet to announce, I have decided it would be better to dedicate a blog to all this new costume work.

I have therefore created fifthdoctorcostume.blogspot.com

(see right).

On it you will already find pooled together all the Five Trouser and Five Coat entries to date, and in future this is where I will be posting.

When milestones are reached, I will cross-promote from this blog so you will know when it is worth taking a look!

You will also now find a permanent link to the new blog in the right-hand sidebar, along with any other new blogs I create for future work.

Please feel free to subscribe or join the new blog - it gives me some idea that at least it is being read and it is worth keeping up to date.