Sixth Doctor cosplay--fabric suggestions? build advice?

[eruvanda]

hello all! this is my first post on the RPF forums, and I'm excited to finally join this community after years of referring to threads here for inspiration and instructions while building costumes and props in the past

I'm currently planning out a Sixth Doctor cosplay that I intend to self-make as much of as possible. I've never made something quite this complex or detailed before, and I'm a bit nervous, but very excited! my main question is: what sorts of fabrics are best advised for recreating the Classic Who Doctors' frock coats? I assume that the originals are likely all wool/wool blends, but is there a specific kind of wool fabric to look for over others? melton wool seems like a good option, but boiled wool seems solid as well, and also seems to be a bit easier to find/possibly a bit cheaper in many cases?

this probably sounds like such a noob question to ask lol, but my entire approach to cosplay (and really most things in life XD) is to throw myself in at the deep end and figure it all out as I go along. so I often find myself asking questions that seem pretty basic or silly to more experienced sewists/cosplayers.

also, I'd love to know if anyone else has ever attempted to recreate any of the Sixth Doctor's outfits, and if so, if they have any suggestions or advice to share!! nothing is too big or small to mention! I do hope to eventually make a thread that I can update with pictures and progress reports as I work on this build, so I have a record of my process once it's all finished. so if you're interested in seeing my take on the Sixth Doctor, be on the lookout for that!

thanks in advance! have a lovely weekend!

- eruvanda

 

[Dr Jones Sr]

The only contribution I'm qualified to make is concerning the tartan that appears on the front panels of his coat.

I'm very acquainted with traditional Scottish tartans, and the only one that's close to the 6th Doctor coat tartan is nowadays often known as MacDonald of Sleat.

Here it is in a c1810 sample book of the weaving firm Wilsons of Bannockburn.

I just looked at photos of various 6th Doctor cosplayers and they usually use one of several incorrect tartans.

 

[eruvanda]

The only contribution I'm qualified to make is concerning the tartan that appears on the front panels of his coat.

I'm very acquainted with traditional Scottish tartans, and the only one that's close to the 6th Doctor coat tartan is nowadays often known as MacDonald of Sleat.

Here it is in a c1810 sample book of the weaving firm Wilsons of Bannockburn.

View attachment 1681048

I just looked at photos of various 6th Doctor cosplayers and they usually use one of several incorrect tartans.

that's extremely helpful, thanks so much for that tip!!

I've done a little googling already, and it seems this tartan is tough to find without paying a full arm and leg for both the fabric itself and shipping from the UK. I may end up having to resort to using a similar but not screen accurate tartan when I first construct my Six coat, and swap it for the more accurate fabric later on when I'm able to get my hands on it.

ultimately, I'd like my cosplay to be as accurate as possible in colors and fabrics, but I'm already reinterpreting some things because of budget and because I'm genderswapping the outfit anyway, so if I have to fudge some of the fabrics a little for now, I can live with that.

 

[Dr Jones Sr]

Understood, proper UK-woven tartan is over $50 a yard nowadays, though the US Dollar is quite strong against the UK Pound at the moment.

Is that tartan used on the back panels of the coat too, or just the front panels? I wonder how much would be needed.

Actually the tartan appears to be a bit wooly or fuzzy, it reminds me of the North American "buffalo plaid" type fabric.

I think it would be better to go with a simple red & black "buffalo plaid" since the original plaid is black and red only.

I see other cosplayers going with, for example, Royal Stewart tartan, which has tons of different colours.

 

[eruvanda]

Understood, proper UK-woven tartan is over $50 a yard nowadays, though the US Dollar is quite strong against the UK Pound at the moment.

Is that tartan used on the back panels of the coat too, or just the front panels? I wonder how much would be needed.

Actually the tartan appears to be a bit wooly or fuzzy, it reminds me of the North American "buffalo plaid" type fabric.

I think it would be better to go with a simple red & black "buffalo plaid" since the original plaid is black and red only.

I see other cosplayers going with, for example, Royal Stewart tartan, which has tons of different colours.

here's a picture of the back of the coat from this thread on the TARDIS Builders forum, which is apparently from a listing of a screen-used coat that went up for auction several years back. based on this, it looks like the same tartan from the front is also used on the back left panel of the coat, and on the lower back panels of both right and left sleeves.

I'm actually hoping to have an initial mockup from the coat pattern I'm using finished soon, so I can make the necessary alterations to better match the screen-used coat and figure out how much of each fabric I'll need and be able to calculate costs better. because of the changes I'm making to the overall structure of the coat for my version, I don't think I'll end up needing a ton of any one fabric (mine is going to be shorter than the original, for one), so it should keep it slightly more budget-friendly than a full-scale 100% screen-accurate replica would be.

using a buffalo plaid fabric instead isn't a bad idea! I actually found a picture of another genderswapped Six cosplayer who used that print for her coat, and it's not a bad fit! my only concern is that the "buffalo plaid" pattern uses large blocks of solid colour, as opposed to alternating stripes of various thicknesses like a tartan, which changes the overall appearance of the coat a bit. I wonder if it would be possible to find another comparable tartan with the correct colours that could also work but wouldn't be quite as expensive...

on that note--would you have any recommendations for reliable places to buy tartan fabric from? most of the sites I was coming up with in my earlier searches had prices in the range of $90 per yard, and while $50 per yard is steep for me, it's a little more manageable than that.