10th Doctor Brown Suit

[BriMan83]

Hello everyone,

I know this has been done over numerous times, but all of the posts I found were from last year, or at least a few months ago, so I just wanted to make sure all the information was still the same.

I'm looking to get a Tennant suit that can be worn fairly regularly, and stand up to normal wear and tear. I'm not going to be throwing in on the floor and kicking it around, but I would like to be able to wear it and show it off.

What the consensus seems to be, or at least was, for the brown and blue suit, is buy the Magnoli Fabric, and have Baron make it. Is this still holding true, or is someone else now making the "best" fabric for this.

Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated. I'm having Steve (pumpkiny) make my coat once I have the money saved up, but sadly the suit he made was just a one time thing.

 

[Punchbuggyblues]

I have the Baron brown suit and wear it to work fairly frequently, so unless you have an issue with the screen-printed pinstripes it's a good choice. But if you have the funds the Magnoli fabric (if it comes back in stock) is the way the to go.

 

[Dave Ward]

If you want it accurate, Magnoli 100% all the way. I had mine made in May and now I can finally start wearing it, it's becoming an "every day" suit. Also looks and feels great.

However, cotton is more delicate than wool for a suit. They made a ton of suits for Tennant for that reason, I think, as he'd tear them during the stunts. It's still perfectly wearable, but I'm a little more careful with the suit, shall we say.

 

[BriMan83]

Sweet. You two rock. You both answered another question I had that I completely forgot about, which is how well do the suits hold up. I know everyone loved them when they first got them, but how were they holding up a year or two down the line. It seems the Magnoli is more fragile, but more screen accurate. Anyone else the brown suit from either Magnoli or Baron and care to comment?

 

[Punchbuggyblues]

I've had the Baron brown since December and it gets worn every couple of weeks (the trousers maybe a bit more frequently). So far it has held up just fine.

 

[Risu]

You're on the right track to get the most accurate suit and coat, but maybe not the most durable. As has been said, the cotton is less durable than wool. I'm very careful whenever I wear my Baron/Magnoli hybrid suit. The material is very thin (as it should be) and worries me a bit. I only wear mine maybe every other month, if that much, so I wouldn't recommend it as a daily wear suit, but if you're going for perfection, I absolutely recommend it.

 

[BriMan83]

It's sounding like if I go cotton, it should be a special occasion suit, which is what I had a feeling it would be. Slightly different question, if no one minds, whose wool suit would you recommend? It seems everyone recommends Magnoli either way, for the simple fact the pinstripes are woven in and not printed on, plus the spacing of them. Does anyone know if Magnoli makes the Tennant fabric in wool, or only in cotton?

 

[Laamberry]

The problem with a wool suit is that it's going to hang (and thus look) entirely different on you. The Doctor's suit manages to make him look a little haphazardous by the very nature of how much the thin material wrinkles and bulges in places. I wouldn't suggest investing a ton of money into a suit that won't look right unless you're wanting it for fancy occasions or something, but that's just me :]

 

[BriMan83]

That is why I'm so hesitant to get the wool. Part of his appeal was how even thought the suit was never pressed, he still made it work, plus I know the cotton is much more comfortable then the wool would be. I've pretty much decided I'm getting the Magnoli fabric in cotton. I will just have to be a bit more careful with it, which everyone should be careful with a Tennant suit

 

[TheNickFox]

Okay, suit guy chiming in here.

There's no reason that a cotton suit can't be a part of your regular wardrobe. Every self-respecting suit-wearer should have at least one or two cotton or linen suits for the summer months. They exist and they are designed to be worn. Why else would they make them?

I'm not sure of the weight of Magnoli's fabric, but assuming it's on par with the cotton suits I'm familiar with, you shouldn't have a problem. (Unless you plan to make a habit of sprinting in the thing, like the Doctor did) Yes, cotton is a bit more delicate, but it is still a very resilient material. The show destroyed suits because of RTD's famous running sequences and the stunts that are necessary to the show.

Take some basic care and precautions with the suit and I say you should be fine.

Rules of the road:

-Don't dry clean after every wear
-Don't dry clean every week
-Don't dry clean at all unless it is actually dirty or smelly. (It will damage the fabric little by little and depending on the interfacing, could cause it to delaminate and bunch and bulge)
---Side note: I only tend to need to get my suits cleaned a maximum of once a season...and that includes some of the wool suits that I wear in hot New York summers. So don't cringe, it's all about taking care of them so they don't NEED to be cleaned.
-Get little wrinkles out by hanging it in your bathroom while you run a hot shower
-Get bigger wrinkles out with a steamer
-Before sitting, take the jacket off and stow it (By folding it backwards, shoulder to shoulder, then draping it over something)
-If you must sit with it on, sit on the "tail" of the suit so that it is pulled straight and isn't allowed to bunch at your lower back and wrinkle like nobody's business
-When squatting or bending at the knees, make sure to pull the pants up slightly as to remove any strain that might occur by pulling the fabric taut over your knees
-If you ARE going to cosplay (Involving running jumping and generally rolling around) in this as well as wear it regularly, you may have problems, but that's just a bridge you'll have to cross when you get to it.

EDIT: If the hip pockets on the jacket come sewn shut, leave them that way! It will help the suit keep its shape. Also, don't carry any large items in your pants pockets (put your wallet on a diet) so that it doesn't put strain on the fabric.

Follow these and just take care and it can last you a very long time.

-Nick

 

[Dave Ward]

Great advice from NickFox.

I do have pictures somewhere of a wool magnoli suit if you want to see them. It's a nice enough suit, just not quite the same thing as the "geek chic" Doctor.

David

 

[Risu]

Magnoli's wool fabric is a great color, but the stripe spacing is almost twice that of the cotton.

 

[BriMan83]

Call me crazy, but what Risu just mentioned is exactly why I am going with Magnoli's cotton fabric over anything else. I want the pinstripe spacing to be dead on, and I want it to be woven in, not printed on. Call me a perfectionist, but this is just one suit that you can't mess with.