10th Doctor Suit - Everyday Use

[Bromie]

I've been looking at all of the different options available (literally, ALL) and have decided that the best would be a Baron Boutique suit, but using a different fabric (it looks like Magnoli does the best version of both colour fabrics).

I love the look of the Tennant suit, but would want it to be wearable every day as a regular suit to wear to work. I'm really drawn to the blue version of the suit as it is very close in colour to a suit i nearly bought a couple of years ago (very similar colour, more common suit design), and i prefer the way the pinstripes are more subtle. I do like the brown suit, however i feel like it's known as THE Doctor Who suit, and is worn more as a costume rather than a regular suit.

I have a brown suit (not Doctor Who) at the minute, so was looking at the BB suit as a second suit to wear but in a different colour. My question is whether the suit can be worn as an everyday suit without singling itself out completely from everyday office wear.

Also, i was wondering how the sizing of the suit affects the look of it. I noticed that BB had several different options (e.g. comfortable, snug, loose, etc.) and wondered how these made the suit look. I'm guessing that a less tight, but still slim-fitting, suit would look less out of place.

I'm only 22, 6' 11" and slim, so would naturally suit (pun intended) a slim-fitting suit, but was curious to see what BB owners thought.

The only other option would be a different fabric, although it would take a while to find one that i liked as much as the blue/red.

What are everyone's thoughts on this?

 

[Pickenprod]

I was about to post something asking about Baron vs. Magnoli, and the specific differences between the fit of the suits Baron offers, so I'll wait here to see what's said! I'm sure it will be helpful.

I'm not up-to-date on what is considered acceptable office work attire for men, so I'm afraid I can't answer your question very well, but I'd say my first thought is that any suit could fit into a work setting as long as its colors weren't too bright.

I was curious as to the difference between Magnoli and Baron's suits, other than price. Sounds like Magnoli's is more expensive, so everyone wants Baron? Or is there a different reason, like Baron's being more screen-accurate?

 

[Dave Ward]

My question is whether the suit can be worn as an everyday suit without singling itself out completely from everyday office wear.

Yes. I wear the brown suit every so often to work, and a lot of other mod-style suits too. Occasionally I'll even combo the brown/blue pinstripes with converse. The fact is that most men have horrible taste in suits and the Tennant suit is a very sharp choice. That said, you need the.....I hate to say self-confidence 'cause that sounds yuppyish, but you're going to stand out a little, in a good way, and you need to deal with that without being too nervous or arrogant.

Also, goes without saying, but this isn't an interview suit, or even an important-meeting suit. It's more of a, 'I'm a well-dressed man having fun with my image' type suit. If you're adding to your wardrobe, go for it. If you don't normally wear suits, you might want to start with something else at work.

PS - Hope that wasn't too much of a lecture.

 

[Bromie]

Thanks for the replies!

Dave, i would have the suit to wear to work just like any other suit, i.e. general office-wear. I'm the same in that i can't stand that everyone wears the same big black or navy suits with massive ties - no-one seems to give any thought to what they've chosen to wear. I think the Tennant suit is a trendy alternative what everyone else wears, and singles you out in a good way.

I was just trying to make sure that it wouldn't look COMPLETELY out of place, as i really do like the blue suit. One problem, though, is that no-one's done a review of it. The only decent review on this site i think is the Baron suit with their most recent brown fabric, and i'd like to see full comparisons with Magnoli (with Magnoli's new woven brown/blue and blue/red fabrics, as well as Baron's blue fabric).

Also, i know that getting a slightly less fitted suit would make it look less out of place, so was wondering how the options on Baron's site affect the overall look of the suit.

Pickenprod - from what i've found Baron produce a better suit. Not only is their pattern more accurate (Magnoli has some problems with certain details such as the half-belted back and the breast pocket), but they're also cheaper and have a faster turnaround. However their fabric is poor compared to what Magnoli now offers (the stripes are printed on rather than woven in).
Baron apparently produce very high quality items, and if you're exact with every dimension then no alteration would be necessary. However i've read some stories of Magnoli's suits needing slight alterations, etc. after receiving them. As i've said, i don't own either suit but this is what i've researched so far.

It seems the best option is to buy Magnoli's fabric and send it to Baron to produce the suit. This way you have a higher quality suit with decent (screen accurate) fabric.

For anyone who owns any blue suit replicas - how does the colour look in person? I think that the blue suit looks less 'costumey' than the brown suit, however i want to make sure that it looks as nice in person as i think it does.

Also, i'm calling for anyone who owns a suit made from the rewoven Magnoli fabrics to post a full picture review on here (please..? :angel). And does anyone own a blue Doctor suit? If so...review please.

Hope this helps anyone with the same questions as me.

 

[manofsteel25]

The new Magnoli fabric only just became available and to my knowledge hasn't started shipping as of quite yet. So you'll need to give it a little time before reports of the fabric and any suits made fomr that fabric surface.

Risu on this forum spearheaded the new Suit Fabric run (as well as the Girl in the Fireplace swirly Tie upgrade) with Magnoli and may be able to shed some more light on it for you if you drop him a PM. However, the thread about this fabric is here:
http://www.therpf.com/f24/doctor-who-tennant-suit-fabric-reweave-86504/

For info on Baron, Magnoli, honestdragon and thier previous fabrics you might want to drop Pumpkiny a PM on this forum or through his blog as he's done a lot of research on these and can probably give you a better assessment of them than I could. I have heard/read things that mostly tally with what you're already written but haven't actually plunked down to buy my own suit yet. (The Classic Doctors' attire tends to be my priority).

If you haven't found this already, you can get a great headstart by going to Pumpkiny's blog where he compares some suit fabrics: Making My Tennant Suit: Comparing fabrics

Reviews of Baron Suits
Making My Tennant Suit: Me And My Tennant Suit - Dan J
Making My Tennant Suit: June 2010
Making My Tennant Suit: Doppelgänger!

dw_cosplay: My Baron Boutique Suits!
(Includes review of the blue Baron suit)

Honestdragon reivew:
dw_cosplay: Tenth Doctor Commissioned Costume

Most people I know own Baron or Honest Dragon suits (or bought a 'close enough' thrift shop suit). I do have a friend who owns a Magnoli suit which he had tailored aftermarket to fit him better (but he bought it second hand on ebay and didn't order it direct from Magnoli though so FYI) but I can forward you to him if you want his thoughts on it prior to alteration.

I don't know many that own a Blue suit from either of these two places. You may find luck if you search/ask on Doctor Who Cosplay and Costuming and see if anyone has bought the blue suit.

 

[Grasper]

My DW suit and coat has become part of my everyday attire sometimes together although useually seperate...

 

[Indy Magnoli]

I love the look of the Tennant suit, but would want it to be wearable every day as a regular suit to wear to work.

One thing I would recommend if you want a practical everyday suit, would be to go with wool (or a wool blend) instead of cotton. Sure, the cotton is screen-accurate, but "real" suits just aren't made in cotton. We offer our suit in literally hundreds of fabric/pattern/color options, so drop me a line if you'd like to discuss the possibilities.

Also, in regards to the accuracy of our pattern, with this new custom fabric we've developed, we have also tweaked our pattern (with the help of Risu and others) to make a more accurate suit.

Kind regards,
Magnoli

 

[Bromie]

Ahh, sorry - didn't realise the new fabric had just recently come out.

I actually like the look of the cotton suit, however this is where i'm not sure. I like it, but how would it actually look next to the everyday wool suits? I don't care about the wrinkling, etc. of a cotton suit vs wool, but i'd like to see in person how different they look.

I'm not afraid to buy something i like and look slightly different, but i wouldn't want to completely stand out. This is why i prefer the blue colour as it is closer to the colour of many modern suits, and the pinstripes are more subtle (but still complement the main colour of the suit). I think that the brown suit stands out as 'different' a bit more.

The only problem i have with wool and this suit deisgn is that it seems to make it look 'flabby'. I've only ever seen a selection of pictures of the suits in wool, but they never seem to look quite the same as the cotton variants. I wonder if it's just the shapes of some people? For example would two (Tennant) suits made from cotton and wool look much different on the same person?

If this is the case i'd happily have a wool version of this suit, however i haven't seen pictures of the blue suit yet. I'm not in any rush, btw :angel, but it would be interesting to see how it looks compared to the cotton fabric (as well as the new brown cotton fabric).

It'd also be nice to see updated pictures to see how the cut of the suit has improved. I'm no expert on this matter, but everything i've mentioned about the advantages and disadvantages of each suit has been derived from the opinions of other people. It'd be good to see how Magnoli compares to Baron in terms of accuracy, etc., especially now that the new fabric has arrived.

Thanks for the input!

 

[Pickenprod]

The new Magnoli fabric only just became available and to my knowledge hasn't started shipping as of quite yet. So you'll need to give it a little time before reports of the fabric and any suits made fomr that fabric surface.

Risu on this forum spearheaded the new Suit Fabric run (as well as the Girl in the Fireplace swirly Tie upgrade) with Magnoli and may be able to shed some more light on it for you if you drop him a PM. However, the thread about this fabric is here:
http://www.therpf.com/f24/doctor-who-tennant-suit-fabric-reweave-86504/

For info on Baron, Magnoli, honestdragon and thier previous fabrics you might want to drop Pumpkiny a PM on this forum or through his blog as he's done a lot of research on these and can probably give you a better assessment of them than I could. I have heard/read things that mostly tally with what you're already written but haven't actually plunked down to buy my own suit yet. (The Classic Doctors' attire tends to be my priority).

If you haven't found this already, you can get a great headstart by going to Pumpkiny's blog where he compares some suit fabrics: Making My Tennant Suit: Comparing fabrics

Reviews of Baron Suits
Making My Tennant Suit: Me And My Tennant Suit - Dan J
Making My Tennant Suit: June 2010
Making My Tennant Suit: Doppelgänger!

dw_cosplay: My Baron Boutique Suits!
(Includes review of the blue Baron suit)

Honestdragon reivew:
dw_cosplay: Tenth Doctor Commissioned Costume

Most people I know own Baron or Honest Dragon suits (or bought a 'close enough' thrift shop suit). I do have a friend who owns a Magnoli suit which he had tailored aftermarket to fit him better (but he bought it second hand on ebay and didn't order it direct from Magnoli though so FYI) but I can forward you to him if you want his thoughts on it prior to alteration.

I don't know many that own a Blue suit from either of these two places. You may find luck if you search/ask on Doctor Who Cosplay and Costuming and see if anyone has bought the blue suit.

manofsteel25,

correct me if I'm wrong, but are you honorarydoctor aka Bob Mitsch? Just a little something I wanted to get clear.

Thank-you for pointing out the obvious - ask Steve Ricks. Of course, why didn't I think of that? I guess I figured it'd be weird to pm someone specific for a question. Also, I kind of think of him as a famous person, and everyone knows you can't talk to famous people (silly me! Of course I can ask :rolleyes)

I'm all over getting the new fabric from Magnoli - it looks like the best thing yet to come along for our favourite pinstripes. I'm just not sure if I should get the suit made for me as well. I know I'm capable of making a suit on my own, since I have one so far. But it's not professional quality by any means, so I'd be worried about screwing up my next one. That and I'd have to sew the darn thing myself... but I don't know if I can afford the nice ones. So for now, I have satisfied myself with finding out which tailor to buy a possible professionally made suit from, if I go that route. I'll check out those links of yours now, to see what people are saying about Baron vs. Magnoli. Thanks for putting those all in the same place, it is very much appreciated.

 

[Risu]

I'm not sure I agree with your statements about the blue suit standing out less. Sure, the brown suit has blue stripes, but the blue suit is a pretty darn bright blue, much brighter than the average blue suit you'd see in normal life. That suit, to me, is much more flashy.

 

[Vlair]

The new Magnoli fabric only just became available and to my knowledge hasn't started shipping as of quite yet. So you'll need to give it a little time before reports of the fabric and any suits made fomr that fabric surface.

Risu on this forum spearheaded the new Suit Fabric run (as well as the Girl in the Fireplace swirly Tie upgrade) with Magnoli and may be able to shed some more light on it for you if you drop him a PM. However, the thread about this fabric is here:
http://www.therpf.com/f24/doctor-who-tennant-suit-fabric-reweave-86504/

For info on Baron, Magnoli, honestdragon and thier previous fabrics you might want to drop Pumpkiny a PM on this forum or through his blog as he's done a lot of research on these and can probably give you a better assessment of them than I could. I have heard/read things that mostly tally with what you're already written but haven't actually plunked down to buy my own suit yet. (The Classic Doctors' attire tends to be my priority).

If you haven't found this already, you can get a great headstart by going to Pumpkiny's blog where he compares some suit fabrics: Making My Tennant Suit: Comparing fabrics

Reviews of Baron Suits
Making My Tennant Suit: Me And My Tennant Suit - Dan J
Making My Tennant Suit: June 2010
Making My Tennant Suit: Doppelgänger!

dw_cosplay: My Baron Boutique Suits!
(Includes review of the blue Baron suit)

Honestdragon reivew:
dw_cosplay: Tenth Doctor Commissioned Costume

Most people I know own Baron or Honest Dragon suits (or bought a 'close enough' thrift shop suit). I do have a friend who owns a Magnoli suit which he had tailored aftermarket to fit him better (but he bought it second hand on ebay and didn't order it direct from Magnoli though so FYI) but I can forward you to him if you want his thoughts on it prior to alteration.

I don't know many that own a Blue suit from either of these two places. You may find luck if you search/ask on Doctor Who Cosplay and Costuming and see if anyone has bought the blue suit.

I think I saw you at Polaris here in Toronto. If not you have a doppelganger

 

[manofsteel25]

pickenprod - yep that's me.

Steve/pupmkiny is really cool and is very approachable. Especially when discussing the Ten suit. Just drop him an e-mail through his blog, it's the best way to reach him.

Aside from reading the reviews posted or talking direct with some of these folks (like magnolli himelf since he's a member here) would be to request swatches of the fabrics involved and compare the wool and cotton first hand before buying.

Vlair- I've never been to Toronto so I must have a doppleganger... or maybe it's someone else in a Tom Baker costume?

 

[Dave Ward]

Yeah, anything lighter than a navy blue is really going to stand out (again, especially if you're augmenting a small wardrobe and you'll be wearing this often).

Here in the US, Tennant is practically unknown so you can get away with the brown suit very easily so that's the less austentatious choice. I haven't been home to the UK since the new series aired so i've no idea if you could get away with the brown without looking like you were going to a costume party. You might consider getting the same pattern but in a different colour.

 

[Bromie]

Thanks for all of the replies! I think the best thing would be to get in touch with some of the people mentioned here.

I'm still not sure about how Baron's sizing option affects the look of the suit, i.e. what option suits what person's frame and size? Suppose this doesn't matter too much.

Here in the UK i feel like the suit would be recognised, which is why i'm tending to steer away from the brown colour. And for some reason i just really like the colour of the blue suit. I saw a suit in a shop a few years ago that was was in between navy and this blue and had dark brown pinstripes. I liked the main colour, but also liked how the stripes were contrasting yet dark enough to blend well into the jacket. This is why i like the blue suit, however i've never seen it in person and it may appear more 'vivid' as you've mentioned.

I think for now i should trawl the shops looking for a fabric that catches my eye (not having much luck using Google). I'm really looking for a fabric with contrasting colour pinstripes, but the internet's not much use for specifics like this.

By the way, what should i look for in a suiting fabric? I know a wool/wool blend is preferred for an everyday suit, but what about the quality, length required, etc.? Or does a suiting fabric, generally, do what it says on the tin?

 

[manofsteel25]

Thanks for all of the replies! I think the best thing would be to get in touch with some of the people mentioned here.

I'm still not sure about how Baron's sizing option affects the look of the suit, i.e. what option suits what person's frame and size? Suppose this doesn't matter too much.

Here in the UK i feel like the suit would be recognised, which is why i'm tending to steer away from the brown colour. And for some reason i just really like the colour of the blue suit. I saw a suit in a shop a few years ago that was was in between navy and this blue and had dark brown pinstripes. I liked the main colour, but also liked how the stripes were contrasting yet dark enough to blend well into the jacket. This is why i like the blue suit, however i've never seen it in person and it may appear more 'vivid' as you've mentioned.

I think for now i should trawl the shops looking for a fabric that catches my eye (not having much luck using Google). I'm really looking for a fabric with contrasting colour pinstripes, but the internet's not much use for specifics like this.

By the way, what should i look for in a suiting fabric? I know a wool/wool blend is preferred for an everyday suit, but what about the quality, length required, etc.? Or does a suiting fabric, generally, do what it says on the tin?

Yeah it's hard to make a call online for color. Monitor settings throw things off plus you don't know the conditions the photo of the fabric was taken under. Best to look at it in person if you can. Order swatches from magnoli and baron and compare. Check out Steve's blog.

Talk to the folks who reviewed thier suits if you can to get an idea of what sizing they used. When in doubt- ask the seller what they recommend for what you want. Part of the character of the suit is it's skinny, so use the slim fit there. otherwise for a day in day out suit I'd go with more of a standard fit.

It all depends on how 'accurate' you want it vs everyday wear. Accurate go cotton. Everyday go wool. Look at the reviews where cotton or wool were used to see which you prefer.

Wool (usually a wool gaberdine) is a standard suiting fabric. If you find fabric in a section of a fabric store that says suiting fabric then yes it'll do what it says.

 

[Dave Ward]

Huh. I'd be planning to make a 10 suit in blue out of Indy's new cotton fabric, but i see some concern here about wearing that day-to-day.

What would be the issue with a cotton suit?

 

[Bromie]

Well i prefer the look of cotton, but i think the thing is that it suits Tennant when worn as Doctor Who. Wearing it as an everyday suit is another matter.

The main problems with cotton is that it wrinkles more easily than wool and is a thinner material. It'll keep you cool in the summer but (depending on how susceptible to the cold you are) may not be much use during colder months. I'm also not sure whether cotton may not be as durable as wool?
I'm not an expert when it comes to fabrics, so maybe someone with some experience may be able to help here? I know Steve must definitely have some experience on the different materials, as he's made two cotton suits (well, i don't think he's starting the blue suit 'till after the burgundy one), and has had a good look at several in wool.

Other than that i think the main problem is that cotton is easily distinguished from wool when used as suiting material. Linen suits exist, obviously, but in the brown and blue colours may make the suit look drastically different compared to the suits of everyone else.
I prefer the look of the cotton fabric as it suits the cut of the suit better, but i think i'll order several swatches from Magnoli (in wool and cotton) to see what i think.

Magnoli's fabric has only recently come out, so it may take a few weeks before anyone posts a review of the new suit. Although, no-one seems to actually have a blue suit to review - every review or webpage i've seen has been brown Primrodo, Magnoli, or Baron fabric, and have seen none of the blue suit (i.e. the blue fabric as offered by the different manufacturers, not just any blue material in the shape of a Tennant suit). There is, i think, one picture of the blue suit by Baron, but their colours are a little bit off and are printed unlike Magnoli, and it isn't a full review of the suit.

 

[doctorish]

the thing that really sets Tennant's suit apart is actually the wear of the off-white converse. I have some all black leather converse that I wear with my brown baron suit and that tends to make it less noticeable.