11th Doctor 2012 Christmas Special WIP

[Grey Pilgrim]

With my wife deciding to do Clara Oswald's costume from the 2012 Christmas Special, I have an excuse to try this, my favorite of 11's costumes.
We're targeting Chicago TARDIS 2013 at the end of November.

First of all, of course Steve Ricks has a nice breakdown of the components.
I already have the Simplicity pattern for the frock coat and waistcoat - my wife picked them up on sale today.
That leaves the trousers, top hat, shirt, tie, boots, and watch chain. Possibly the round glasses.
For the trousers, my dream is to find a pair in brown houndstooth wool in a size 32x34 (or longer for the cuff). Hmmmm. Yeah, right. Failing that, I might settle for something like these or, if I get super ambitious, make a pair out of this. I've never made pants before, but I'm not afraid to learn.
I plan to make the top hat following a guide like this one.
For the boots, I grabbed a pair off ebay that are close enough for me and my budget:


That's all I've got so far. Please weigh in if you've got ideas about top hat construction, fabrics for any component, or leads on shirts or trousers.

Thanks!

 

[Risu]

Very cool project. I picked up close enough boots as well, I went with the Steve Madden Evander 2 in tan and dyed them 2 colors. The purple didn't turn out so well, so I'll try again some day. I'm trying for Journey to the Center of the TARDIS myself.

I do plan to add that shirting to my Spoonflower page eventually, keep an eye out for it if you're interested in learning to make shirts.

risu's shop on Spoonflower: fabric, wallpaper and wall decals (the Amy plaid doesn't turn out well and the Journey shirting is still in development, so I wouldn't recommend ordering them if you're so inclined.)

 

[Grey Pilgrim]

I went with the Steve Madden Evander 2 in tan and dyed them 2 colors.

These are indeed the very same. For my version I don't think they're the darker purple, so that's one thing I won't be worrying about.

Thanks for the spoonflower link - I'll keep it in mind. I think I could get away with the Paul Smith pattern and just turn it 90º for the cuffs if I can't find a decent stand-in shirt in my size (which is likely). I think my wife might have been hoping for more of a found-item costume for me as opposed to the armor I made last time, but I am getting a decent head-start.

 

[Risu]

While I do love the PS pattern, I'd recommend waiting. I'll probably get to the Snowmen pattern in the next week or two.

 

[JokerMan]

You look like you've got everything prepared, and it looks to be a very cool project.

If you want to get super accurate, I recently discovered a little something about his trousers.

At the end of the episode, he's no longer wearing his frock coat, giving a good view of the back. As the waistcoat rises (I hate it when they do that, it's so annoying to adjust every time - but I digress), you can see his trousers are held up by braces. These are the leather-ended kind which attach to the trousers via buttons on the waistband - in this particular instance, the buttons happen to be inside the waistband, with the back of the trousers in a fishtail-style cut. I've found a good pattern for the style of trousers here if you're feeling brave enough to make your own: Pattern #119

I hope I've helped, and good luck with the project

 

[Grey Pilgrim]

That is awesome, thanks for chiming in. The pants in the screengrabs look like they're more of a modern cut, without the high waist you'd really need with a waistcoat, so maybe the braces help keep things on the up and up? Filing this away - if I chicken out for this convention, I'n sure I'll want to upgrade at some point.

 

[Grey Pilgrim]

Forgive me, I chickened out. Even though looking at a high-res image of the trousers I found they're not houndstooth at all, I got a pair that are, and I think will work nicely. Of course, they're not perfect - they're pleated instead of flat-front, but they do have buttons on the inside for braces, and they're cuffed, which I NEVER thought I'd find for my lanky frame.

I guess I'm reserving my creative energy for the hat, coat and waistcoat.

 

[Risu]

I hadn't noticed that they're plaid. Disappointing. The fabric I got is houndstooth. The pants aren't as high waisted as the "standard" vintage patterns, but they're higher than most modern pants. They're also very roomy in the seat and only get slim in the legs.

 

[Grey Pilgrim]

I hadn't noticed that they're plaid. Disappointing. The fabric I got is houndstooth. The pants aren't as high waisted as the "standard" vintage patterns, but they're higher than most modern pants. They're also very roomy in the seat and only get slim in the legs.

Yeah, I'm going to see how these fit once they arrive, and taper the legs if necessary. I'm perfectly comfortable with the houndstooth, and there's a nice precedent in Doctor Who for it, even if it's not technically correct for this one.

 

[Grey Pilgrim]

I think I've found the correct trim they used on the frock coat and waist coat.
It appears to be Robert Allen Spectr Gimp - charcoal
Now to figure out how badly I want the real thing instead of a much cheaper alternative.

 

[thorneyboy]

I think I've found the correct trim they used on the frock coat and waist coat.
It appears to be Robert Allen Spectr Gimp - charcoal
Now to figure out how badly I want the real thing instead of a much cheaper alternative.
View attachment 228820View attachment 228821

Hate to say it but that is not the trim. There is only one store it came from in the UK.

 

[Grey Pilgrim]

Hate to say it but that is not the trim. There is only one store it came from in the UK.

Well that makes me feel better about passing it up if it's only a close enough.

 

[Grey Pilgrim]

Hate to say it but that is not the trim. There is only one store it came from in the UK.

I just looked up your profile saw you had one of these waistcoats - did you make it, and if so, any tips? What did you end up using for the trim and did you think it had the correct read?

 

[Grey Pilgrim]

Found another possibility, although black or charcoal isn't an available color and there's no brand listed:
STUNNING BRAID GIMP/ EDGING TRIM 12MM WIDE X2 MTRS, VARIOUS COLOURS, ART 4605 | eBay

 

[Risu]

Looks like you're on the right track. That stuff definitely looks good enough if you can find it in the right color. Do you have any plans yet for the coat fabric? It looks like some kind of long pile mohair to me. A little too heavy for faux suede, although you could probably get away with that if you found the perfect color cheap.

 

[Cap Fitzgerald]

Welp, the whole plaid not houndstooth thing is good to know. There's probably a lot more 1/4" square plaid fabrics in brown than there are houndstooth that'll look like it does on screen. And the waistcoat Thorneyboy has is from an ebay seller I believe, Pilgrim.

 

[HaroldVonBraun]

Cotton Velvet Braided Waistcoat Victorian Steampunk Goth Dandy Obsidian New | eBay

Here it is, just remember to ask for it with a "flat bottom" or whatever you'd call it.

 

[thorneyboy]

Cotton Velvet Braided Waistcoat Victorian Steampunk Goth Dandy Obsidian New | eBay

Here it is, just remember to ask for it with a "flat bottom" or whatever you'd call it.

I love how I was the one who found the listing and spoke direct to the seller and made all the necessary adjustments to make it similar to the waistcoat and others just casually pass it of as "here it is" "I found it for you". I have already posted this info in other threads it just takes a little researching. Also it not just a straight bottom, the buttons need to be changed, it needs 4 pockets and not 2 and needs 6 buttons and not 5. That why I sold mine as it was far from near accurate.

Hence why I made my own more accurate waistcoat....

 

[Grey Pilgrim]

I have already posted this info in other threads it just takes a little researching. Also it not just a straight bottom, the buttons need to be changed, it needs 4 pockets and not 2 and needs 6 buttons and not 5. That why I sold mine as it was far from near accurate.

Hence why I made my own more accurate waistcoat....

Thanks for your help so far - do you possibly have a link to a thread that discusses this? I couldn't find anything in a few searches, the only stuff I'm finding is about the other waistcoat. I appreciate any help you can offer. I'm sure your own research was a lot of work and I understand if you don't want to share, I just thought if it exists somewhere on this board you might point me to it.

 

[Grey Pilgrim]

Looks like you're on the right track. That stuff definitely looks good enough if you can find it in the right color. Do you have any plans yet for the coat fabric? It looks like some kind of long pile mohair to me. A little too heavy for faux suede, although you could probably get away with that if you found the perfect color cheap.

I have a few fabric samples in different colors of microsuede coming my way. The only two fabrics I found at my local Joann's that were the close to the right color were flannel and a heavier, almost canvas-like cotton(?). I am not opposed to dying something, but to get the right texture at an affordable price seems to mean synthetics which don't dye well. I also have samples coming for the waistcoat, and I already have a plan for the top-hat material, but I'll keep that under my hat until I see if it's feasible and if all the colors work together. Finally, I snagged a faux-fur coat at the thrift store that I think might work well for the lapels.