MaXer
New Member
This is my first thread in here. It's a long one, hope it's okay. It's been a long, bumpy ride.
Well, this is the story all about how my outfit got made. It's been 4 years in the making, very on and off, so there's a lot of foot work and trial and error here. Back then it couldn't just be bought from Magnoli. Now it can. Coincidence? Read on and find out.
After finishing my Indy outfit, which started out being something I'd just throw together for halloween but quickly became an adventure into getting a screen accurate outfitt, I just had to continue the adventure with a new project.
I've always loved the movie The Mask. It's always been one of my favourite movies of all times, only challanged by the fellow '94 flick Dumb and Dumber. Also, it's not an outfit I've seen done that much. So I set out to find out what was available. I started looking for an acceptable mask, because I thought that would be the hardest to get right, but couldn't find anything other than cheap masks that look like crap. Then maybe an okay suit? Nope, just bathrobe-looking pimp outfits. Tie? Nah, just a cheap printed one which was way too big, but actually had the right pattern.
A little discouraged - okay, a lot discouraged - I realized I had to start totally from scratch. And since I don't have any skills in prop of costume making I had to pony up the dough.
ENTER MAGNOLI
Real nice guy with a passion for movies, and definitely the guy I wanted to make the suit. I contacted him about replicating the suit, and he was confident that the suit and shirt wouldn't be a problem. The hat, however, he couldn't do. And the tie would be too expensive for just a single one.
THE TIE
So Magnoli initially wouldn't make the tie because it would cost me too much. But luckily someone else also showed an interest in it, so he got back to me saying that he'd do it. So I scoured the movie for screen caps showing details of the tie and sent them to Magnoli. After some back and forth, Magnoli delivered his great tie, and I'm pleased to see that it's become available on his site.
Here are some of my reference pics i grabbed from the movie:
THE HAT
Magnoli sent me in Penman's direction for the hat, who I knew for his Indy hats. It was a little stupid to get it then since I didn't have a mask and therefore didn't know how much larger than my head it had to be. Learn from my mistake, get the mask before the hat. However, I needed the hat before I could start on the suit, because fabric options for hats is very limited compared to those for suits, and they needed to be the same color.
I contacted Penman who I knew did yellow hats - he did a Dick Tracy hat. After some back and forth he told me that he found out that the original hatmaker actually still made the hat and said he'd much rather have me get one from them because he knew I'd appreciate having one from the original maker. Penman's a great guy.
So I purchase the hat from Baron Hats, but with a few alterations because, for some reason, their default version wasn't as screen accurate as I'd like. Besides from not getting my specs right in the first try, the hat turned out great.
For anyone interested, here are my notes as sent to Baron hats for my personal preference of hat:
- 4 1/2" brim and crown
- Circular crown
- Slight taper towards the top of the crown
- 1 1/2" ribbon on the crown in stead of the 2"
- No swoop in the brim, but just a slight downwards drop at the front.
- White lining (default comes with black)
Unfortunately I don't remember, and can't seem to find, the width I requested for around the brim. But the one they used as default was to wide. I think it should be 1 1/2", but I'm not sure.
Some screen grabs I used for reference:
THE SUIT
With the hat in hand I could start finding the fabric for the suit. Magnoli didn't have any fabric that matched, neither outer nor lining. His casual department was able to color match some fabric to the hat, but the fabric just wasn't right. The search continued I got swatches from everywhere I could find yellow fabric and dotted lining, but for some reason it's just impossible to find the correct fabric. The outer fabric looks pretty thick in the movie, and everything I could find was very thin.
I finally found some yellow fabric that matched pretty well in color. Not perfect at all, still too thin, but it was the best I could find. I found some dotted lining with dots in different sizes as well. Not as accurate as I'd like, but pretty good. And it only took three years... I asked Magnoli about maybe printing onto some fabric if I came up with the pattern, and he said he could do it. So off with me to get caps showing the lining and designing a repeatable pattern from scratch. I finally finished it, sent it to Magnoli, who helped making it repeatable, and sent him the outer fabric for the suit.
Given the challenges with the not-so-suitable-suit-fabric the jacket turned out very well! There were a lot of problems getting the pants right because apparently some of the tailors didn't know how to take directions, and I had to send new fabric because they messed them up so bad. Magnoli has been real good and helpful about it, so in the end I got some pants that were satisfactory.
Here are some notes I asked the tailor to pay special attention to, since the were wrong on the first pair. There are also some other notes based on the errors in the latest pair. If you get the pants, make sure this is right:
- They are high waisted.
- The pleats don't go all the way up.
- No button closing
- Hidden hook closing
- Buttons on the inside for suspenders
- Three none-overlapping buttons on the cuff of the jacket
- If the fabric is a little thin, as mine, they will be a little see-through. Get a complete full lining.
A couple of my screen grabs:
THE SHIRT
The shirt, also from Magnoli, is pretty basic. It was done on light blue fabric in stead of white, and not as fine striping as I'd hoped, but it was alright. In hindsight I probably should've sent it back, I'm sure Magnoli would've set it right if I had just asked.
Some references:
THE SUSPENDERS
That was a hard one. I couldn't find anything resembling that pattern anywhere. I actually got so desperate that I bought white button suspenders and a clothing marker so I could draw it myself. Luckily I gave it another chance and found something on Etsy that was vaguely similar. I contacted the seller and asked about the specific pattern, and she gave me a whole list of choices. I opted for a floral pattern which, when cut right, resembles the pattern pretty well, I think.
Some of my reference material:
THE SHOES
I was surprised how hard it was to fin basic, round nosed, no detail, black shoes...
References:
THE SPATS
... Are from e-bay. I think. Don't forget them! Four buttons, white strap.
References:
THE MASK
After browsing through tons of crap masks on ebay and other sites I almost gave up. There was a glimmer of hope here on rpf when I saw that SonOfPumpkinhead was doing a mask build. YEAH! That's when I signed up, so I could show my support and grab a mask. He did an awesome job, unfortunately he wasn't able to finish it, and noone would pick up where he left off..
After even more browsing I got so desperate that I bought green makeup, a baldcap and a "scary clown" latex piece that I thought I'd try to modify. That never happened, and now it's just sitting in my closet. At one point I was actually in contact with Todd Tucker, the guy who made the mask for the movie! He said he could make me a pull off the original master mold!! Oh my god, my heart has never pounded that hard, that.. would... be... awesome! However, turns out the original mold was too rotted. I was devastated.
As cool as it would've been, it would take an extremely long time to put the thing on, so I'd actually prefer one that could be pulled on and off as I'd like. But I'd also still like natural movement and actual teeth. Teeth as part of the mask is something I've just never seen work...
... That is now in progress! I've ordered a custom job from Immortal Mask. I opted for a mask with lip cupping so I can have actual fitted teeth, for a much more realistic look. They're keeping me updated and are very nice, putting up with my critiques. It's looking very promising and I can't wait to get it done!
Here are some of the caps It's being based on:
THE TEETH
Again I've searched high and low, and there's nothing I can use... I've tried making my own, but it just didn't work. As I mentioned, I have no skills in this area. So now I've ordered a custom job at Dental Distortion. As I'm writing this, a mold of my teeth is on it's way in their direction, and I'm very excited!
For reference images, see pretty much any of the other ones. There is this particular image, though, from a guy claiming he has the real deal:
MY STUFF
See my next post below, apparently I can only add 24 pics. :$
That's my story so far! I'll keep you updated. Show me your Masks!
WHAT NOW?
Fabric I'm always on the lookout for the perfect fabric for version 2.0. If you know where to get it, let me know!
Suspenders Are you making, or have you found, the perfect suspenders? Please let me know!
Magnoli Have you bought the Magnoli suit? Please send me pics, I'd really like to see how it ended up looking for retail.
Mask progress so far
UPDATE:
WHILE WE WAIT
While waiting for mask and teeth, I just got so excited about finally being able to have the complete outfit that I had to try on what I have now. So here it is:
Yes, the beard will be coming off when I have to use the mask.
Well, this is the story all about how my outfit got made. It's been 4 years in the making, very on and off, so there's a lot of foot work and trial and error here. Back then it couldn't just be bought from Magnoli. Now it can. Coincidence? Read on and find out.
After finishing my Indy outfit, which started out being something I'd just throw together for halloween but quickly became an adventure into getting a screen accurate outfitt, I just had to continue the adventure with a new project.
I've always loved the movie The Mask. It's always been one of my favourite movies of all times, only challanged by the fellow '94 flick Dumb and Dumber. Also, it's not an outfit I've seen done that much. So I set out to find out what was available. I started looking for an acceptable mask, because I thought that would be the hardest to get right, but couldn't find anything other than cheap masks that look like crap. Then maybe an okay suit? Nope, just bathrobe-looking pimp outfits. Tie? Nah, just a cheap printed one which was way too big, but actually had the right pattern.
A little discouraged - okay, a lot discouraged - I realized I had to start totally from scratch. And since I don't have any skills in prop of costume making I had to pony up the dough.
ENTER MAGNOLI
Real nice guy with a passion for movies, and definitely the guy I wanted to make the suit. I contacted him about replicating the suit, and he was confident that the suit and shirt wouldn't be a problem. The hat, however, he couldn't do. And the tie would be too expensive for just a single one.
THE TIE
So Magnoli initially wouldn't make the tie because it would cost me too much. But luckily someone else also showed an interest in it, so he got back to me saying that he'd do it. So I scoured the movie for screen caps showing details of the tie and sent them to Magnoli. After some back and forth, Magnoli delivered his great tie, and I'm pleased to see that it's become available on his site.
Here are some of my reference pics i grabbed from the movie:
THE HAT
Magnoli sent me in Penman's direction for the hat, who I knew for his Indy hats. It was a little stupid to get it then since I didn't have a mask and therefore didn't know how much larger than my head it had to be. Learn from my mistake, get the mask before the hat. However, I needed the hat before I could start on the suit, because fabric options for hats is very limited compared to those for suits, and they needed to be the same color.
I contacted Penman who I knew did yellow hats - he did a Dick Tracy hat. After some back and forth he told me that he found out that the original hatmaker actually still made the hat and said he'd much rather have me get one from them because he knew I'd appreciate having one from the original maker. Penman's a great guy.
So I purchase the hat from Baron Hats, but with a few alterations because, for some reason, their default version wasn't as screen accurate as I'd like. Besides from not getting my specs right in the first try, the hat turned out great.
For anyone interested, here are my notes as sent to Baron hats for my personal preference of hat:
- 4 1/2" brim and crown
- Circular crown
- Slight taper towards the top of the crown
- 1 1/2" ribbon on the crown in stead of the 2"
- No swoop in the brim, but just a slight downwards drop at the front.
- White lining (default comes with black)
Unfortunately I don't remember, and can't seem to find, the width I requested for around the brim. But the one they used as default was to wide. I think it should be 1 1/2", but I'm not sure.
Some screen grabs I used for reference:
THE SUIT
With the hat in hand I could start finding the fabric for the suit. Magnoli didn't have any fabric that matched, neither outer nor lining. His casual department was able to color match some fabric to the hat, but the fabric just wasn't right. The search continued I got swatches from everywhere I could find yellow fabric and dotted lining, but for some reason it's just impossible to find the correct fabric. The outer fabric looks pretty thick in the movie, and everything I could find was very thin.
I finally found some yellow fabric that matched pretty well in color. Not perfect at all, still too thin, but it was the best I could find. I found some dotted lining with dots in different sizes as well. Not as accurate as I'd like, but pretty good. And it only took three years... I asked Magnoli about maybe printing onto some fabric if I came up with the pattern, and he said he could do it. So off with me to get caps showing the lining and designing a repeatable pattern from scratch. I finally finished it, sent it to Magnoli, who helped making it repeatable, and sent him the outer fabric for the suit.
Given the challenges with the not-so-suitable-suit-fabric the jacket turned out very well! There were a lot of problems getting the pants right because apparently some of the tailors didn't know how to take directions, and I had to send new fabric because they messed them up so bad. Magnoli has been real good and helpful about it, so in the end I got some pants that were satisfactory.
Here are some notes I asked the tailor to pay special attention to, since the were wrong on the first pair. There are also some other notes based on the errors in the latest pair. If you get the pants, make sure this is right:
- They are high waisted.
- The pleats don't go all the way up.
- No button closing
- Hidden hook closing
- Buttons on the inside for suspenders
- Three none-overlapping buttons on the cuff of the jacket
- If the fabric is a little thin, as mine, they will be a little see-through. Get a complete full lining.
A couple of my screen grabs:
THE SHIRT
The shirt, also from Magnoli, is pretty basic. It was done on light blue fabric in stead of white, and not as fine striping as I'd hoped, but it was alright. In hindsight I probably should've sent it back, I'm sure Magnoli would've set it right if I had just asked.
Some references:
THE SUSPENDERS
That was a hard one. I couldn't find anything resembling that pattern anywhere. I actually got so desperate that I bought white button suspenders and a clothing marker so I could draw it myself. Luckily I gave it another chance and found something on Etsy that was vaguely similar. I contacted the seller and asked about the specific pattern, and she gave me a whole list of choices. I opted for a floral pattern which, when cut right, resembles the pattern pretty well, I think.
Some of my reference material:
THE SHOES
I was surprised how hard it was to fin basic, round nosed, no detail, black shoes...
References:
THE SPATS
... Are from e-bay. I think. Don't forget them! Four buttons, white strap.
References:
THE MASK
After browsing through tons of crap masks on ebay and other sites I almost gave up. There was a glimmer of hope here on rpf when I saw that SonOfPumpkinhead was doing a mask build. YEAH! That's when I signed up, so I could show my support and grab a mask. He did an awesome job, unfortunately he wasn't able to finish it, and noone would pick up where he left off..
After even more browsing I got so desperate that I bought green makeup, a baldcap and a "scary clown" latex piece that I thought I'd try to modify. That never happened, and now it's just sitting in my closet. At one point I was actually in contact with Todd Tucker, the guy who made the mask for the movie! He said he could make me a pull off the original master mold!! Oh my god, my heart has never pounded that hard, that.. would... be... awesome! However, turns out the original mold was too rotted. I was devastated.
As cool as it would've been, it would take an extremely long time to put the thing on, so I'd actually prefer one that could be pulled on and off as I'd like. But I'd also still like natural movement and actual teeth. Teeth as part of the mask is something I've just never seen work...
... That is now in progress! I've ordered a custom job from Immortal Mask. I opted for a mask with lip cupping so I can have actual fitted teeth, for a much more realistic look. They're keeping me updated and are very nice, putting up with my critiques. It's looking very promising and I can't wait to get it done!
Here are some of the caps It's being based on:
THE TEETH
Again I've searched high and low, and there's nothing I can use... I've tried making my own, but it just didn't work. As I mentioned, I have no skills in this area. So now I've ordered a custom job at Dental Distortion. As I'm writing this, a mold of my teeth is on it's way in their direction, and I'm very excited!
For reference images, see pretty much any of the other ones. There is this particular image, though, from a guy claiming he has the real deal:
MY STUFF
See my next post below, apparently I can only add 24 pics. :$
That's my story so far! I'll keep you updated. Show me your Masks!
WHAT NOW?
Fabric I'm always on the lookout for the perfect fabric for version 2.0. If you know where to get it, let me know!
Suspenders Are you making, or have you found, the perfect suspenders? Please let me know!
Magnoli Have you bought the Magnoli suit? Please send me pics, I'd really like to see how it ended up looking for retail.
Mask progress so far
UPDATE:
WHILE WE WAIT
While waiting for mask and teeth, I just got so excited about finally being able to have the complete outfit that I had to try on what I have now. So here it is:
Yes, the beard will be coming off when I have to use the mask.
Last edited:
