Lorum Ipsum
Member
About six months or so ago, I heard that London would be playing host to a Star Trek convention in October, which is not something that happens a great deal. One usually has to travel to the US to enjoy such things, and I'd done exactly that to experience Comic-Con for the very first time in 2010, which I've since heard was one of the best for some time. The year I made contact.
But this was different. This was Star Trek and it was in my home town. Plus, the promotional fanfare was making a big deal over the fact that all five series captains would be at the event for all three days, which was unprecedented, apparently even for US conventions.
Since I'm a big Bill Shatner fan - I even met him at the 2010 Comic-Con - and I believe the Wrath of Khan to be the best of any Trek movie and Shatner's best ever performance ("How do I feel? Old... worn out...") I thought it appropriate to try and obtain an officer's uniform from that era and wear that to the event. A so-called "monster maroon".
It's important to note that I'm actually living in the Middle East at this time. I'm just coming to the end of a three and half year "tour" over there after my wife landed a dynamite job in Abu Dhabi. Consequently, I'm even more limited for resources than I would be if I was back in the UK.
After trawling the net for an absolute age, I found a few instances where fans had made their own, on the Starfleet 1701st Uniform Club and on the Replica Prop Forum, but the only one I could find that could be made to order was from StarThreadsGale@aol.com and her advert on ebay. So I ordered one at $300 including shipping. Total cost £195.
I also ordered the uniform patterns from Roddenberry.com as a back-up plan. ($25 for the jacket, $15 for trousers and $15 for undershirt plus postage to the UK. Total cost £40.)
I timed it so that I could collect the delivered uniform from a London address on my next visit to the UK. It was OK...but not as screen accurate as I really had hoped for. The material isn't quite right, the flap is secured by velcro and not studs and there's a few other flaws too.
So, utilising the one resource I had at my disposal in Abu Dhabi - cheap tailoring services - I sought to find the right material in London and then take it to a Little Indian Tailor I knew once I'd returned to the UAE. I trawled the internet to find the best fabric shops in all of London then visited Goldhawk Road near Shepherds Bush and attempted to describe what it was I was looking for: a red/maroon coloured wool-like material, some have called 'wool elastique'. I took a few samples and continued onto Berwick Street in Soho, where there are still a few good material shops. And it was here at Misan Fabrics (4 Berwick Street) that I found the closest match to what I was looking for, but it wasn't cheap though, for three metres (erring on the side of caution) at £58 per metre. Total cost £174.
Still a little too red, and not really maroon, I hoped it would be close enough to pass the inspection of other fans at the event. I did find these guys Hainsworth online, but I haven't contacted them so I don't know what they have to offer. Although, one forum on the 1701st suggests a couple of ideas (the 'madder red' and 'scarlet' options in 'Enactment Fabrics/Apparel Fabrics' and the 'red' in the Napoleonic Collection).
This is where the uniform from StarThreadsGale paid off - albeit an expensive way of doing things. Now back in the UAE, I took the jacket to my Little Indian Tailor and instructed him to copy it, with a few modifications, using the newly purchased material from Berwick Street. Plus a few bits and pieces were cannibalised, so that was actually a big help. The undershirt sent from Gale had a correctly stitched collar, but the sleeves weren't done in the right way, so again I asked my LIT to see what he could do. Another advantage of doing it this was that he added a proper jacket lining to the inside, effectively improving the way it hung when worn.
Meanwhile, I was scouring the discussion forums, trying to see what other fans had done, how they had overcome problems and to seek answers to questions like exactly how many rows of stitches are on the right-hand sleeve of an officer's uniform? There's even a colour swatch to try and find the right maroon.
These things really are worth checking out, printing out and even binding together to ultimately make a complete guide to constructing the perfect Wrath of Khan era uniform.
However, when I got the jacket back from my LIT, it was for the most part perfect, but there were a few faults. The chain and poppers/studs he had used for the fastening were far, far too big. But now I was leaving the UAE permanently, thank God, and on my way back to London, so any remaining alterations would have to be done in the UK...including finding the right shoes and belt. But for the most part he had done well, given how many print outs I'd given him, plus trying to explain what the magic of Star Trek was all about, plus new trousers he'd made and alterations to the sleeves of the undershirt. So, including tip, it cost me about Dhs800 or £135.
A trip to John Lewis on Oxford Street solved the fastening studs problem, and bizarrely, whilst walking by Cambridge Circus on the way to the Seven Dials in Covent Garden, there's a number of market stalls each day. And one, towards the Covent Garden end sells buttons, chains and all sorts of sewing-related odds and ends, and it was here that I found the right-sized chain. Total cost £5.
The captain's rank insignia on the sleeve was also placed too high and the over-the-shoulder strap was not long enough on the front. Now, I had to find a decent tailor in London...something in-between Savile Row and a minor alterations shop that also cuts keys for you. Given having the same jacket and trousers made in London would have cost me £400 plus, I'd done OK so far...I just had to find somewhere that wasn't gong to charge the Earth for these minor - albeit complicated - alterations.
Then there's things like the shoes. Again on the 1701st forums, they list several options.
I was convinced I'd be able to find something on the High Street that was close so I wouldn't have to order from overseas. Boy. was I wrong. Perhaps it's testament to the fact that all the High Street brands are telling us what to wear now more than ever, but the freedom of being to able to buy almost any style you like as long since disappeared from the streets of London. Even Camden is Superdry this and Hollister that.
Not one shoe shop had anything even remotely close. So, I was forced to look online, which especially when you're ordering from overseas, introduces the risk of having to return something if it doesn't fit. I've ordered two different pairs of boots from Amazon.
Then there's the belt. Honestly, you'd think there'd be a shop somewhere in the UK capital where you could have a belt made. If not in the back streets of the City, then maybe Jermyn Street, or Berkeley Square. Nope. Not one. Nowhere.
So I trawled the web. I found the so-called 'Star Trek Wrath of Khan belt' on ebay from international seller CostumeBase, so I ordered it. Total cost £25 including shipping from Singapore. It arrived promptly, but it's not the right size. The buckle sold on Roddenberry.com requires a belt of 2-inches in width, as all the jacket patterns also state for the belt loops. The buckle on the CostumeBase one is also the wrong colour. It's not plastic, like the one you get with StarThreadsGale, but it's not screen accurate enough for someone attempting to get as close as possible to the real thing.
It was clear I'd have to have this custom made. I found handmadebelts.co.uk and spoke to a lovely lady by the name of Jill Shore, but she charges for every inch of stitching since it's all done by hand...so to have two parallel rows of stitching running the length of the belt as required by the design, would cost a fortune. So she suggested I try a gentleman by the name of Austin Black at Unicorn Leather.
I sent him the Roddenberry buckle and gave him the instructions. It turns out the leather he works with is too think (about 4-5mm) and the Roddenberry buckle would break after only a little use. So he sent it back and my search continued.
Meanwhile, I ordered two pairs of shoes from two Amazon, hoping one at least would be close. The first was a pair of Zip Up Pleated Ankle Black Leather Boots from Volante in the UK and the second was Florsheim Men's Flanagan Boot, Black, $76.99, from the US. With the import charge on top this came close to £100.
These are actually very close to what is used on screen (pair on the right) and I would recommend these...but do order a half size larger than you need as they do seem to be a little small.
The alterations on the jacket also meet with some disappointment. I tried every tailor in the Square Mile and those that were actually helpful rather than simply dismissive suggested I try a seamstress of some sort, since these alterations would need to be done by hand and not a machine, which they relied on. After a search on Google, one shop said they'd be prepared to have a look at the work. I popped along to Old Street and found Orhan Tailoring [orhanlondontailoring.com] I explained the work and asked them to call me if there was any doubt whatsoever with any of the alterations. The quoted cost was £87.
Fingers crossed the alterations would go well, all that was left was to find someone who could make the belt. I considered trying Brick Lane, Spitalfields market and places like this in E1. This proved successful, to my surprise, and a gentleman by the name of Mohammad Kashif [kashi_kk2003@yahoo.com] who runs a belt store in Spitalfields market made the belt below.
The belt cost £45 to have made. I suspect Mr Kashif is open to a little bartering, so don't be afraid. I was just so pleased to finally have it, I agreed!
So, tomorrow I pick up the jacket, hopefully with all the modifications made...then the costume will be complete. This has been a very expensive project, with a very steep learning curve. I hope any UK can benefit from my hit-and-miss experiences and maybe I'll see you at the Destination London event coming up very soon indeed.
I'll post pics when I get the jacket back.
Scott.
But this was different. This was Star Trek and it was in my home town. Plus, the promotional fanfare was making a big deal over the fact that all five series captains would be at the event for all three days, which was unprecedented, apparently even for US conventions.
Since I'm a big Bill Shatner fan - I even met him at the 2010 Comic-Con - and I believe the Wrath of Khan to be the best of any Trek movie and Shatner's best ever performance ("How do I feel? Old... worn out...") I thought it appropriate to try and obtain an officer's uniform from that era and wear that to the event. A so-called "monster maroon".
It's important to note that I'm actually living in the Middle East at this time. I'm just coming to the end of a three and half year "tour" over there after my wife landed a dynamite job in Abu Dhabi. Consequently, I'm even more limited for resources than I would be if I was back in the UK.
After trawling the net for an absolute age, I found a few instances where fans had made their own, on the Starfleet 1701st Uniform Club and on the Replica Prop Forum, but the only one I could find that could be made to order was from StarThreadsGale@aol.com and her advert on ebay. So I ordered one at $300 including shipping. Total cost £195.
I also ordered the uniform patterns from Roddenberry.com as a back-up plan. ($25 for the jacket, $15 for trousers and $15 for undershirt plus postage to the UK. Total cost £40.)
I timed it so that I could collect the delivered uniform from a London address on my next visit to the UK. It was OK...but not as screen accurate as I really had hoped for. The material isn't quite right, the flap is secured by velcro and not studs and there's a few other flaws too.
So, utilising the one resource I had at my disposal in Abu Dhabi - cheap tailoring services - I sought to find the right material in London and then take it to a Little Indian Tailor I knew once I'd returned to the UAE. I trawled the internet to find the best fabric shops in all of London then visited Goldhawk Road near Shepherds Bush and attempted to describe what it was I was looking for: a red/maroon coloured wool-like material, some have called 'wool elastique'. I took a few samples and continued onto Berwick Street in Soho, where there are still a few good material shops. And it was here at Misan Fabrics (4 Berwick Street) that I found the closest match to what I was looking for, but it wasn't cheap though, for three metres (erring on the side of caution) at £58 per metre. Total cost £174.
Still a little too red, and not really maroon, I hoped it would be close enough to pass the inspection of other fans at the event. I did find these guys Hainsworth online, but I haven't contacted them so I don't know what they have to offer. Although, one forum on the 1701st suggests a couple of ideas (the 'madder red' and 'scarlet' options in 'Enactment Fabrics/Apparel Fabrics' and the 'red' in the Napoleonic Collection).
This is where the uniform from StarThreadsGale paid off - albeit an expensive way of doing things. Now back in the UAE, I took the jacket to my Little Indian Tailor and instructed him to copy it, with a few modifications, using the newly purchased material from Berwick Street. Plus a few bits and pieces were cannibalised, so that was actually a big help. The undershirt sent from Gale had a correctly stitched collar, but the sleeves weren't done in the right way, so again I asked my LIT to see what he could do. Another advantage of doing it this was that he added a proper jacket lining to the inside, effectively improving the way it hung when worn.
Meanwhile, I was scouring the discussion forums, trying to see what other fans had done, how they had overcome problems and to seek answers to questions like exactly how many rows of stitches are on the right-hand sleeve of an officer's uniform? There's even a colour swatch to try and find the right maroon.
These things really are worth checking out, printing out and even binding together to ultimately make a complete guide to constructing the perfect Wrath of Khan era uniform.
However, when I got the jacket back from my LIT, it was for the most part perfect, but there were a few faults. The chain and poppers/studs he had used for the fastening were far, far too big. But now I was leaving the UAE permanently, thank God, and on my way back to London, so any remaining alterations would have to be done in the UK...including finding the right shoes and belt. But for the most part he had done well, given how many print outs I'd given him, plus trying to explain what the magic of Star Trek was all about, plus new trousers he'd made and alterations to the sleeves of the undershirt. So, including tip, it cost me about Dhs800 or £135.
A trip to John Lewis on Oxford Street solved the fastening studs problem, and bizarrely, whilst walking by Cambridge Circus on the way to the Seven Dials in Covent Garden, there's a number of market stalls each day. And one, towards the Covent Garden end sells buttons, chains and all sorts of sewing-related odds and ends, and it was here that I found the right-sized chain. Total cost £5.
The captain's rank insignia on the sleeve was also placed too high and the over-the-shoulder strap was not long enough on the front. Now, I had to find a decent tailor in London...something in-between Savile Row and a minor alterations shop that also cuts keys for you. Given having the same jacket and trousers made in London would have cost me £400 plus, I'd done OK so far...I just had to find somewhere that wasn't gong to charge the Earth for these minor - albeit complicated - alterations.
Then there's things like the shoes. Again on the 1701st forums, they list several options.
I was convinced I'd be able to find something on the High Street that was close so I wouldn't have to order from overseas. Boy. was I wrong. Perhaps it's testament to the fact that all the High Street brands are telling us what to wear now more than ever, but the freedom of being to able to buy almost any style you like as long since disappeared from the streets of London. Even Camden is Superdry this and Hollister that.
Not one shoe shop had anything even remotely close. So, I was forced to look online, which especially when you're ordering from overseas, introduces the risk of having to return something if it doesn't fit. I've ordered two different pairs of boots from Amazon.
Then there's the belt. Honestly, you'd think there'd be a shop somewhere in the UK capital where you could have a belt made. If not in the back streets of the City, then maybe Jermyn Street, or Berkeley Square. Nope. Not one. Nowhere.
So I trawled the web. I found the so-called 'Star Trek Wrath of Khan belt' on ebay from international seller CostumeBase, so I ordered it. Total cost £25 including shipping from Singapore. It arrived promptly, but it's not the right size. The buckle sold on Roddenberry.com requires a belt of 2-inches in width, as all the jacket patterns also state for the belt loops. The buckle on the CostumeBase one is also the wrong colour. It's not plastic, like the one you get with StarThreadsGale, but it's not screen accurate enough for someone attempting to get as close as possible to the real thing.
It was clear I'd have to have this custom made. I found handmadebelts.co.uk and spoke to a lovely lady by the name of Jill Shore, but she charges for every inch of stitching since it's all done by hand...so to have two parallel rows of stitching running the length of the belt as required by the design, would cost a fortune. So she suggested I try a gentleman by the name of Austin Black at Unicorn Leather.
I sent him the Roddenberry buckle and gave him the instructions. It turns out the leather he works with is too think (about 4-5mm) and the Roddenberry buckle would break after only a little use. So he sent it back and my search continued.
Meanwhile, I ordered two pairs of shoes from two Amazon, hoping one at least would be close. The first was a pair of Zip Up Pleated Ankle Black Leather Boots from Volante in the UK and the second was Florsheim Men's Flanagan Boot, Black, $76.99, from the US. With the import charge on top this came close to £100.
These are actually very close to what is used on screen (pair on the right) and I would recommend these...but do order a half size larger than you need as they do seem to be a little small.
The alterations on the jacket also meet with some disappointment. I tried every tailor in the Square Mile and those that were actually helpful rather than simply dismissive suggested I try a seamstress of some sort, since these alterations would need to be done by hand and not a machine, which they relied on. After a search on Google, one shop said they'd be prepared to have a look at the work. I popped along to Old Street and found Orhan Tailoring [orhanlondontailoring.com] I explained the work and asked them to call me if there was any doubt whatsoever with any of the alterations. The quoted cost was £87.
Fingers crossed the alterations would go well, all that was left was to find someone who could make the belt. I considered trying Brick Lane, Spitalfields market and places like this in E1. This proved successful, to my surprise, and a gentleman by the name of Mohammad Kashif [kashi_kk2003@yahoo.com] who runs a belt store in Spitalfields market made the belt below.
The belt cost £45 to have made. I suspect Mr Kashif is open to a little bartering, so don't be afraid. I was just so pleased to finally have it, I agreed!
So, tomorrow I pick up the jacket, hopefully with all the modifications made...then the costume will be complete. This has been a very expensive project, with a very steep learning curve. I hope any UK can benefit from my hit-and-miss experiences and maybe I'll see you at the Destination London event coming up very soon indeed.
I'll post pics when I get the jacket back.
Scott.
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