Who Makes The Best Robes?

[Crimsonnaire]

Who offers the highest quality robes in the costuming business?

Accuracy is also included in quality.

How would you guys rate Mystik Merchant's robes compared to the others?

 

[Lan-Ed-Tul]

heard thye were really nice robes.

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

I have a robe from them, top-notch quality in my opinion.

 

[jts1031]

Mystik Merchants, high quality robes, not really accurate. I had one of the cotton robes, and they do make one of wool, but last I heard they were having issues sourcing some wool. For the price, they are pretty good and will work with you. They are quick, and communicate well. But if you're looking for screen accuracy (I assume you're looking for Star Wars robes) then you may want to check some other sources...

 

[Crimsonnaire]

But if you're looking for screen accuracy (I assume you're looking for Star Wars robes) then you may want to check some other sources...

Such as...? I'm under the impression you've seen better robes than Mystik's, and I'm interested in checking that out.

It seems the biggest inaccuracy on Mystik's robe is the absense of shoulder tucks. As a result, you have a big seam connecting the sleeves. I've also heard that their hoods aren't fully pleated around the neckline, but they've always been willing to add more pleats per customer request.

Do you the movie robes have a seam at the middle of the back?

 

[jts1031]

Such as...? I'm under the impression you've seen better robes than Mystik's, and I'm interested in checking that out.

It seems the biggest inaccuracy on Mystik's robe is the absense of shoulder tucks. As a result, you have a big seam connecting the sleeves. I've also heard that their hoods aren't fully pleated around the neckline, but they've always been willing to add more pleats per customer request.

Do you the movie robes have a seam at the middle of the back?

Actually, I requested, and received, shoulder tucks on mine. To be nit-picky, there should be no seams where the sleeve meets the shoulder, nor along the length of the shoulder. That should all be one piece. The hood, while nice and large, is too small where it meets the neck and as a result it doesn't lay properly over the shoulders. The seam down the back is screen accurate. However, the movie robes had hems of at least one to two inches on the bottom and sleeves, where as Mystik's only have maybe a half inch at most. And if you go with cotton, your color choices are pretty much limited to a deep Anakin-like brown. To be honest, if you want accuracy, you could make your own, and for cheaper than buying one. It's not that difficult. But if you want to just buy, I'd suggest you start with http://www.cloakmaker.com

 

[vaderdarth]

I actually have a Mystik Merchant Wool Robe that I'm about to put in the JY. PM me your size and let's see if it will work. It's never been worn because it never fit me thru the chest.....I goofed on the measurements. It's Their typical brown wool robe. The quality it top notch.

Dave

 

[Crimsonnaire]

But if you want to just buy, I'd suggest you start with http://www.cloakmaker.com

Their robes look pretty nice. Do you know if they're fully capable and willing to make a movie accurate robe with the correct shoulder tuck hood pleats?

When I most recently spoke with Mystik, I inquired about having shoulder tucks made by simply folding and stitching, and they even refused that. They were willing to put extra pleats on the hood, though.

When you say the hood being too small at the neck, do you mean it's not wide enough? Well, in this case, the width would be the same as the height. If you want it wider, the hood would simply have to be taller, so that it gathers more at the bottom.

How would you go about measuring how much you want the hood to gather at the base? Do you simply place one end of the measuring tape at the top of your forehead, and stretch out sideways until you reach where you want it to spread out, and then measure back inward to the neckline? This would be like measuring half of a triangle. Or is there an easier way?

 

[jts1031]

What I mean is if you were to lay the robe flat and measure the length of the neck from one end to the other, it just is not long enough. The hood itself is fine and plenty roomy. But where the hood meets the robe is the issue. It might be 18, 20 inches long at most. It needs to be at least 24 if not more. Again, this is just my experience with them. I'm surprised they wouldn't do the shoulder tucks as I just asked about it and they said they'd take care of it no problem.

 

[Crimsonnaire]

Oh, yes. I agree. This causes the hood to not hang as long as it should over the shoulders.

Mystik was really insistent on having me make the shoulder pleats by using safety pins. I'm just not comfortable with that. I suppose if I had to nitpick on one more issue, it'd be the stiffness of the cotton twill. It's certainly heavyweight, and flows really nicely. But the thickness makes it stiff, and a lot of areas stick out where if it were wool, it would softly drape. One area in particular is the sleeve. Sometimes, they stick out and make you look like a lifesize action figure. :lol

What type of wool are the movie robes made of? I've heard both melton and crepe mentioned.

 

[Zombie_61]

Another option is http://www.outerrobes.com/. I purchased one of their robes a little over a year ago, and wore it last year at Halloween. I can't say whether or not it's 100% screen accurate, but it was exactly what I was looking for. Their robes are very well made and the material drapes very much like the screen-used robes (more so than those at Cloakmaker.com IMO, and far more reasonably priced). I'm 6'2", 225 lbs., and there's so much material that, at first, I felt like I was swimming in the robe, but it only took a few minutes to "acclimate" myself before moving around in it became very easy, and it really "made" the costume.

BTW, aside from being a one-time customer I am not affiliated with Outer Robes in any way; I was simply very pleased with the product I received, and thought I'd suggest it as an option.