Costuming

[rowyn]

I want this jacket. Except for myself and not just my avatar in Puzzle Pirates.

It's not that esoteric a style; a knee-length coat with back vent and lapels. Yet my search skillz must be weak, because I cannot find it.

Coats of this sort are pretty common in pirate costumes -- for men. I'd be tempted to order one for a man, except that (a) I want it fitted through the waist and a man's would be too loose and (b) I am unimpressed by the quality of clothing sold as "costume", since often it's not suitable even for costume wear. I was in a Halloween shop and looked at a bagged jacket selling for $55 that proved to be made of some ultra-thin, flimsy polyester. It looked right in the picture but the actual product was awful.

I've found some nice old-fashioned coats at regular clothing stores, but nothing of the particular style I want. For that matter, I own a perfectly nice old-fashioned black velvet jacket. But it's not the same.

So ... anyone have any suggestions?

Edit: I should've specified that I don't want to make it myself ; I'm willing to pay maybe as much as a hundred dollars for a good-quality coat -- but the hours it would take to make it myself would soon add up to more than that at the value of my own time. I'm assuming that the same would be equally true of anyone who does sewing, but if you happen to know (or be) someone who will custom-make clothing at that kind of insanely low price then do let me know. :)

Comments

[menziesclan.livejournal.com]

Depends on whether you have any sewing skills. I suggest heading to a fabric shop and going through their books of patterns. You'll have to check the "Costume" sections for 17th and 18th (I think) century men's coats. Or check the "Amazon Dry Goods" and "Folkwear" catalogs online -- they specialize in period clothing. (There are others but I can't remember them right now.)

Find a style you like, order it, then find an experienced seamstress (like solan_t or someone else) to help you adjust the pattern. And trust me, with your magnificent superstructure and thin waist, adjusting a male's coat to fit you will need expert help. 8^)

Then buy your material and get to work. I'll bet with some hustle you could have it ready for Contra in three weeks.

[rowyn]

I really don't want to have to make it myself, honestly. Or pay someone to custom-make it.

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

I have a coat like this, but I can't remember who made it. Pop me an email at haikujaguar at gmail reminding me to look at the tag when I get home?

[jordangreywolf.livejournal.com]

Aww! Now you make me want one, too! ;)

[ladyperegrine.livejournal.com]

Seconded! :-)

Paying someone to alter a suitable man's coat might be a lot cheaper than you think - the time it would take a professional seamstress to do it is a lot shorter than the time it would take, well, us. But then it seems like they're hard to find in either men's or women's styles.

[jordangreywolf.livejournal.com]

Actually, I think I'd get it for Gwendel rather than for myself. She'd look much better in it. ;D

[ladyperegrine.livejournal.com]

Oh! I responded to your comment, but the alteration part was meant for rowyn.

Maybe the two of you can get a matched set!

[rowyn]

This may be true, but Gwendel has lots of cool clothing and how many neat costume pieces do you have? You obviously need the coat more. :)

[rowyn]

Mmm, maybe. I think the one time I hired a professional to make alterations was ten years ago, when I paid about $30 to have a double-layered skirt hemmed. I admit I'm just as glad to have found something that works and came in a women's cut.

[koogrr.livejournal.com]

Aye Captain!

[octantis.livejournal.com]

This is rather a long shot, but try checking military surplus stores. They sometimes stock odd militaria, like old uniforms from various nations, antiques from the world wars, etc.

Chances are, you won't find exactly what you're looking for, especially considering almost everything is going to be fitted for a man. Still, you might find something close and that you might fall in love with, and military stuff tends to be made durable. An old Soviet-era greatcoat might just about fit the bill, and might even be alterable. Try googling for +soviet +greatcoat, you can see some things in an image search, and the word search will turn up Russian surplus stuff that you can see more uniform coats at from various branches, like navy, infantry, tank command, etc. Different branches have different colors and styles. I'm seeing them orderable around a hundred bucks, some less some more.

Check this out. http://www.ruswave.com/catalogue/military/uniform/russian-naval-sailors-coat-222/

Try also doing a search for "greatcoat" on eBay. I saw a women's army thing there, though it was khaki colored. Even if you don't find something right, there's a lot of pictures, maybe you'll be inspired.

[rowyn]

I'll have to give that a try some time; maybe I can get a good Civil War coat that way. :)

[narile.livejournal.com]

I'll check Foy's for you this weekend. Don't know if you remember there, but as costume places go, its pretty good.

[rowyn]

Cool! I should venture to some of the permanent costume stores in this area; I suspect they have a better selection of quality items than the ones that spring up around Halloween

[narile.livejournal.com]

I checked out one of the Foy's stores Sat, they had something like that, but was fairly cheaply made. One of the other stores in the complex might have a better selection, but the mobs were a bit much for me at this time.

[the-vulture.livejournal.com]

Have you tried looking at Goth clothing sites? I seem to recall seeing many similar styles of coats in such places.

[rowyn]

That's good thought; I should look through Hot Topic's selection sometime. Although with my recent resolution that I don't need any more black clothing, goth garb will tend to be of limited value ... :)

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

I'd go to BayCon, a local SF convention - a lot of costumers attend it.

[rowyn]

Alas, neither of the local cons that I usually attend have an extensive selection of costume garb.

Had another thought...

[menziesclan.livejournal.com]

Try checking with local opera or theater companies. Sometimes they have sales on older costumes, and you could buy one inexpensively and have it altered cheaply, since it would already be close to what you want. Also try costume shops, but be aware that some of it will be of low quality and won't last long. On the other hand, I used to work in a combo magic/costume place, and the costuems they had were fairly sturdy because they had to withstand a good bit of abuse.

It can't hurt to look....

Re: Had another thought...

[rowyn]

Yeah, stage clothes tend to be sturdier (if gaudier) than Halloween costumes -- stage pieces are expected to survive at least a few weeks of shows, while Halloween costumes are aimed at the "wear it once" crowd.