If the Tenth Doctor wore a bow tie...

... this would be it!

While on the hunt for the perfect Matt Smith bow tie, a good friend of mine has found an interesting maker on Etsy.com, called TheDirectorsCabin.

As well as a small range of Eleventh Doctor bow ties (see right) they also do a number of other Doctors including the Fourth and Fifth, plus several abstract Doctor Who related patterns.

But the ones that caught my eye from a Tenth Doctor point of view were a number based on his iconic brown pinstriped suit!

I find it interesting that one of the bow ties is the same colour as the old JoAnn linen fabric which was around many years ago.

David Tennant Tribute Silk bow tie

David Tennant Tribute Cotton bow tie

David Tennant Tribute Pre-tied bow tie

St George by Matalan

The thing I like about the choice of tie for the Tenth Doctor’s appearance in the 50th Anniversary Special is that it’s a cheap and cheerful cosplay option.

After initial fluctuating stock, it is still possible to pick one up for the original £14 price tag.

Looking into the future, when the tie is finally discontinued, there will no doubt be copies available, which ironically will sell for two or three times the price of what they are replicating.

Well, someone has spotted that you can already get a knock-off version of the tie - for HALF the price - from Matalan!

Skinny Silk Floral Tie - Matalan

The name of the tie is a subtle twisting of the St George name - Skinny Silk Floral Tie as opposed to Brown Jacquard Floral Slim Tie.

Being one of those commercial copies of a rival’s design, it does naturally differ notably in its appearance.

The flowers do, however, have a distinct resemblance to the St George tie. There is no doubt that is what they are aiming for!

Like the original there are dark leaves under the flowers, though not as bronze as the St George.



The flowers are in distinct bands, not unlike the St George tie worn in Utopia!

For £7 you can’t go wrong, and as a curiosity, I can’t resist ordering one.

Home-made Idiot’s Lantern tie

Tennant cosplayers are a canny bunch.
The Tenth Doctor’s costume can be blocked in very easily with a brown suit and a pair of readily available Converses.

But the one thing they crave are the ties - screen accurate if possible - if not then a good replica.

Not all the ties have been rewoven, and even fewer originals come up on eBay, so if there’s a third way the Ten cosplayer will find it!

Well one of my readers, Simon Richards, has done just that by making his own copy of his favourite tie - the Thomas Nash tie worn in The Idiot’s Lantern.

Here’s how he went about making it.

Making my Idiot’s Lantern tie
by Simon Richards

The Idiot’s Lantern... great episode, great scooter, great clothes, great tie and great shades of Elvis. With lots of humour, anger and emotion this Tenth Doctor episode is easily one my favourites. I have been a Tenth Doctor cosplayer for a good few years and whilst my collection of costume pieces increases, The Idiot’s Lantern tie has always intrigued me. The main problem was always not knowing what the tie actually looked like. During the episode it is very tricky to identify the whole pattern.

Thanks to Steve’s Tie Index this tie, for me, became a little more obtainable. I had tried to look for the original screen accurate tie by Thomas Nash but soon realised this was going to be a very long, expensive route to go down. I decided, therefore, to make my own version.

Using reference images from the Tie Index blog, screen captures and of course every cosplayer’s favourite tool... Google, I took the time to collect as many high quality photos I could.
I chose to use one which showed the pattern up close in detail. I measured one of my other ties for size and adjusted the image to the correct scale. This meant that when I printed the image at 100% it would hopefully map out exactly the correct size of the tie. The hard part here was continuing the pattern in full because all reference images do not show the full length.

I decided to trace from the print out onto some paper using my window for a light box. I taped the pages together and then traced around my existing tie to get a rough outline.

From this point I needed to create a template so I could transfer the pattern onto the tie itself. Using my pattern on paper I scanned the images onto my laptop and bought some plain card. Printed the images again at 100% and then attached the card together like before.

Using a board and a scalpel I carefully cut out the design allowing me to see the pattern in full.

From this point I pretty much had my tie all planned out so I went ahead and bought a plain brown satin tie, metallic gold and metallic blue ink pens.

Once my tie arrived I set to work attaching the template over the tie to hold it steady as I began tracing out the pattern markings. The outcome looked rather amusing and a little Gallifreyan.











My next step was a little frustrating as it involved filling in the lines between the design to fill out the S shapes. Once this had been completed the tie became very Idiot’s Lantern.

Using the gold metallic ink pen I bought I then began to fill in the S shapes to bring the pattern to life.

I was quite worried that it looked slightly messy but as I continued and eventually put in a blue line through each S shape the tie took shape rather nicely.

It may not be 100% accurate or very tidy but this was a fantastic little project to work on and I’m very happy with the outcome!

Have you made yourself a tie in the same way - using a blank tie and fabric pens?
If so I’d love to hear from you.

Email me at tennantcoat@me.com 
and we can look at getting you in my blog!

The Flurry of St George

So this will be my little rant, effectively about supply and demand.

I’m finding the latest developments about the St George by Duffer tie worn by David Tennant in the upcoming 50th Anniversary Special to be more than a tad interesting.

Between 2006 and 2009 when David was flying high in the role, the rise of the cosplayer dressed in a brown suit and long trench coat became a convention sight more common than not.
But for some reason the ties worn were not in their crosshairs until after he had departed the role.

The turning point was the 2010 Bonhams Doctor Who Auction where a small but nonetheless significant lot of Tenth Doctor ties were sold. They were significant not for being made available, but for the sheer fact the accompanying text listed the labels, blowing the lid on the manufacturers we should be looking out for - Daniel Hechter, Rocha John Rocha, St George by Duffer and Thomas Nash.

Pandora’s box was opened and the fan-machine that was in place following Matt Smith’s costume (the Paul Smith shirt; TopMan trousers; All Saints boots; G-Star RAW trousers etc etc) soon was on the case.

Even today, original St George ties as seen in Utopia crop up on eBay. Previously gaining over £200 a piece, they have more recently gone for a less eye-watering £50 as this listing demonstrates.

SOLD FOR £50

Doctor Who Tenth Doctor Tie

Brown background colour with diagonal floral pattern. This tie was a gift from a friend a fellow doctor who collector to my husband. tie is in excellent condition but has no label on the back.
Seen in the episodes Utopia , The last of the time lords and The sound of drums.
This is not the anniversary tie , one sold for over £225 on ebay.

Fast forward to this year, and within a day of filming with David Tennant on set for the Special, the new tie was spotted; identified; ordered and if lucky, bought in-store at Debenhams branches across the UK.

Before the end of the week, photos were on forums, Twitter and Facebook showing off proudly found ties.

Variants were spotted; widths were analysed; alignments of patterns were scrutinised, all endlessly debated on the forums.

But as fast as they were appearing on forums a similar number were popping up for sale on eBay, and for prices more associated with the rarer originals from 2006 to 2009.

To show just how numerous they were, here is just a selection of seller’s images from their listings.

Where previously the ties were identified after the fact - we now have a tie which is still available in-store. As a result most cosplayers who want one can get one either by walking into a branch of Debenhams or buy one from eBay.

Admittedly these are often at double their street-price, but that is still below the average price of the rewoven replicas found on the net.
Quite why you’d buy a replica of this tie when originals are so prolific I don’t know.

Anyway, to stand out in a crowded marketplace, I’ve noticed a number of eBay sellers coming up with novel ways to display their ties. Some on mannequins with Tennant suits; one even playing on the British heritage of the show by using a Union Jack as a background.

But if there was a prize, I would give it to the listing that used the photo below. Very creative!

If you want to look for a St George by Duffer tie on eBay,
you’ll find these links useful

Doctor Who tie

St George tie

David Tennant tie

The Duffer - You're Fired!

Here’s a good spot by one of my eagle-eyed readers!

On tonight’s edition of The Apprentice - You’re Fired! host Dara O’Briain was wearing Tennant’s 50th Anniversary St George by Duffer tie!

With all the Ten fans snapping up the ties at Debenhams branched across the country, I’m surprised there was one spare for Dara to buy!

Good spot Tom!

Of course this isn’t the first time a St George by Duffer tie worn by the Tenth Doctor has been seen outside of Doctor Who. John Simms wore Tie Ten in an episode of Life On Mars.

Have you spotted a Tennant tie
being worn on something other than Doctor Who?

If you have, drop me a line at tennantcoat@me.com

Dinosaurs saved from extinction

Last year I did a big photoshoot with my friend and Tenth Doctor look-a-like Kevin Coppa.

One of the locations we used was a local golf course - which is inhabited by dinosaurs!

As I reported last September, the dinosaurs were under threat as planning permission had not been sought for their construction!

Well this week there was good new. After an appeal to government they have been given a reprieve, so long as the largest dinosaur is relocated from its current position to a site less visible from the main road that passes only yards away.

Borehamwood Times
Saved from extinction: Popular dinosaur survives demolition threat

A name HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW!

THIS IS NOT A SPOILER!
Despite the initial tone of this entry, there are no spoilers relating to any unbroadcast episodes

With the Tenth Doctor’s ties very much back in the news lately, I have come across something I had never previously known - and something which if you’re a Tennant fan know you will kick yourself over.

The final episode of Series Seven, due in only a few weeks, is titled The Name Of The Doctor and is already dividing fans before the plot is even truly known.

Back in The Wedding Of River Song the disembodied head of Dorium made his ominous prediction:

It's all still waiting for you: the fields of Trenzalore, the fall of the Eleventh, and the question!
The first question! The question that must never be answered, hidden in plain sight. The question you've been running from all your life. Doctor who? Doctor who? Doc-tor *who*?

Well - this hasn’t ANYTHING to do with The Name Of The Doctor, but it does relate to names in plain view.

One of the most popular ties worn by the Tenth Doctor was Tie Four, the Christian Lacroix - commonly known as the swirly tie.

Well, it appears there is more to those random swirls and patterns than meets the eye.

I came across a listing on eBay for old Lacroix tie dating from the 1990s - and it has a very interesting label inside the lining of the tie.

The logo incorporates an abstract twisted line, something very in during the 1990s, forming a C and L for Christian Lacroix - and it is a perfect match to the swirl at the bottom of the Swirly tie!

That bottom piece of the design IS the Christian Lacroix logo, bold as brass, three inches square - HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW!

How did we miss that?!

St George’s day

Today is April 23rd - St George’s day - the patron saint of England! So how appropriate to talk about Tie Ten, the St George by Duffer tie.

I keep an eye on eBay for any screen accurate Tennant ties almost as a matter of habit. It’s a lonely quest and often fruitless.

There are two divisions of ties: the cheap and plentiful (such as the Thomas Nash, Daniel Hechter and St George by Duffer) which retailed for £15 to £20; and the more expensive and exclusive (such as Christian Lacroix, Giorgio Armani and Nina Ricci) which retailed for £60 plus.

The problem is the cheaper ties, although many more were made, they are seen as cheap and cheerful so not worth anything. They tend to end up in the bin or given to a charity shop.

The more expensive ties tend to be retained due to their price, but if they are unwanted have a chance of appearing on eBay.

This week saw two Tenth Doctor ties, one from each group (though one was a colourway variation) up for sale on eBay.

ST GEORGE BY DUFFER TIE

So far I’ve reported on a good half dozen of this ties over the past couple of years. When they do come up they often have a low start price, but once a couple of Tennant fans spot them they soon rocket in value. This one selling for over £70

GIORGIO ARMANI TIE

I’ve seen this Giorgio Armani tie once before, and have this colourway myself.

It is totally identical in weave to the brown and blue version worn by the Tenth Doctor, but this one is in shades of grey. it is just like a black and white photograph!

The Australian seller of this tie was out for a quick sale, and it sold for a meagre AU$20!

A bargain if ever I saw one - real pity it wasn’t in the right colour :(

That didn't take long!

I've barely got home from buying a few ties myself, and I see others are already appearing on eBay!
Strike while the iron’s hot I suppose, and to be fair, that’s not a bad price considering.

St George by Duffer tie as worn by David Tennant

St George by Duffer
Doctor Who cosplay

SOLD OUT!

Tenth Doctor Tie Index - UPDATE

With all this news of NEW ties for the Tenth Doctor, I thought it right to get my Tie Index bang up to date.
I’ve therefore added the St George by Duffer tie, and some nice pack-shot images.

I’m gonna do some other detail views of the tie soon for those who can’t get hold of one, so check back soon.

Tie Thirteen

Only seen in: 50th Anniversary Special (title TBC)

Maker: St George by Duffer

Description: Dark brown with semi-random floral design of blue flowers and bronze foliage

St George by Duffer tie - a definitive comparison

I’ve spent the past couple of days visiting various high street branches of Debenhams, seeking out the St George by Duffer tie that the Tenth Doctor will be wearing in the upcoming 50th Anniversary Special.

Some things have come to light which I think it is worth mentioning to help clarify the situation and dispel some myths circulating online.

First up, the correct tie being worn is the Blue Jacquard Floral Tie, which I gave the link to a couple of days ago.

This, as many people have now discovered, is out of stock on the website and several people I know had their orders cancelled even when it was in stock, citing insufficient items. Basically they oversold it.

However, there is an alternative, called the Brown Jacquard Floral SLIM Tie.

On the website it looks to be the same pattern, but with a darker background.

You can see by putting the two side-by-side they are notably different.

With this in mind I was looking out for the two versions of the ties in-store.

When I did find them, I discovered the following:

• The wider screen-worn tie is way rarer than its narrow counterpart. I saw a dozen narrow for every one wide.
• The narrow tie is made from exactly the same fabric as the wider one, in precisely the same colour. 
• There are subtle differences in manufacture between the two, but only cosmetic and nothing that notices once worn
• The slim tie is only narrower by 1cm at the widest point

Here are some proper side-by-side comparision pictures to show you. The slim tie is on the left, the screen-worn on the right.

As you can clearly see, the two versions of the tie are made from exactly the same fabric. There is no difference in the pattern at all.

So - let the bun fight commence!

Now the new Tenth Doctor tie is positively identified, the rush is on the grab the available stock before they sell out.

This is very much a phnonom of the past few years, and was something that never seemed to happen while David Tennant was in the role.
No-one paid much attention to The Doctors ties - it was all Rose Tyler jackets and jeans. It wasn’t really until the Bonhams auction that any of the labels were really widely known, and that was well after Matt Smith took over the role.

Around that time we had the ID on the Eleventh Doctor's Paul Smith shirt; TopMan jeans; and All Saints Layer Boots, the later of which were highly prised at the time.

So to now see the mad rush over a Tennant tie seems out of place!

But who can resist? If you’re a big Ten fan, and there’s a tie sitting in your local branch of Debenhams - you’re gonna want it, especially if its only £14!

So yes, I’ve got sucked into this frenzy of tie hunting, and yesterday spent a fair part of my time traveling around the stores within striking distance of where I live.

I happened to be near Hemel Hempstead first thing in the morning, so was waiting outside their doors at 9am like some sad bargain hunter in the sales!

I didn’t have too much time, so I quickly found the menswear department and their substantial tie display.

Scanning through all the ties is like reading my Tie Index, with Thomas Nash, Rocha John Rocha and finally St George by Duffer.

And sure enough, there it was.
It’s funny to see the tie on the rack just waiting to be picked up.

Of all the ties on sale, this is the only one that conforms to Louise Page’s criteria for a tie to go with the brown suit. To be appropriate it must be mainly dark brown, with a pattern or accent in light or sky blue.

Moving on I took a train into London and first went to the Westfield shopping centre at Shepherds Bush.

Their tie display was hidden out of sight behind a wall, so took me a moment or two to find!

Again it came up trumps, but this time only one of the screen accurate ties was on the rack.

If you look in the photo (above) you might be able to see it on the bottom rack, about centre.

I nabbed the tie and moved on to Debenhams flagship store on London’s Oxford Street.

The store is going though some MAJOR renovations with only one of the three escalators working, so finding my way down the the menswear in the basement was a challenge! It proved a bit fruitless as there were none of the screen accurate ties on the shelves at all. I guess some Ten cosplayers has been here before me. Good lads!

From here I headed north to Harrow, which has a shopping centre I used to visit a lot in my youth when I lived in the borough.

This was to be my last store visit today and proved to be rewarding, with three of the screen accurate ties just waiting for me to buy them.

As you may work out, I have a tie for myself and a few spares. If you are having difficultly obtaining a tie, let me know as I might be able to help out.
Please mail me at tennantcoat@me.com