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 

The Thirteenth Reunion

After the excitement in Trafalgar Square last week, filming continues apace on the 50th Anniversary episode.

It’s been widely reported and is common knowledge that David Tennant is back as the Tenth Doctor.

He has been spotted filming with his TARDIS, but as yet he has not been seen in costume with Matt Smith - until today!

They have been shooting at Chepstow castle, and some pictures have emerged on Twitter and Tumblr.

Matt and David can be seen being interviewed by Lizo Mzimba, who regularly reports on the antics of the Doctor Who crew.

But a picture of greater interest to me shows David walking onto set, in costume, and wearing A NEW TIE!

Knowing the ties inside out, I can confirm this is NOT a tie previously worn.

We'll have to call it Tie Thirteen!

But through the interviews I did with Louise Page, and knowing the labels of eleven of the twelve ties worn by the Tenth Doctor, I have some insight into where the ties were sourced.

Tie Three (Yves Saint Laurent), Tie Four (Christian Laxroix), Tie Seven (Giorgio Armani), Tie Eight (Nina Ricci) all came from prestige store Selfridges, and cost £60 plus when new.

Tie Two (Daniel Hechter), Tie Five (Thomas Nash), Tie Ten (St George by Duffer) were found at Debenhams, a more modestly priced department store where they were around £20 when new.

My first point of searching was the cheaper option, and it took me 30 seconds to stumble across a St George by Duffer tie in brown with a blue floral design.

I think we have a match - and it’s only £14 new! RESULT!!

Debenhams.com
St George by Duffer
Blue jacquard floral tie

The Infinite Quest

Have you ever wondered how I create the patterns I use for my costumes?
Ever been curious as to how I source my fabrics and materials?
How about how I tailor my coats so they look sharp and professional?

Well, if you are attending Gallifrey One in just over a week you can find out!

As part of the cosplay track over the convention, a variety of discussion panels and presentations are taking place covering all aspects and ability levels of costume making are scheduled.
From the basic Cosplay 101 for beginners; through special panels on dressing as The Doctor and his companions; as well as how to build monsters and aliens from the shows 50 year history.

I've sat in on a couple of these panels over the two years I have been going, and last year I unintentionally dominated a panel while talking about The Ultimate Tennant Suit. Luckily my fellow panelists were totally okay with how things went as everyone in the room, them included, were captivated by my talk.

So this year I have been given a dedicated solo panel to discuss taking costume making to the next level.

My plans are to talk extensively about the Ultimate Six Frock Coat, the Tom Baker Frock Coat I made last year, as well as a few surprises along the way.
I will show the earliest cosplay project I ever made (which I still have) and tell of the path that has lead me to where I am now.
I shall explain the ethos of the work I do and the vintage sources I use for the patterns that make the coats I am known for.

I do hope that if you are at Gallifrey One this year you will come along and hear what I have to say and see close up the costumes I shall have with me to illustrate my talk.

Oh, and there will be free Jammie Dodgers......

THE INFINITE QUEST

3pm Saturday 16th Feb 2013

All welcome

St George strikes back

Well, you wait for ages for a tie, and two come along right after the other!

Barely has my keyboard cooled down from giving you a heads-up on a St George by Duffer tie on eBay, a second one appears close on it heals.

The first auction had a BuyItNow of US$320 and within 24 hours of my posting it was snapped up - by one of my readers no less!

This latest auction is a bit fairer as it is a simple listing with a starting price of £25 - though at time of writing this is now £94.83.

ST GEORGE by DUFFER Tie - as worn by DAVID TENNANT in DR WHO

Brown Tie with Floral Pattern
by
St. George by Duffer

Of the style worn in 3 episodes of
DR WHO
by
DAVID TENNANT

Tie is in Excellent pre-owned condition

The return of St George

I’ve spotted something on eBay that has become a rarity compared to a year or two back - an original St George by Duffer tie, aka Tie Ten from my Tie Index.

This was one of the few ties that seemed to pop up form time to time, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen one for sale.

The US seller seems to be a Doctor Who fan, as he knows the provenance of the tie and its value.
That said Magnoli does do a passable replica, so the demand for this particular tie has been satisfied elsewhere (though it is currently out of stock).

At time of writing it has a BuyItNow for US$320 - which frankly is not beyond what these ties have gone for in the past - so if you want one NOW’S YOUR CHANCE!

St.George by Duffer Doctor Who Necktie David Tennant Costume Cosplay

Auction is for one St. George by Duffer necktie, as worn by David Tennant’s 10th Doctor in three episodes of Doctor Who - Utopia, The Sounds of Drums, and Last of the Time Lords, at the finale of season 3.

This item is long discontinued and extremely sought after by Doctor Who fans. Tie is a delicate blue floral pattern on a chocolate brown background. This is also an extremely interesting little tie in it's own right, and goes beautifully as an accessory to your brown suit! One of these ties was worn by John Simm in Life On Mars.

As bidding often becomes competitive for "as-worn-by" Doctor Who items, we have included a buy it now option so you can snap this tie up.

Replica Giorgio Armani Tie - Magnoli Second Incarnation

This month sees the release by Magnoli Clothiers of a second version of their Giorgio tie - a replica of Tie Seven (the Giorgio Armani).

Here is my review

This month has seen the release of a third, and much improved Swirly tie from online costume makers Magnoli Clothiers. It’s a very popular tie with fans, so great to see a decent replica widely available.

Previously they have gone through as many drafts of their replica of Tie Two (Daniel Hechter).

This demonstrates a level of dedication to review and revise their ties, each being a step up from the previous.

I wish I could say the same for the latest version of Tie Seven (Giorgio Armani) which has taken a bizarre route from the first draft.

Previously a replica had been made, copied directly from an original Giorgio Armani tie, though the source was a different colourway option in blue.

The weave was pretty much bang on, but for some unknown reason the two shades of brown were transposed, making the dominant colour a lighter, warmer brown.

So when I heard on the grapevine a new version of the tie was already in the pipeline, I was excited to see what had been done to improve on it, as only switching the browns would be enough to make it very near perfect.

I ordered my tie, and when it arrived I was what I can only describe as perplexed. The weave is the same as before but the colours have been changed to a dusty blue - just like the colourway option the first tie had been copied from to get the weave correct.

Why on earth this tie has been made I do not know. Maybe someone can enlighten me. But it is a backward step and further from the screen-worn tie than ever.

It’s a same the first draft tie is now out of stock as I would recommend sticking with that.
Sorry to be so negative, but even at US$45 it is not worth the effort to buy it.

I’ll wait to see what draft three brings...

Replica Christian Lacroix Tie - Magnoli Third Incarnation!

This month sees the release by Magnoli Clothiers of a third, and improved version of their Swirly tie - a replica of Tie Four (the Christian Lacroix).

Here is my review

Aside from trawling eBay for the occasional hotly fought as-worn ties; or finding something that is evocative or similar to the tie you are looking for, there is another option – a rewoven copy by online costume maker Magnoli Clothiers.

Over the past four or so years Magnoli has produced copies of Tie Two (Daniel Hechter); Tie Four (Christian Lacroix) Tie Seven (Giorgio Armani); and Tie Ten (St George by Duffer).

It has taken several drafts to get the ties to something near screen-accurate.
The earliest version of Tie Two (Daniel Hechter) was printed, and though was replaced with a woven version the pattern was not changed. The latest incarnation is to a better pattern, but is not quite the right colours.

Tie Four (Christian Lacroix) has gone through two drafts to date, though the latter was a woven version of the appliquéd copy seen in The Eleventh Hour, so wasn’t quite right on several levels.

But this month has seen the release of further update to Tie Four, this time replicating its main original appearance in The Girl In The Fireplace (it did appear briefly in other episodes, but since Louise Page herself regards The Girl In The Fireplace as its main use, I see it as that too).

Since February this year, when I found my original colourway version of the Christian Lacroix tie, the pressure has been on to make a more faithful version.

The second draft Magnoli had improved the pattern, but it was out of scale with the real thing, something that was difficult to match without having an original in-hand to work to.

So, using the images from my posting a new version has been redrawn from scratch, correcting many of the errors in the pattern seen in the previous version.

The colour has also been improved, though I’m of the opinion it has gone a bit too far.

Louise Page - School Project review

If you watched the recent Louise Page interview on my Tennant Coat Blog, where she revealed the background story to the development of the Tenth Doctor’s costume, you will have heard mention of her ‘School Project’.

This was a pitch document she put together to show Russell T Davies and Phil Collinson when she applied to be Doctor Who costume designer. It contained her initial thoughts and ideas for The Doctor’s new look, and gives a unique insight into that moment of development.

Louise kindly granted me special access to this document, and it makes very interesting reading.


It opens with her first impressions of The Doctor through the history of the series. She identifies the motifs that distinguished them and their clothing style.
She sees the incoming Doctor as being more funky and flamboyant, compared the the contemporary, tough style of the outgoing Christopher Eccleston.


To quantify her thoughts she created a word cloud with all the key aspects she wanted to bring together.

From here she breaks the possible looks for the new Doctor into three main design routes.

1. Military Inspired
The key points in the Military Inspired look include jackets and coats with good pocket and trim details; soft, worn in trousers; a sweater with texture; unusual buttons and pocket details; a mix of fabrics, colours and textures; great looking boots; a colour range of browns, fawns and sludge greens.

This puts me in mind of the plum coat of Tom Baker’s final season, apparently based on a Russian greatcoat.


2. Boho Romantic
The next look put forward, the Boho Romantic, is a eclectic mix of design and fabrics.
Louise outlines it as long coats or jackets in soft unstructured fabrics, possibly from suede, with unfinished raw edges.
The costume would comprise a shirt; a polo neck with a cravat type scarf; sort, worn in trousers; a waistcoat with unusual double breasted button details; boots.

The outfit was to have a sexy, grungy but romantic quality, coupled with a flamboyance and interesting detail, but keeping it very masculine. There would be a mix of textures, using a layered look.


3. Young Eccentric
Finally the Young Eccentric look brings the option of a much more colourful Doctor.
A mix of heavy checks (including tartans), as well as strong patterns. A tie or scarf would be a key accessory, suggesting a connection with previous Doctors. A waistcoats would round off the look, adding layers to create bulk and texture.

From the description I cannot get the colour-explosion costume worn by Colin Baker in the 1980s, though the magazine clipping show a more vintage clothing look, carefully selected but appearing to be thrown together.


The folder is rounded off with some footwear options cut from a catalogue.
At this stage it looks like thinking was a heavy military style boot, rather than the lightweight Converses screen worn.



To read the School Project in fill, click the headline below to view a PDF online.

Louise Page’s School Project

Me And My Tennant Suit - Michael Davis

I’ve recently kick-started my occasional series, Me And My Tennant Suit, with Dan Neumann sharing his Baron Boutique suit with us.

Now I have the youngest ever contributor to my blog, 13 year old Michael Davis.

PROFILE
Name Michael Davis
Age 13
Location Woodhouse, Sheffield
Favourite Doctor Tenth Doctor
Maker of my suit K.R.Collection
Colour of suit Brown Suit

I got the suit and coat way back in July 2010. After looking for 6 years I had finaly found one on eBay. Believe it or not it’s just a wedding suit, with blue and white pin-stripes – but it’s still awesome!

The reason I wanted a suit was because I saw Tennant and I loved his dress sense and I thought it would make me look very snazzy and because I saw Tony Coburn’s impression on YouTube and I wanted to do the same. So I begun my long search.

My first suit was a Blue suit jacket, with red pin-stripes (which is no longer with me). But I was mainly looking for a brown suit and considering my age I wanted the best I could get. and the brown suit I have now is as good as I can afford, for now atleast, in the future I hope to get a close match.

When I first bought the suit I made sure there was room for me to grow, so it didn’t brilliantly at first, infact the trousers were a pain, but as i’ve grown it’s got better.

Costume Station Zero - Tennant Suit chit-chat

My good friend Bob Mitsch in the US has recently started Costume Station Zero - a free podcast dedicated to all things cosplay.

It was launched on September 13th, exactly thirteen years to the day since the moon was torn out of Earth orbit in the classic 1960s series Space: 1999!

Although not strictly limited to Doctor Who, with Bob’s fascination for the series it will inevitably have a heavy Who orientation.

Already a number of episodes have been posted, and the current download has some Doctor Who content.

EPISODE 4

2nd October 2012

This episode is of particular interest to readers of this blog, as it features Kevin Coppa, who commissioned me to make The Ultimate Tennant Suit.
He also talks about 10th Doctor Cosplay, his Vespiform, Scaroth and more. Find out more about Kevin at his DeviantArt page.

Episode 4 - 10th Doctor Talk