Prototype: Embroidered Tailcoat

Due to the swiftness with which we sold the tailcoat, we never did manage to do photos of this coat beyond running into the garden, hurling the tailcoat on the Proprietor and pointing the camera at him.

The coat is made from a medium weight black wool. Elaborate black embroidery is on the front, cuffs and high collar of the coat. Aside from the tails, the back is plain and dark metal buttons go down the front. The silver faux silk lining has two hidden pockets at the breast.

Looking over the preview of the embroidery, and it really has been significantly more than a week. Many things seem to have gotten in the way. We will reuse the templates of the embroidery, though part of me feels reluctant to do an exactly the same combination of colour and coat shape. Perhaps we can do the silver embroidery on black wool, or perhaps a dark emerald green.

To commission a coat with similar quantities of embroidery from the Mercenary would cost in the region of £120-50.

More photos of the black embroidered tailcoat under the cut.

Preview: A Wander Down South

The Mercenary has been wandering around down south and had the pleasure of visiting Warwick Castle and Hever Castle. Due to a convoluted series of logistical problems, it was far more efficient to wear my Maelstrom costumes during these visit. Indeed, it was a useful excuse to myself for costumed frolicking.

Due to having a camera with us, we also did a number of photos in the beautiful gardens of Hever. These probably aren't the most exciting of dresses.

(Also, I'm quite fond of the above photo because of the way the print of the dress is echoed in the birch of the tree.)

Flembic Splendour: Military Dress

part of a series of Maelstrom-related Portraits

done by Chris Brett

Current fashion is with the embroidered frock coat, although an impressive military uniform is still a popular choice amongst the rakish.

This dress was designed for the military-themed "Parade Ball' that the Flembic Ladies held at a Maelstrom even some years ago now. It is made with a navy light wool-mix (suiting, actually, now that I think about it), with yellow cord for the braiding and buttons from ebay. It was designed to be worn with white underskirts and a hoop skirt, but here it's worn with black trousers and a white linen shirt.

This was one of the very first pieces the Designer and I collaborated on, back when we were still drawing our concept art on paper dolls from a museum website's "design your own outfit!" children section. The picture was then scanned, tweaked and coloured (and repeatedly, indecisively recoloured) in Microsoft's Paint.

The decision was to have something that fit with the theme of the ball (uniforms and military parades) but still appear frivolous, with an undertone of a silly lady playing at being a soldier (rather than the a dashing lady who's actually in the military and shoots a dozen fallen before breakfast, which is rather more the norm in Flambard). The blue was chosen to match the outfit of a gentleman of my character's acquaintance at the time.

The beautiful rose scabbard is made by the inimitable Tim Baker (though chronologically could not have been worn to the aforementioned ball, but artistic licence and all). The sword was borrowed from the local fencing society.

To commission a similar coat-dress ensemble from the Mercenary would cost in the region of £180, though this is a very rough estimate due to the original being made quite some time ago, so you should probably just get in touch.

More photos of the military dress under the cut.

Wool Coat Prototypes: Red Military, Triple-Caped and Red-Lined

The red military coat (Large, prototype cost £75.00) is made of a bright red wool-linen blend and lined in faux silk. It features bright gold buttons and fully double-breasted. Its cut is simple but hopefully effective.

The triple-caped watchcoat (Large, prototype cost £120) is made from a wool-linen mix. It is single-breasted, and features the buttons of chaos and exciting flared cuffs. It can be seen as the predecessor to the other caped greatcoat we did in a commission, but I do actually prefer the single-breasted look since it's a little more streamlined.

Wool coat (prototype cost £130.00) of midnight blue and distinctive shape with bright red faux silk lining and heavy wool-linen mix. It features gunmetal silver buttons with a curling fern design. The deep cuffs are decorated with red braiding and there are two hidden pockets.

Preview: Mirroring the Pre-Raphaelites

The anachronisms of the lady in pseudo-renaissance dress reading in an Victorian/Edwardian room almost blew the mind of the Designer when he saw the photos, though I suppose thinking back to how Jane Morris and her friends used to swan about their Victorian houses in pseudo-medieval splendour, it has a strangeness that I rather like.

Which could arguably be said to be the theme of the day since there are also heavy inspirations from Waterhouse's painting, Miranda - the Tempest (the 1916 one, not this earlier Miranda). We did joke that the river Wear, picturesque in its own right, isn't quite the stormy sea and the Prince Bishop (our local river cruiser) probably isn't up for sinking in the name of painting re-enactment. 

So I'm really rather glad we didn't succumb to the temptation to simply do the photos in the garden. And the Archaeologist (my lovely model of the day) needed to go to Palace Green Library anyway. 

We were in Durham Castle for the most part and there were three outfits in total, though the various layers got their own photos. The steampunk tailcoat of the previous post appears again (apparently with the power of making anyone feel significantly more dashing than they felt before), but in dark blue. There are some plans to do some of the black as well but I think we're running out of ideas of how to make the next set more different.

We brought some of the swords and they were duly twirled, as were braids and daggers. There was the reprimanding of impertinent bollards and dodging passer-bys. The Archaeologist even duelled a small child holding a stick when playfully challenged (and died a very dramatic death).

Grey overcast days have delayed these photos for almost half a week and it all seems to spite me as it was now too bright. Most of the photos turned out utterly sun-drenched and we seemed to be battling overexposure. I had wanted some shots with the castle keep in view, but between the bright sunlight and the camera's auto-adjustments, the castle was nowhere to be seen (see under the cut). Looking at the photos now, it's tempting to attribute some form of science fiction cloaking ability to the keep (after all, it's not as old as it looks).

More photos in the days to come and the disappearing castle under the cut.

Prototype: Velvet and Brocade Tailcoat

A sort of unisex version of the steampunk velvet tailcoat. In the button-related negotiations and the consequent chaos of the various revisions, we ended up buying significantly more brass mock-filigree buttons than were needed for one coat. Staring at the several gross of remains, we decided that the design can't have been that bad if we managed to sell off both of the surplus coats.

The full-skirted tailcoat is made from cotton velvet with brocade revers and lined in faux silk. The buttons are all decorative and the garment fastens in the front with two brass clasps.

With the swords and the filigree mask, there's something of a particularly eccentric highwayman, perhaps with steampunk (or even clockpunk, given the excessively frilly shirt) inclinations, leaping on unsuspecting travellers from his giant cog.

In retrospect, I do prefer the sketches with the double-breasted front (see under the cut) instead of the brass clasps, but this does make the garment more flexible in terms of sizing and gender. Originally conceived of as a woman's coat, it works remarkably well on male model (which is a nice change of pace from me modelling too-large male coats).

The brocade tailcoat is currently available in Mens Medium and UK Ladies 16-18 for £75. It comes in black, royal blue and emerald green. To commission the tailcoat in other colours and sizes would cost more or less the same amount.

The green greaves are from full set of unique green armour Clockwork Firebird Designs has been working on as a custom commission. It has matching vambraces and a suede jerkin.

The golden filigree mask is from Reeshiebeads (custom-made, £20). The swords are a Scimitar and a Fey Longsword, both available from Character Kit. The brocade tailcoat is also worn with a linen frilly shirt and fall-front trousers, both of which are from the Mercenary.

That is also quite possibly the longest credits list I've had for a post like this. Which goes to show steampunk highwaymen are by far the most overdressed of all the dandies that have appeared on this blog. Perhaps I should keep it shorter with a string of links and morph into a photoblog...

More photos of the steampunk velvet tailcoat under the cut.

Preview: a Wander by the River

Much as the ruined chapel has provided us with many beautiful photographs, it seemed to be getting a tad repetitive, so today the Designer led us to the broken railway bridge. On the way there we did stop by the giant pillar segments cogs (last seen in the photos with the steampunk pirate) which appear with the tailcoat.

1896-1897 map of Durham,
map from  Old Maps

We ended up cheekily festooning the cow statue with our coats, in vain attempt to keep them out of the mud (photo under the cut). The nearby bandstand is topped with the cricket pun, "Lest time bails you out."

The ruined railway bridge we use in many of today's photos was part of the passenger service from Durham Elvet to Sunderland. It wasn't particularly popular and in the latter years of its forty-year history ran for only one day a year (that day being the Miner's Gala in July). The Durham Elvet station has since been demolished and apparently an office block stands where it once was.

The beautiful golden wire mask in the first photo is made by the lovely Reesha Dyer (of Reeshiebeads). She makes many gorgeous (and some slightly silly) things at very reasonable prices. A mask similar to the one pictured would cost in the region of £20 from her.

The laced leather vambraces are from Clockwork Firebird Designs (also on etsy). They're hand-dyed a lovely shade of green and have matching greaves.

The weapons are a scimitar and fey dagger, both normally available from Character Kit, though both tragically out of stock.

Commission: Black Linen Cassock

This cassock is made of black linen. It's unlined and is fastened with a row of gunmetal grey buttons down the front that give the cassock a mild steampunk edge. It has three deep pleats at the back, plain cuffs, piping and a standing collar.

It was commissioned by Femina Necans, who is modelling the garment herself in the photos. The Designer and I were unable to convince her that she wanted the cassock to be edge in purple or red (like the high ranking catholic cassocks). There was some debate as to where we should move the front pleats so as the garment interfaced with breasts, but overall it can't be said to be the most exciting of commissions. Also seen in the photos is the silver-lined Necromancer Cloak, with gunmetal grey rose buttons (like those on the Red Rose Coat, but larger).

With the cathedral in the background, we did joke that we were taking photos for some form of female priests campaign or the Miss November of a priestly fund-raising calendar.

We toyed with giving the whole set a more vampire-hunter feel with more props and taking some by the weather-worn tombstones in front of the cathedral, but in the end, none of those came out particularly well. Still with the cassock worn open and armed with the gun (from Evenlode Studio) and the Tallows dagger, I fancied this brought to mind Solomon Kane (except more Catholic).

There isn't more more to say of the cassock, save if you would want one like it, it would cost in the region of £50-55.

More photos of the black linen cassock under the cut.

Prototype: Arwen Mourning Coat

This is almost identical to the other Chase Dress, but for the fact it's in a black faux suede instead of teal, with matching black silk chiffon lacing. It fastens down the front with hook and eyes, under the chiffon lacing.

This of course doesn't really resemble Arwen's actual mourning gown from the Peter Jackson trilogy and rather comes from us saying "Think of Aragorn being dead!" during the photoshoot (which replaced last time's "Think of the Weight of the Ages!"). Wandering away from Tolkien, I suspect this may look rather fetching a drow character, with perhaps a dash of classic purple or red in the accompanying clothing and I can't say this wasn't made with appealing to that sort of aesthetic in mind.

To commission a similar coat from the Mercenary would cost in the region of £90-100. The prototype of the chase dress itself (UK women's size 16-18) is available on Character Kit for £90. 

In Other News: You should go wander over and have a look at Gracewing's Clockwork Firebird Designs, now with added updates. Photos of the amazing Catbus, Red XIII, the awesome spider-butt and more. (And of course, there's a spot of pride that she's wearing the steampunk velvet tailcoat with the beautiful Crown of Gears Leather Corset.)

More photos of the coat under the cut.

Prototype: Black Velvet Coat with Embroidered Lining

This coat is made of beautifully soft black stretch velvet and lined with a faux silk that is embroidered with lilac rosebuds and wandering vines. The trim is a black and gold jacquard.

In design, this effectively the previous black velvet coat, but with lilac flowers instead of pale pink ones embroidered on the lining, a decision dictated largely by the availability of fabric.

I confess to be dabbling with something of the gothic here. This and the black chase dress were together titled "Mourning" when it comes to folders. They were taken just days before Halloween, hence the use of the oversized toy heart as a prop with the silver goblet. Kathed was, as always, fantastic to work with (and she endured most graciously all the Mercenary's the tired jokes about elves, the weight of the ages, bored ladies, fan language, etc).

To commission a similar coat from the Mercenary would cost £90-100, though significantly cheaper with a plainer lining.  The design of the coat almost entirely hinges on the embroidered fabric and its availability, so exact replicas are not always possible. The tentative beginnings of the range are available from Character Kit for £85.

The Mercenary also did a single-clasp riding coat/gown in green and purple cotton brocade.

More photos of the Black Velvet Coat Dress under the cut.

Prototype: Cavalry Armour

I've already remarked upon the Elizabeth I: The Golden Age overtones in the preview post, the coincidence of having a red-head and plate armour in a photoshoot. Perhaps not unlike our Unintentional Agatha Heterodyne Cosplay.

The armour is made from stainless steel and is modelled after medieval cavalry armour. It was a prototype piece as Julie Knox was working out how to work make plate armour.

I'm afraid Julie has utterly foresworn ever working with steel, but if you fancy commissioning some custom leather or latex armour (like or unlike the Oriet), do drop us an email.

Also seen in the photos is the beautifully detailed Mysdanael Short Sword, available from Character Kit for £80.

More photos of the cavalry armour under the cut.

Prototype: Double-Breasted Waistcoat

A long fully-lined double-breasted waistcoat made of black faux suede with a standing collar metal buttons. It's a versatile little garment that can be worn in a number of ways (see under the cut for most of the options). 

The Designer was rather taken with the potential versatility a double-breasted waistcoat and after some thought, we decided to run up a prototype. It's much more of an everyday garment than, say, the georgian-esque riding gown or the more recent brocade waistcoat. The cloud-swirl buttons are really the only interesting detail.

The model complained about the lack of pockets, so perhaps next prototype will feature some. 

To commission a similar waistcoat from the Mercenary would cost in the region of £30-35.

More photos of the double-breasted waistcoat under the cut.

Gothic Silver Roses: One Waistcoat and One Caraco

The Mercenary stumbled upon a bolt of brocade with silver roses on it almost a year ago. It seems that I am not the only one who has noticed it as by the time we were toying with the idea of some brocade waistcoats there was two and a half metres left at the market stall - a little bit too much for the one waistcoat we had in mind.

One lovely Regency-esque waistcoat later, we were all looking at the offcuts and wondering what should become of them. They weren't exactly enough for a full garment, of course, but they would work nicely as the contrast fabric of something.

And so the caraco (short jacket) of silver roses came to be (see below).

The waistcoat of silver roses (or "vest" if you happen to be American) is made from silk-wool brocade bearing the pattern of its name. Like many of the fashionable waistcoats of the Regency era, it's relatively high-waisted, possesses a standing collar and is squared off at the bottom, though it is only single breasted and without a wide lapel. It uses silver rose-shaped buttons, which whilst thematically consistent, do seem a little overwhelmed and lost in the pattern of the brocade.

The shirt has pleated frills at the cuffs and the front opening (something that was beginning to go out of fashion, but not unheard of during the Regency.)

The jacket of silver roses is made from the same brocade and a faux silk taffeta. It is lightly boned and fasted with loops of scarlet velvet ribbon over brocade-covered buttons. The jacket is laced down the back with same velvet ribbon with is also used to trim the jacket. It has been remarked that there is something deliciously spidery about the collar.

We're vaguely hoping to do a photoshoot of the two garments in the same shot, but we'll see how things go with all the other prototypes coming into being.

To commission a similar waistcoat would cost in the region of £30-5 and a similar jacket £75-85. The silver roses waistcoat is now available on Character Kit for £35. The clockwork globe watch seen in the photos is also on Character Kit for £20.

As always, more photos of the silver roses garments under the cut.

Black Lace Dress

The Black Lace Dress was last seen worn under the burgundy velvet Steampunk Buckle Dress. It's high-collared and entirely composed of black lace with a crisp black faux silk lining, except for the sleeves which are unlined.

The photo to the left is, of course, photo-shopped. The temptation was too much (many unphotoshopped ones under the cut). The bright green of the grass and blue of the sky was just too ungothic. There's nothing dark and brooding about a cloudless sky.

To commission a similar dress from the Mercenary would cost in the region of £65-70.

More photos under the cut.

The Buttons of Chaos

I confess there isn't some sort of secret Warhammer 40k agenda or quota this blog has to meet (and it is getting excessive), but the Mercenary couldn't not post these buttons with the Symbol of Chaos on them. I don't really have anything concrete, but some cultist robes are taking shape in my mind.

The Prospect of a Horse

I've been discussing doing some photos on horseback with an ex-housemate of mine. She knows (among many other horse-related things) how to ride sidesaddle and we've been talking about getting the Gothic Coat out for arranging over the rump of a horse.

(Incidentally, these photos of the Gothic Coat constantly tempt me to play about with them on photoshop and there is a great and very pretentious desire in me to caption them with quotes like I am half sick of shadows in an overly swirly font. And yes, the photo the the left is indeed photoshoped. To death and back.)

More Sketches, including one of Rose Coat

The weather has been utterly foul: patchy snow on the ground and dark grey skies. The photoshoot scheduled of a silk-lined frock coat and the buckled gambeson has thus been postponed with hope that next week will yield some more photogenic weather.

Thus, the Costume Mercenary has been busy with her paints (and quite taken over the dining table with her sketching)  and here are the better looking results of all that endeavouring. I've been somewhat heartened by the fact that utterly splendid Sandy Powell (responsible for all the gorgeous costumes in The Young Victoria, Interview with a Vampire, the Other Boleyn Girl, Shakespeare in Love, etc...) isn't particularly good at drawing faces. I've also been perusing John Peacock's Men's Fashion: The Complete Sourcebook, and I have to say he's not excessively good with faces either.

My collection of watercolours could hardly be described as sophisticated and up until quite recently, I didn't have purple. Whilst the theoretical possibility of mixing colours was possible, it seemed a daring and rather daunting prospect, especially since all colours are mixed on the plastic lid of my colours box (and there they remain - one squidge of colour last seemingly forever, I'm not sure I've ever been halfway through a box before). What this was rambling towards is an excuse for why everything is grey and red.

(Most of the buttons have been coloured in with metallic pens, but it's not something that really shows in the scans.)

Hence it is very likely that none of this would be done up in the colours as pictured, especially as the military-esque ensemble to the right is terrifyingly patriotic (with regard to the fictional nation of Flambard, of Maelstrom). Though really, I should probably be sketching chitons and stolas and togas for the upcoming Odyssey event.

I can't say the pastel shades allegedly fashionable during the late eighteenth century (so John Peacock is trying to convince me) would find market with the modern live roleplayer, but I have this odd itch to attempt some sketches.

The Red Rose Coat was the first practice sketch, drawn from the coat itself rather than the other way around. I'm curiously proud of it.

Due to the fact there isn't much more to say, cue inconsequential and irrelevant anecdote:

The Designer, myself and another gentleman were locked out of the house the other day after a photoshoot. The Designer found some die at the bottom of the pocket (a d6 and a d10) and thus began the game in which we played telepathic radioactive dinosaurs in an apocalyptic future..... 

The Red Rose Coat

The Red Rose Coat is made from a thick purple/red-coloured wool-linen. The small metal buttons are rose-shaped and there are three of them down the cuffs and around the back. The slit is also buttoned all the way down the back. It was briefly considered that the buttons around the front should be larger, but the Designer feels that it works the way it is.

The design was inspired by the spate of double-breasted military jackets that have been flooding mainstream fashion and various historical riding habits, but instead of a black-and-brass jacket, it was made in this striking red with silver rose buttons and with a much longer back.

Due to a misplacing of the silver eyelets, the entirely decorative eyelets are in brass - an unfortunate error, but it doesn't seem to negatively impact the coat hugely.

The sleeves are roughly three quarters in length, a design decision made when I was in the warm winter of Hong Kong. It allows one to show off the large sleeves and cuffs of a shirt or long gloves worn under, but it unfortunately does lead to cold wrists when not wearing gloves.

For all the Alice-in-Wonderland-esque nature of the photos, the red rose coat pictured has nothing to do with any of the beautiful costumes from the upcoming Tim Burton film. The Designer and myself were doing the photoshoot behind Durham Cathedral and we came across a building with an unusually small door. Inspiration (the quality of which is questionable) struck and a series of photos with a vaguely Alice's Adventures in Wonderland feel to them, due to the coincidence of pocket watch, glass-bottle-on-silver-chain and smaller than average door.

The Red Rose Coat is worn with a black brocade underskirt (about three petticoats) and the white linen shirt with brass screw-adorned buttons (previously seen under the Steampunk Dress).

To commission a similar coat from the Costume Mercenary would cost in the region of £120.

Due to positive feedback, a male version of this coat is on the drawing board.

Many more photos under the cut.

The Gothic Coat in a Ruined Chapel

The Gothic Coat is utterly, impractically enormous. It is, ironically, longer and larger than the coat from Elizabeth that was, in part, the inspiration for it.

The coat is made of a heavy dark grey (almost silver in parts) brocade patterned with huge flowers (some of them roses if you squint enough). It is unlined (which is somewhat unwise in retrospect, due to the way the fabric falls). There are some beautiful pleats around the back which become rather lovely folds in train.

The coat is fastened with hooks and eyes around the front (see photos under the cut for more detail).

I have to add that these photos show the coat-dress in a rather flattering light. It is somewhat less sweepingly majestic in reality and more unwieldy. It does encourage feelings of gothic grandeur, however, just as the Steampunk Coat induces feelings of mad scientist cackling.

The Gothic Coat is worn over a black-and red cotton brocade dress and a black brocade underskirt. The rather exquisite Dragon Katana is borrowed from Character Kit, where it is available.

The Designer and myself have been talking about improvements, perhaps adding a detachable black velvet collar (to give it all some more feature) or a bit of detailing around the back of the waist.

The entire photoshoot makes me want to break my ban on photoshopping and caption everything with ridiculously pretentious quotes, such as "I am half sick of shadows" (ala Lord Tennyson's The Lady of Shalott). Perhaps it's simply because brown stone just isn't very gothic and slapping a monochrome filter on would totally make it moreson. The results of that 'shooping binge will posted at some point, when I feel like I can live it down.

To commission a similar coat from the Costume Mercenary would cost in the region of £110-120. You could also buy this one off the Mercenary at a reduced cost. Email her for more details.

More photos under the cut.