Saturday 20 December 2014

Capaldi waistcoat - upgrade

A little while back I made myself a Capaldi waistcoat, using the correct melton fabric.

At the time I didn’t have access to the authentic red silk for the back, so I just used a plain red satin as a placeholder.

However, I now have the real thing and I’m quite excited to start using it, the first thing I’ve done is to remake the waistcoat, using the correct fabric on the back.

It’s a subtle change, and frankly will hardly get seen as it will be worn underneath the Crombie coat.
But as you can see from the two photos above, the plain red just doesn’t compare to using the authentic lining and it gives me some satisfaction to go that extra mile and get things as perfect as possible.


I’ve already got some clients looking forward to getting theirs using my special lining - and it’s almost Christmas!!

Friday 19 December 2014

The Capaldi Crombie - IT BEGINS!

Over the past few months I have secretly been working on my replica of the Peter Capaldi Cromie-style coat. Okay, so no-one’s surprised at that, but what i have done is go that extra mile to source there perfect fabrics needed to complete the project.

The body of the coat is relatively simple, as the material came from W Bills, and the new owners, Harrisons, still stock and promote the fabric as part of their own range.

The problem has been the lining, as this was an end-of-line found at a London fabric shop. I was able to secure a limited supply, but nowhere near enough to do a replica coat.

My only chance was to get it rewoven. After many months of negotiations my bolt of fabric arrived today, so I can finally crack on with making a truly accurate replica Peter Capaldi coat.


The lining is really not what you expect.

It may appear on screen or in publicity stills as being a nice and simple plain red fabric, but in reality it is a finely woven mix of red and NAVY BLUE silk.

This creates an iridescent quality to it, with the light catching it in different ways all the time. I’ve done an initial batch using a black for now, but it gives a comparable result.
The best way to compare it is to put it side by side with a photo of the original coat taken at the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff.


What do you think?

Wednesday 17 December 2014

The Capaldi look -
definitive ID on the hoody

The publicity still have been out for Last Christmas for a little while now, and amongst them is a very good portrait of The Doctor, wearing his Crombie, Paul Smith jumper AND black hoody top.

This high resolution image shows some key details of the hoody, giving the opportunity to positively identify it.

Readers Aaron (who desperately wants to be credited) and Adam have pointed out that All Saints currently have available their Mode Merino Zip Hoody, which matches on all the key points - zip, pockets, ribbing, etc.

This is probably the same hoody briefly seen in Time Heist, and at that time it was suggested that it was from All Saints.

The version online at the moment is unlikely to be the exact version worn in Time Heist - but the accompanying text does mention that the Mode Merino is based on their Code Merino range - which could well be the version used.

In the meantime, this updated version ticks all the boxes and is at least the correct label, as well as being a great day-to-day wear item with a Who twist.

All Saints Mode Merino Zip Hoody

Doctor Who Magazine: The 2015 Yearbook

Today sees a end-of-year special edition yearbook from Doctor Who Magazine.

I don’t usually mention stuff like this, but this contains something a bit special you’ll like to read - especially if you’re a regular reader of my blogs.

The magazine reviews an incredible year for the programme, its spin-offs and the licensed merchandise available.
Highlights include our first major interview with the show’s executive producer, Brian Minchin, in which he reflects on Peter Capaldi’s first year as the Doctor and looks forward to further adventures with the Twelfth Doctor.

ALSO INSIDE THE ISSUE
  • Features on every episode in Peter Capaldi’s first series
  • Interviews with the team that accompanied Capaldi and Jenna Coleman on the Doctor Who World Tour
  • Fourth Doctor Tom Baker discusses his return to television and audio Doctor Who
  • Eighth Doctor Paul McGann reveals what he thinks about Capaldi’s Doctor
  • Orchestrator and conductor Ben Foster previews the 2015 Symphonic Spectacular
  • Inside the new ‘making of’ show, Doctor Who Extra
  • Behind the scenes at the new Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff
  • Interviews with some of the key players behind recent books, soundtracks, audio dramas, DVDs, Blu-rays and action figures
  • Highlights from the year’s newspaper and magazine reviews of Doctor Who
  • A round up of Doctor Who’s awards and honours from the last 12 months
  • Detailed tributes to the Doctor Who luminaries who passed away in 2014..., and much more!
Also included in the “much more” is an interview with me!

I was approached by Simon Guerrier, who as well as writing for Doctor Who Magazine has written adventures for Big Finish. We met in London a few weeks ago where we chatted about my work and some background information about how I do what I do.

We talked about a number of my projects, and touched on my upcoming Capaldi Crombie coat.

I provided a number of images for use with the article, including getting permission from Louise Page to share the picture of her with the Ultimate Tennant Suit.

I was hoping for maybe a half page, but in the end it turned out as a full page - which is awesome!

The magazine is available at
WH Smiths from
Thursday 18th December 2014

Saturday 6 December 2014

BBC promo pics - Last Christmas

After the teaser picture a couple of weeks ago, the BBC have issued a full set of official promo pictures and portraits.

Here are the images The Doctor appears in.