See the Fangrrl Squee

(It occurs to me that this journal needs a costuming icon. Any suggestions?)

It's not like I'm ever going to make it - no, seriously, I'm not - but the mental noodling has been fun.

What mental noodling is that, oh fangrrl? I hear you ask.

It's the create a costume for ( You know which character I'm talking about... )

Instead of working on the oh gods, did I forget about it again? badly overdue costuming commission that's been lurking in my sewing room for the past, um, *mumblemumble*, I bashed out most of that shirt, today.

It's too bloody big across the shoulders (story of my life) and an attempted last-minute fix wasn't (ditto) but it still looks moderately fabulous. The combination of the black/silver taffeta and the black-on-black paisley came together far better than I had hoped. Finding the correct weight of interfacing so that the collar has a lot of body to it but doesn't cross the line to Ming The Merciless was a stroke of luck. Whether or not that interfacing actually lasts is another matter. I hope it does, as nothing says egomaniac like a funky collar - and nothing says pathetic costumer like a droopy one.

I changed out the damfool ruffle-cuff for a French cuff because a) I love French cuffs and b) I thought it would suit the garment better than the damfool ruffle, and I believe I'm right, if I say so myself.

Costuming purposes aside, it's a fuckin' fabulous shirt. The cut, the flamboyance... it's far niftier than anything by Butterick has a right to be. If I can figure out how to adjust the pattern to fix the issue across the shoulders - and I think I could, if I attacked the pattern paper before cutting another one - I'm going to make a dozen of these things and wear them every day.

So, yes, I'm quite pleased with it. It's a mix of retro and modern, simple style and Hey! Look at this! which I think suits the concept - meglomaniac Time Lord - quite well.

I've been wavering back and forth about the whole trousers vs. skirt thing and have decided to go with a pair of wide-legged (but not palazzo-scaled) trousers in red crepe satin, with a black chiffon overlay - again, a big streak of pay attention to me! going on there. I've worn a skirt in that style and it never fails to be eye-catching... Alas, no chiffon remains in my stash, so the pants will have to wait, for now. When the time comes, I might cut the pants on the bias, although with the crepe the weight that it is, that might be unnecessary. Could be fun, though. I've not done nearly enough stuff on the bias.

Alas, any notions of a coat have been ditched because I absolutely and utterly don't have the money to do it - even with JoAnn's desperately sending 50%-off coupons the house twice a week. Besides, I think a coat might end up fighting with the shirt.

That said, I have a coat made in the same fabric I used for the contrast on the shirt so I could certainly throw it on top, if it still fits me, but I think that might look a little too coordinated. Control freak, yes, but a crazy control freak. Can't neglect the crazy part. ;)

Given how long I've been hemming and hawing about the costume idea, it's a little surprising how quickly this has come together. A shame it breaks my No more costumes that require explanation rule but I think I can live with that.

Now, can someone please loan me a cricket bat to deal with all the goddamn plot-bunnies that have started swarming around me? A shame none of them cared about the Kaldor City fanscript, as I got precisely sod-all done on that, this weekend. Oops...

...or I could just pillage Dior's so-called New Look.

Hm.

Hmmm.....

The coat (center picture) from Vogue 1290 - minus the silly-frilly cuffs - in a patterned, dark-colored velvet/velveteen, either sapphire blue or dark burgundy, lined in an iridescent poly-taffeta. EDIT: or maybe I should use this as a lining. Heheh.

Folkwear 250's Hollywood pants - moleskin/microfiber in some complimentary color (I'd rather not default to black but I will if I must). I've made this pattern before, as well as the coat, above, and they're both eminently suited for running down corridors.

This basque shirt - upper right on the line drawing - with that ever-so amusing collar. Cream-colored silk (or something similarly luscious) with the contrast panels in some crazy jewel-tone patchwork type pattern, in whatever fabric I can lay my hands on. Batik-dyed silk would be a bit much although, man oh man, I like this, although I think this is a bit too nebula-like. But you get the idea - a splash of crazy-color to peek out from under the coat.

And some very smart boots, with just a hint of a heel, I think.

Alas, I completely lack the funds to make this and it violates my no more making costumes that I have to explain rule but, oh boy, I'm tempted... It'd be just so dam' dashing. Or something.

Presenting the St. George's Spirits Tactical Alcohol Consumption Team at the 18th Amendment of Gallifrey One.

Unofficial motto: We take our drinking so seriously, we have a uniform for it!

However, I had forgotten that trying to keep up drink-for-drink with a bunch of British folk - especially a gang of actors and writers - is pretty much deadly. Ow...

Dear Diary,

Today, Fangrrl remembered why costumers and prop-builders often hate designers - because they sometimes forget that what looks good isn't always ideally functional. The concept drawing looks fabulous. However, unless one has a forearm of constant diameter from wrist to elbow (I certainly don't!) then a plain rectangle doesn't look so hot, particularly when the piece is so wide.

Granted, the above is a minor quibble but it led directly to fangrrl also remembering that she should have paid more attention in geometry class.

And finally, she realized that she was a fool to have not used Super Sculpey before now.

( Further details for the curious )

In other news entirely, a completely pointless meeting ate 90 minutes of my life which I really needed for doing month-end on the books (did I mention that I'm not an accountant?) but, lo, the meeting produced one tangible result. I managed to smack the last bit of the Jack/Ianto d/s intro story into shape - managed to articulate what needs articulating and explained to Jack that, sorry, it's not going to be quite what he's hoping for. Furthermore, I think I've figured out the actual, y'know, smutty bits (so Jack won't be entirely disappointed, but I think he's going to be surprised). The current expectation is a three part story, with the second part written as an IM log, as is increasingly popular amongst TW fic circles these days.

Watch this space, etc, etc.

I usually post costume ideas on my not-very-fannish journal, but this one had to be shared here.

Let's see. I know I've got a side of heavyweight distressed leather at home, and a sizable bit of more traditional mid-weight leather (shiny, water-resistant finish, unlike the distressed), quite a few smooth rivets from some damfool craft project, some sheet-plastic left from MPWP, and grey primer spray paint...

Son of a gun, as long as I could find a buckle and figure out how I'd want to do the detailing on that center, I could put that together in a weekend.

My only quibble, doesn't the dam' thing have a flap over it, now? Hm. I'd like a pic of that, too.

What would I do with it? I don't know. Give it to someone who wants to cosplay Jack, probably. Or keep it for a random SF-costume persona and only smile knowingly when someone asks about where I got it. :)

ETA: Other images of the prop itself - it's just to the upper right of the printed-out headshot of Jack - suggest something quite different, which is a bit of a shame, as I like the concept drawing, more. It'd be easier to make, too.

Then again, I might be looking at quite the wrong thing.