Burgundy velvet - client photoshoot

Here are some great shots of one of my clients wearing his new burgundy velvet series nine coat I made for him.

He took them at a castle near where he lives, giving it a feel of Heaven Sent, one of his favourite episodes.

Hope you like them.

Burgundy velvet - photoshoot TEASER

One of my clients has been out with his camera getting some great photos in his new burgundy velvet coat I made him.

I’ll be posting the full pictures on Sunday evening, but for now, here’s a little teaser to whet your appetite.

Bon appétit!
Or should I say
Guten Appetit!!!!

Burgundy velvet - the full works

This week I delivered a rather nice example of my replica burgundy velvet Capaldi coat.

The client really wanted to all out on getting the coat made as absolutely authentic as possible, so he provided his own screen-accurate Holland & Sherry velvet, as well as the correct shot twill lining.

The screen-used cloth is not the cheapest option when it comes to velvet, so can add nearly half the price to the cost of making the coat.

The buttons are again the screen-accurate real horn, with the matt red cuff button from the original shop ray Holman got his from.
My client provided his own shiny button for the other cuff.

This client is a chest 38, so it snugly fits my mannequin, showing of the fit and cut to its absolute best.

The problem sometimes can be making a coat to fit a client, and still keeping true to the appearance and proportions of the original we are trying to replicate.

A taller frame will inevitable elongate the coat; a more stocky frame will widen the silhouette of the garment.Thus neither will look right seen out of context, but on the wearer they are cut for, the fit will carry off the look wanted.

I don’t specifically know Peter Capaldi’s size, but this particular coat certainly feels to be the closest I have made to his fit.

This means the proportion of the lapels and button placements can be their nearest to the screen-worn coats so far.

Keeping a good drape on the front of the coat where the lining comes right to the leading edge is deceptively challenging.

The coat was sent out to the client this week, and arrived safely the next day at its intended destination.

To say the client was happy is an underestimation - he’s been posting his photos to much praise on Facebook and Instagram ever since, with a photo-shoot planned at a castle very shortly.

I’ll bring you the results from that as soon as I can.

Burgundy velvet - a job in a rush

Blimey, I have been so busy lately.

As fast as I am making stuff I am getting new orders. It’s manic!

The last few weeks I have been engaged on a rush job for a client who needed one of my Capaldi Velvet coats as part of a wedding party taking place very soon.

Though I’d have liked a bit more time to do the coat, it wasn’t impossible to make it in the time allowed, so I agreed to take the job.

Today the client collected the jacket in person and before he did I took  these photos as I was very pleased with he result.

I am using a top quality screen-matched velvet, along with the shot twill lining from the original source.

My buttons are screen-accurate real horn, with the matt red cuff button from the original shop ray Holman got his from, and my shiny cuff button, though not 100% screen-accurate, was seen by Ray and he approved it as a good substitute.

I am very satisfied how the coat drapes and sits. Velvet is a notoriously difficult fabric to work, but through the multitude of coats I have been making lately, I feel I have mastered the manipulation of this cloth.


The design of the coat is simple in its cut, but can be tricky in its assembly.

Keeping a good drape on the front of the coat where the lining comes right to the leading edge is deceptively challenging.

I’m relieved to have competed the coat in time for the wedding, and hope the client enjoys wearing it.

Gallifrey One - a client all set

In anticipation for Gallifrey One in Los Angeles this coming weekend, one of my most regular clients has received his two series nine Peter Capaldi coats.

 This is his navy crombie-style coat, with screen accurate trousers, t-shirt , hoodie and boots!

And the other coat, my personal favourite, with screen accurate Budd shirt, T M Lewin waistcoat, trousers and boots.


He looks all set for an exciting weekend at Gally!

Off the cuff

Just a little something I’m working on right now.

The velvet underground

Anyone who’s spoken with me in person about the Twelve Doctor’s look will know that although I respect what the costume designer came up with, I was never truly taken with its overall appearance.
As series eight progressed I increasingly was uninspired by the dilution of the design and its unnecessary embellishments. There's Cosmic Hobo and there’s Space Tramp.

So it’s with some glee a friend sent me some candid pictures of today’s location filming for series nine.

Peter now sports a smarter look with a dress (Budd?) shirt and waistcoat.
But it's the coat that's finally got me excited. Although it appears to be the same cut at the series eight Crombie, it’s in an eye catching deep burgundy velvet.

I’ve read a lot already that it is very Pertwee in appearance - but I’m getting much more of a Pyramids Of Mars vibe!

This new look is coming quite late into the filming arc of the upcoming series, but I hope it's not just a one-off appearance.

Eitherway, I’m looking to my velvet suppliers already and how quickly they can deliver!

Wales Online - Report on Cardiff filming 10th June 2015

Capaldi coat - FINISHED!

With work on my tv commission occupying a lot of my time lately, I just haven’t had a chance to get any pictures posted of my finished crombie coat.

So for those who have been patiently waiting, here it is!

It’s a deceptively simple coat, with a few clever tricks up its sleeves (forgive the pun).


The notch on the lapels is surprisingly high, making for a very short collar.

Most of the outer seams are flat felted, which is easy to do though a little time consuming to execute.

I’m pretty please how the lining has come out. It’s been worth the effort in getting it woven.

I found the perfect genuine horn buttons to finish the coat off.



Let me know what you think.

Capaldi coat - sneaky preview

Been working on this for a while now, so just a cheeky preview today.

Mission accomplished!

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?

Fabric Friday - Crombie coat lining

Last week on Fabric Friday I showed you THE midnight blue wool fabric used to make Peter Capaldi’s Crombie-style coat.

Well this week I bring you the rest of the coat!

And if last week I shook things up a little - this week I’m gonna rock it!

This is the lining to the coat.

No - really - this IS the lining. Instead of being a plain red silk as it might appear, it actually has a subtly woven pattern in red and NAVY BLUE.

If you look VERY closely on the official publicity still of the costume you can just see that there is a grid pattern in the fabric.

From what I have established, the lining is pure silk, woven in Italy and is long discontinued. The bolt of fabric bought by the BBC was the last available from the supplier used. It may still be in stock at other suppliers, but as yet I haven’t found anywhere that carries it.

My friend James would SO love to get his hands on this!

Fabric Friday - the Crombie coat

The past few weeks over on my Eleventh Doctor Blog, I have been running a series called Fabric Friday where I showcase the screen-worn materials used to make Matt Smith’s costumes.

This week my attentions turn for the first time to the Twelfth Doctor’s costume - and this posting will shake things up a bit!

As well as showing you a fabric, I first have a little tale of serendipity to share with you. It’s worth hearing, so stick with me.

When news came out that W Bills, the supplier of the Matt Smith tweeds was closing, I went in and panic-bought the last of their stock of Shetland tweed!

A week or so later, with only a day left, I dropped by again to say goodbye to Ray Hammett, who I had been dealing with for a number of years.
While I was there someone else was panic-buying the last of W Bill stock - this time it was none other than Howard Burden THE Doctor Who costume designer!

He was there to do a deal and buy the last of a dark navy blue wool coating fabric. Yes, this is the fabric for Peter Capaldi’s Crombie-style coat.

Talking to him about it, he revealed that Crombie (the company) did NOT make the screen-worn coats - they were actually made by a bespoke tailor, and this was the stuff used.

So not only can I definitively say the coat is not a off the peg, or even bespoke made Crombie, the fabric used, yet again, came from W Bill.

Since the take over of W Bill by Harrisons, I have now found out a bit more about this particular cloth.

Unlike the preceding Doctor Who tweeds, this fabric was not a W Bill exclusive.

The mill weaves it as part of a basic range of cloth for coat making, and provide it to a number fabric merchants, such as W Bill. Each have their corporate name woven into the selvage.

Harrisons also stocked the very same cloth, with their own branding in the selvage.
This means that although the W Bill stock was bought out by Howard, the fabric is still easily available through Harrisons.

The Capaldi look - Tssy2005 Crombie

The Crombie style coat worn by the Twelfth Doctor is quite distinctive, yet pretty standard.

The near £800 price tag attached to the Crombie version makes it prohibitive for many cosplayers, but as ever there are always options.

I’ve always thought that this coat is perfect for some of the Far Eastern costume makes to replicate - they just need to get one or two details right.

For me the one thing that’s not been nailed by any copy yet is how the red lining comes right to the edge of the coat, such that the buttonholes cut clean through the lining as well.

Tssy2005 - who are known for making replica Tennant Coats - has thrown their hat in the ring with the coat and (wait for it) waistcoat.

Twelfth Doctor Dark Blue Frock Coat

The coat looks not so bad from the front, and has the correct number of buttons.

The buttons themselves don’t look too bad either.

It’s made from a reasonably well matched midnight blue wool.

The back of the coat looks a little slack and baggy.

The sleeves feel a little large for me. I think Peter wears his a lot slimmer.

The cuffs look to have four buttons, rather than the correct five. They also look a bit large.

The only thing I cannot comment on are the outer pockets, as they are covered by the sleeve.

The big tick in the box for me though is the lining, which goes almost to the edge, with the buttonholes cut through.

However, the thing that is all a bit weird is tssy2005 has done an interpretation of the cardigan, mistaking it for a waistcoat!

Twelfth Doctor Dark Blue Vest

It does leave you a little stunned as to how wide of the mark this is.

There is nothing to redeem it - other than its a wearable waistcoat for if you had a formal non-Doctor Who event to attend.

And if you are looking for a bargain, you can buy the coat AND the waistcoat together in one lot.

Not sure why you would - but there you go.

Twelfth Doctor Dark Blue
Frock Coat & Vest Set

The Capaldi look - the trousers

When Peter Capaldi’s coat was revealed to be from Crombie, a lot of people noticed that they also sell trousers which bear a mark resemblance to those in the new costume.

They certainly have the right general look, and are in probably the right colour being a dark navy. But looking at them they seem to lack the very tapered ankle.

I think they can only be regarded as a good alternative.

Crombie Navy Birdseye Trousers

The trousers now identified as probably the right ones are from the Spring/Summer 2013 Paul Smith range.

Paul Smith Indigo Mohair-Blend Trousers

If you remember, back in October Paul Smith himself posted in his blog that Peter Capaldi had visited his workshop.
Could this have been when the trousers were chosen.

There is one notable difference however, the pleats on the front are flapped in the opposite direction. That said, the trousers could easily be altered to change the way these pleats lay, so I’d say these are the right ones.