Season 12 Corduroy jacket - eBay find arrives

So there was a large, bulky package in the post today, and it was the vintage corduroy jacket I bought off eBay.

I unpacked it and I was both pleasantly surprised and a little shocked!

No two ways about it, looking at it in the whole it is amazingly similar to Tom’s season 12 jacket.

The first thing that struck me, and was the main shock, was the lining.

Instead of the conventional thin viscose you’d expect, it had a fleece-like faux fur! This makes it quite thick and heavy. But the jacket has been made with the lining hung and not bagged, which means it is not attached along the hem. This give me unrestricted access to the inside of the jacket to spy on how it has been made.

That said, I tried it on and it is a near perfect fit for me. The buttons are a little tight across the chest, but I’ve noticed they are set unusually far back form the edge, so I will move them by easily an inch without ruining the look of how it closes. You can see the mark the button left in its old placement (I have retouched it to show up a bit more than it did). Once steamed, this near vanished completely.

The lining also revealed its maker - Sears, the US-based retailer, and the jacket is described as being part of their Sportswear range. This was a surprise, as I’d have thought it would have been a UK-made jacket.

The sleeves are lined with and equally heavy quilted material, making the entire jacket very warm to wear.

I’m in two minds to keep the jacket as found, or to re-line it with a thinner cloth to make it more of an all year round jacket, lighter in weight and looser on the fit.

The listing on eBay did mention that there was a button missing fro the front of the jacket, which is no problem as I am sure I can find a replacement.
I had a good look at the pockets and to my surprise I found that in one was the missing button! Not only that, sewn in to the bottom hem is a spare for the front and the cuffs/pockets!

The collar and lapels are real 1970s in the style of the safari jackets of the period. Their shape remains me also of the U-boat later jacket worn by the Ninth Doctor.




The buttonhole on the lapel is cut, and practical as it connects with a small plain button concealed under the collar, making it a very snug and warm fit.

From what I can make out the construction of the pockets are exactly the same as Tom’s, though they lack a line of binding around the top edge.


They have an inverted box pleat down the centre front of each, which is sealed for the top 2 inches. This is where the button is sewn to hold the flap down.

The rear of the jacket has a yolked shoulder and the back itself is made from a single piece without a centre seam. This is like a shirt rather than a lounge jacket.
This back panel is missing the two deep pleats that are visible on Tom’s version. On his they disappear into a laid-in belted back, below which there is a conventional flat back becoming a plain hem at the bottom.

This jacket has a belted back, strung between two loops on either side.

Studying this jacket, especially how the pockets are made, will be invaluable if I ever decided create a pattern for it.

I’d be able to incorporate the changes needed to make it more screen accurate for myself or got a commission for one.

Season 12 Corduroy jacket - great eBay find

Once in a while a curious item pops up on eBay, often without fanfare or with any apparent value attributed to it.

Ryan, one of my readers spotting a vintage jacket that caught his attention, and certainly piqued mine.

Corduroy Coat Fitted Jacket - 40" Chest

Used Vintage Condition. Unlaundered.
Corduroy Fitted Coat Jacket.

One Button missing at front (bottom button)

Chest 40" (Approx) Small / Medium

PLEASE NOTE - All our items are sourced from around the world. Sizing scales differ in different parts of the world (e.g. a USA Large is a UK XLarge or a Japanese 46 is a UK 44) . So we always remeasure every item and the size stated is the UK size. Any labels you may find on a garment that differ from the size we state will be because it is an overseas label.

Now, I’m sure you can see the more than marked resemblance to the jacket worn in season 12, which is of a similar dark red corduroy fabric, with many matching design details.

I’ll be the first to point out its lacking, which include pointed 1970s collar; the sleeves do not have elbow patches; it lacks the curious pocket detail on the sleeve; the back does not have pleats under the yolk.

But you got to admit the overall shilouette of the jacket is perfect and has a loose fit without cutting in at the waist.

The four boxed front pockets with button-down flaps are uncanny and just like Tom’s jacket.

Ryan was happy for me to buy the jacket, as it was a size that wouldn’t fit him and it would certainly be helpful to me to see a genuine period 1970s jacket of this cut to understand the construction of the pockets and get the same style of fit.

The listing says it is a chest 40, and I am a chest 42 so it may well be tight on me, but we’ll see once it turns up as I closed the deal already!

Hello Cosplay - season 12 corduroy jacket

So far all my Costume Reviews have been based on the listings and their photos attached.
I have written them from my point of view of what I can see and their overall appearance. I know this is not ideal, but since a lot cosplayers are widely seen online though their own photos at conventions, I think it acts a preview to how they will look beyond seeing it first hand.

So now I welcome the input of one of my readers who has purchased a Fourth Doctor season 12 corduroy shooting jacket, and who has written a review for us. As you’ll read, the jacket has already failed to deliver on it’s name :(

4th Doctor
Tom Baker Jacket

Price as of 

August 2013 - $99

Review by Alex Murphy

Immediately noticeable here is the biggest flaw with this replica: This is a blazer instead of a shooting jacket. The material is a cotton/polyester blend clearly intended for suiting instead of the very characteristic corduroy of the original.

Piggy-backing from that is the cut, which is much too tailored and clean – great for a suit, but far from the slightly disheveled, bohemian look that the loose, baggy cut of the original has.

The color is a good hue but too light. The pockets are a bit small, much too box-y, and are lacking any kind of trim. The lower pockets especially are not nearly large enough – the originals were much baggier and held quite a number of things.

They are also conspicuously lacking the inverted box-pleat up the center, though strangely the breast pockets include them. The buttons are much too prominent, probably due to the lighter color of the fabric, and the choice of flat black buttons. This jacket does have the token flap for the odd pocket on the sleeve, but it’s just a flap and doesn’t include an actual pocket underneath.

The back of the jacket fares a little better. The gussets are nice and deep and the belt is pretty loose. Unfortunately there isn’t enough length in the back (another casualty of the suit interpretation) and the sleeves are much too tailored. The elbow patches are black instead of the original grey and made from the same cotton/polyester blend the rest of the jacket instead of leather.

For the casual cosplayer, it’s not terrible. One thing I’ve found with Hello Cosplay’s work is that I’ve never had to alter anything I’ve received from them. My jacket was tailored well, is comfortable, and has mostly held up during long periods of cosplay (some minor seam popping in the lining is the worst I’ve experienced in a year of convention cosplaying and occasional real-life wear).

Unfortunately, as a replica, the jacket is far from perfect. If you have another $10 to pitch in, the other shooting jacket replica Hello Cosplay offers looks to be leaps and bounds better than this one.

Cosplay Sky - season 12 corduroy jacket

This month in my costume reviews I’m looking at the season 12 shooting jacket offered by Cosplay Sky.

Based in China, Cosplay Sky has been making costumes for over five years and specialise in a lot of Anime and genre films and tv shows. Their style can be very angular with broad lapels and flared skirts.

Dark Red Corduroy Trench Coat

Price as of April 2013 - $150

The CosplaySky take on the season 12 shooting jacket, is a stark contrast to the version Baron Boutique I previously reviewed.

The immediate difference is the colour. Where the Baron Boutique jacket is way too light, this is way too dark.

The colour chosen is a deep burgundy rather than a more screen accurate burnt orange colour. This reminds me more of the season 18 greatcoat, which I’ll be reviewing in due course.

The pocket are correctly constructed, but are all way too big, boxy and angular to look right.

The original jacket has a shabby, baggy feel to it and this is all just too crisp and sharp for my liking.

The pockets are correctly trimmed along their tops, but it is too wide and bold as well as the wrong colour.
With the jacket too dark and the trim too light and wide, it makes them stand out too much.

The jacket has grey elbow patches which are by far a much better match to the real jacket compared to the Baron Boutique version, but they look to be fabric, possibly a felt rather than leather. I may be wrong - please correct me if you have one of these jackets and can confirm it to me.

There is an interpretation of the sleeve pocket, but it looks to be too large in my view.

The one part of the jacket that to me is seriously lacking is the back. The belted back is very unflattering and lacks the looseness of the real thing.
There are the gusseted sides to the back, but they just don’t look right and the overall effect of the back is that it is more fitted than it should be.

So, looking beyond the colour, how well does the jacket look?

Well the only way I can describe how I see it is to describe it as a caricature of the jacket.

All the details are there - the flapped box pockets; the belted back; grey elbow patches; the gusseted rear; the curious flapped sleeve pocket - but they are thicker, bolder, wider than they should be.

You can see the cutter of this jacket is more used to making the replica Anime costumes seen around comic conventions the breath of the US, with their angular lines and shapes.
This should be the original shabby-chic look The Doctor is known for. His slightly disheveled appearance that masks a brilliant intellect.

Baron Boutique - season 12 corduroy jacket

Last month I gave the low down and my opinon on the Fourth Doctor coats on offer on eBay.

I had a lot of comments about the reviews, so I thought I’d take a look at some other options out there.

This month, Baron Boutique’s season 12 corduroy jacket.

Baron Boutique are based in Nepal, and have been selling a wide variety of garments since 1998, of which their replica film and tv costumes are only a part.

At present Baron offer a number of Doctor Who related clothes, of which there are two Fourth Doctor costumes.

Fourth Corduroy Coat

Price as of Jan 2013 - $299

This corduroy jacket is a copy of Tom’s first costume from series 12.

Straight off the colour - which is too bright and garish compared to the screen worn jacket - is way off.

From the swatch it appears to be the right sort of corduroy fabric, though I cannot confirm this definitively.

It’s a great shame they are using the correct fabric, but not the correct colour. A little more work could have lead them to the right shade of red.

Corduroy is traditionally made from cotton, so takes well to dyeing. I am not sure what they have used for the elbow patches or pocket trim, but if they are synthetics it would be theoretically possible to over-dye the jacket to a better colour, but great care should be taken if this is attempted.

So, ignoring the shortcomings of the colour, let’s look at the structural details on the jacket itself.

The jacket has large patch-pockets, with an inverted box-pleat up the centre, edged at the top with a brown trim, possibly leather. A flap above the pocket is closed with a leather football button.
This has been very competently replicated here, though the buttons are too dark.

The sleeves have charcoal leather elbow patches, but light brown suede ones have been used here.
My impression is the sleeves are too narrow and trim. They look a lot looser on Tom.

On the original jacket there is a curious flapped pocket on the forearm close to the cuff.
I have not established what this pocket is for, but the jacket is based on a shooting jacket, so could be an ammunition pocket or the like.

The Baron jacket has a token flap on the sleeve, but it looks twice the depth of the original and has no pocket underneath.

The back of the jacket is okay, but I feel the inverted pleats are are little skimped compared to the original jacket.

The collar and lapels are pretty standard, and cut well on the Baron jacket.

Overall it’s a pretty good effort, though personally I feel it lacks the bagginess and character of Tom’s jacket. Baron’s work tends to be very crisply cut and slimly fitted - which is a bonus for anyone seeking a Tennant Suit, but on this occasion it goes against the finished appearance.

If a better colour fabric was used, or it could be over-dyed, it would look ten times better. Asking for a looser fit, or simply giving measurements with a couple of extra inches here and there would help to.

Where machine washing a jacket such as this would ruin the shape, on this it might be an idea to slacken off its tight line.

As a casual jacket it would be fun to wear.

I might even have a go myself at some point. I’ve seen some period Edwardian patterns in my cutter’s guides.