Will/Protagonist (Metaphor: Re Fantazio) | photo from dtjaaaam
Costume Information
Materials + Prep
This was my first costume after having major surgery in February, so I wanted to ease back into making things. My focus was to learn traditional coat tailoring for the first time, while being mindful of my changing body.
This entire build took roughly ~1-2 months of actual working time, from research to finishing.
Accessories
The buttons and sleeve tabs were painted similarly to the hilt and feature the same wax-based pigments and drybrushing. The tabs were glued to felt then the felt was sewn to the coat. Both use a satin clear coat for sealant.
The collar was painted similar to the blade to match, and has a ribbon sewn onto felt on each side so I can tie it under my collar, as well as a brooch pin to keep it in place on my chest.
The headband was a flexible cast that I painted using black metallic wax and drybrushed blue wax and silver. Felt was added to the inside, then glued onto a headband, which I wear on top of my wig. I opted not to use loops as I felt it would slide/move more.
The spats are a fully functional pair of spats that elastic under my boot and can be removed for washing, with fully finished edges, in silk matka. Rigilene is hidden on each side to keep them standing. They close with velcro and have “fake” buttons for ease of putting on.
Coat
The coat is a very loosely woven merino wool which unraveled at every opportunity. Every single opening/raw edge was both serged and used bias cut woven interfacing to support the loose weave.
The coat’s tailoring features: a padstitched collar with collar canvas as interfacing; a fully canvas and batting padded front panel with a canvas center panel; sleeveheads and hand-set sleeves with shoulderpads; all hems and cuffs interfaced with wigan; reinforced shoulder seams; lining attached and finished by hand; and a flatlined ‘stay panel’ for the back. Silamide thread was used throughout to keep thread as invisible as possible. The panels and belt feature matching satin piping, and the entire coat is lined in cotton to stay cool. The belt uses both interfacing and nylon webbing on the inside to fully support a sheath’s weight if I decide to make the sheath.
During the mockup process, fitting adjustments included swayback adjustments, petite shoulder adjustments, and generally scaling down and tucking the waist in slightly with darts at front (hidden by the panel) + back, as this was a men’s pattern. As I had no bust post-surgery and am AFAB, I focused on creating a masc, straight silhouette that wouldn’t overwhelm my small frame while hiding my larger bottom half to mimic the protagonist’s ‘rectangle’ shape. The coat does have some “room” at the waist to accommodate for a full undershirt and for my size fluctuations, as I swell up 3-4” when warm.
Sword
The sword collapses down into a suitcase (hilt/blade) using a combination of friction fit and holes we drilled for magnets. A center wooden dowel runs through both pieces that I break every time I travel and superglue when I get to my location, then replace, seeing the dowel is quite long!
My challenge for this paint job was to create textures without using texturizing mediums. The blade features several shades of metallic silver, inspired by old tarnished silver dishwear, applied in sponged and brushed layers, and a blue interference shift highlight along the edges. The crossguard uses a mix of blue and grey waxes and drybrushed silver with a chipbrush to give the scratched look and contrast with the blade.
Bag
Due to this bag being stashbusted, I was limited to use real leather, purse interfacing, and canvas to support it, and made this bag in approximately ~48 hours. All seams are glued with Leather Eco-Weld, and a suede liner was also glued in, as these layers could not fit through my domestic machine.
The top bar was inspired by tarnished gold rings and painted with acrylics in sponging and dry brushed layers, plus with a roller. The bag closes with small straps and magnets to magnet the two bars shut, as the model’s built-in-closure didn’t have enough bottom space for the bag, so I improvised! The strap is a leather I dyed and added hardware to myself.
It is a fully functional bag and can carry my phone, my book, etc.