The complexity of Star Trek cosplay

I later found a company called Hainsworth online, but I didn’t actually contact them so I don’t know for sure what they have to offer. Although, one forum on the 1701st offered a couple of suggestions – the ‘madder red’ and ‘scarlet’ options in ‘Enactment Fabrics/Apparel Fabrics’ and the ‘red’ in the Napoleonic Collection.

This is where the uniform from StarThreadsGale paid off – albeit an expensive way of doing things. Now back in the UAE, I took the jacket to my Little Indian Tailor and instructed him to copy it, with a few modifications, using the newly purchased material from Berwick Street.

Plus a few bits and pieces were cannibalised, so that was a big help.  Another advantage of doing it this was that he added a proper jacket lining to the inside, effectively improving the way it hung when worn and of course added the same exterior material on the inside of the right-hand-side flap so it can be ‘double-folded’ so to speak, like Lt Uhura does in The Voyage Home.

Meanwhile, I was scouring the discussion forums, trying to see what other fans had done, how they had overcome problems and to seek answers to questions like exactly how many rows of stitches are on the right-hand sleeve of an officer’s uniform? There’s even a colour swatch to try and find the right maroon.

These things really are worth checking out, printing out and even binding together to ultimately make a complete guide to constructing the perfect Wrath of Khan era uniform. I found several pages on a forum just talking about those right-hand sleeve rows of stitching. Some scary stuff.

However, when I got the jacket back from my LIT, it was for the most part pretty good, but there were a few faults. The chain and poppers/studs he had used for the fastening were far, far too big. The tailor-made trousers were also good and following my request, had no pockets in, since I wanted the shape to be maintained. But now I was leaving the UAE permanently (thank God) and on my way back to London, so any remaining alterations would have to be done in the UK…including finding the right shoes and belt. But for the most part he had done well, given how many print outs I’d shown him, plus trying to explain what Star Trek was all about, plus new trousers he’d made and alterations to the sleeves of the undershirt. So, including tip, it cost me about Dhs800 or £135.

A trip to John Lewis on Oxford Street solved the fastening studs problem, and by Cambridge Circus on the way to the Seven Dials in Covent Garden, there’s a number of market stalls each day. I used to walk past these several times a day, but one, towards the Covent Garden end sells buttons, chains and all sorts of sewing-related bits and pieces, and it was here that I found the right-sized chain. Total cost £5.

The captain’s rank insignia on the sleeve was also placed too high and the over-the-shoulder strap was not long enough on the front. Now, I had to find a decent tailor in London…something in-between a bespoke Savile Row shop and that key cutting place on the corner that fixes holes in shirts.

Given having the same jacket and trousers made in London would have cost me over £400, I’d done OK so far…I just had to find somewhere that wasn’t gong to charge the Earth for these minor – albeit quite complicated – alterations.

Then there’s things like the shoes. Again on the 1701st forums, they list several options.

I was convinced I’d be able to find something on the High Street that was close so I wouldn’t have to order from overseas. Boy, was I wrong. Perhaps it’s testament to the fact that all the High Street brands are telling us what to wear now more than ever, but the freedom of being to able to buy almost any style you like as long since disappeared from the streets of London.

Not one shoe shop had anything even remotely close. So, I was forced to look online, which especially when you’re ordering from overseas, introduces the risk of having to return something if it doesn’t fit. I ordered two different pairs of boots from Amazon.

Then there’s the belt. Honestly, you’d think there’d be a shop somewhere in the UK capital where you could have a belt made. If not in the back streets of the Square Mile, then maybe Jermyn Street, or Berkeley Square. Nope. Not one. Nowhere.

So I trawled the web. I found the so-called ‘Star Trek Wrath of Khan belt’ on ebay from international seller CostumeBase, so I ordered it. Total cost £25 including shipping from Singapore. It arrived promptly, but it’s not the right size. The buckle sold on Roddenberry requires a belt of 2-inches in width, as all the jacket patterns also state for the belt loops. The buckle on the CostumeBase one is also the wrong colour. Granted, it’s not plastic, like the one you get with StarThreadsGale, but it’s not screen accurate enough for someone attempting to get as close as possible to the real thing. It was also the wrong kind of leather. So yeah, waste of time that.

It was clear I’d have to have this custom made. I found the website of Handmade Belts and spoke to a lovely lady by the name of Jill Shore, but she charges for every inch of stitching since it’s all done by hand…so to have two parallel rows of stitching running the length of the belt as required by the design, would cost a fortune. So she suggested I try a gentleman by the name of Austin Black at Unicorn Leather.

I sent him the Roddenberry buckle and gave him the instructions. It turns out the leather he works with is too thick (about 4-5mm) and the Roddenberry buckle would break after only a little use. So he sent it back and my search continued.

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