The complexity of Star Trek cosplay
20/10/2012
Meanwhile, I had ordered two pairs of shoes from two Amazon, hoping one at least would be close. The first that arrived was a pair of Zip Up Pleated Ankle Black Leather Boots from Volante in the UK and the second was Florsheim Men’s Flanagan Boot, Black, $76.99, from the US. With the import charge on top this came close to £100.
These are actually very close to what is used on screen (pair on the right) and I would recommend these…but do order a half size larger than you need as they do seem to be a little small.
You’re looking for boots with no stitching across them, hence the ones on the right.
The alterations on the jacket also meet with some disappointment. I tried every tailor in the City and those that were actually helpful, rather than just dismissive, suggested I try a seamstress of some sort, since these alterations would need to be done by hand and not a machine, which they relied on. After a long search on Google and many phone calls, one shop said they’d be prepared to have a look at the work. I popped along to Old Street and found Orhan Tailoring. I explained the work and asked them to call me if there was any doubt whatsoever with any of the alterations. The quoted cost was £87.
Fingers crossed the alterations would go well, all that was left was to find someone who could make the belt. I considered trying Brick Lane, Spitalfields market and places like this in E1. This proved successful, to my surprise, and a gentleman by the name of Mohammad Kashif who runs a belt store in Spitalfields market made the belt below. Total cost £45.
The final belt I had made from pig’s skin – just like the original ones in the movie
The final touch was what’s called the ‘security wheel’, which is the weird little circular thing on the back of each jacket. Just Google it and you’ll see what I mean. I actually ordered mine from the Roddenberry website, although some people have come up with some inventive alternatives, including AirFix parts. Although with the demise of Model Zone, you’d be hard-pushed to find a shop that sells that kind of thing now. You could order it online, but there’s no way of knowing if you’d get something that was the right size. I also decided to spray mine silver, since I thought it would be a nice contrast to the gold-coloured pips and Starfleet insignia. A trip to Halfords provided the spray paint.
At several times during this process I’ve been looking at online forums and one of the best is the Replica Prop Forum. Although there hasn’t been any major discussions regarding Wrath of Khan era uniforms for some time, a look back through previous posts will reveal a wealth of information. The Starfleet 1701st Uniform Club is also good, but it’s a little more amateur. Nonetheless, it’s still a good source for guides and helpful information.
The finished jacket with belt, laid out
The alterations had gone well, the captain’s rank sleeve insignia had been moved and the over-the-shoulder strap was a little longer, the clasp had been added and the smaller chain links had been sewn into the jacket. Added to which, the changes had been made to the white, ‘quilted’ polar neck as the one that arrived from StarThreadsGale had been good enough to use as a starting point. The sleeves weren’t quilted, like the neck, so that had to be remedied and each ‘pocket’ had a tiny bit of wool stuff inside to give them that ‘puffed’ look.
The new Guinness World Record, 1,063 people dressed as Star Trek characters, set on 20 October in London
The big question is, was it all worth it? Well, when the event came around there were a few people similarly dressed in Wrath of Khan era uniforms…and well, without wanting to sound boastful, the time, effort, energy – and money – that had been spent on this Starfleet uniform paid off. It was the best outfit there! (Sorry James!) It was really wonderful to have other Star Trek devotees stop me and ask about my uniform, how it was put together and where I got everything from. The event too was amazing, although the British still have a lot to learn about holding sci-fi conventions.
Another of the highlights for me was that, as a journalist, I got to hang out in the makeshift press room while the official photoshoots were going on outside in the main hall in the ExCel Centre. Since every other member of the press present was a photojournalist and therefore outside snapping away, I got to hang out, drink coffee and casually chat with the actors as they waited for their turn to go out and pose or came back in. Denise Crosby and I talked about property prices in LA, Dominic Keating and I nattered away about how much east London has changed, Walter Koenig popped up and said hello, as we’d met a day before when I interviewed him…and so it went on.
