Whilst I was constantly working on sewing Erik’s cloak, I was also putting together the rest of his outfit. Aside from the tailcoat, I had the choice to buy everything straight off the rack- considering this outfit is just a tail suit and hat. I was not too worried about this as I was certain that I could find everything I needed. Well, that’s a lie, actually. I was very worried about finding the right waistcoat for what I needed- but more on that later! Read on to find out about the rest of Erik’s outfit.
Although this image is a low quality, you can clearly see that this specific outfit of the Phantom’s includes a tailcoat (which you can read about me making here), a black waistcoat and trousers, black shiny shoes, and a white wing collared shirt with white bow tie. Of course I could buy all of these outfits, except it would turn out cheaper for me to make my bow tie myself. So that’s what I did! I popped into my local haberdashery and bought a meter of two different thickness ribbons in white, and some white thread.
I then cut a reasonably sized piece from the thicker ribbon, and folded it over and pinned the two raw edges together so that it formed a circle/hoop. I sewed these together and put my faithful clear nail polish along the raw edges to prevent them from fraying. I flattened the ribbon down so that the seam was in the centre, and then put did a loose running stitch down the centre of the flat ribbon, and pulled on it, causing the ribbon to bunch up. I then tied off my thread so I know had this piece of bunched-up ribbon.
I cut a small piece from the thinner ribbon, and wrapped it around the centre of the bow tie, sewed it together, then cut off the excess. Now it was beginning to look like a bow tie! This was quite a fiddly thing to do, and even now the small ring of ribbon does spin around so the seam is showing on the front. I need to constantly keep checking my tie when I wear it so that it is showing the right way around.
After that, I then threaded the thick ribbon through the ring behind the main bow tie shape, and cut it so that it was slightly longer than the piece in front of it. In the picture below, you an also the tab/excess fabric of the ring of ribbon, but I have cut it a little shorter since these photos were taken. I did also put some clear nail varnish on it just to make sure it wouldn’t fray and make the bow tie look untidy.
Taking the longer piece of ribbon in the back, I made it a tiny bit shorter, and then cut a V shape into each end. I then covered the raw edges with my clear varnish, and the main part of the bow tie was finished!
Using the rest of the thinner ribbon, I threaded it through the back and measured it to the length I wanted it so it would fit properly around my neck without strangling me. I folded over each edge and sewed it down so the ends were neat. Taking some Velcro sticky dots (which I also used on my cloak) I stuck one on each end of the ribbon and added a couple of stitches to them to stop them from peeling off. This makes it easy to put on and take off if I need to at con, and saves me the trouble of having to tie it/ actually make a proper bow tie.
The waistcoat was the item I was most worried about. The waistcoat he uses is a U shape; it scoops down low over the body unlike usual waistcoats which are more V shaped and have more buttons. I tried hunting everywhere for a U-shaped waistcoat but I couldn’t find any for less than £80, so eventually I gave up. I didn’t want to alter an existing waistcoat because I wasn’t sure exactly how I would do it. Instead I went looking through my local charity shops to find something relatively similar, and came across one which fit perfectly and did scoop down a little more than other waistcoats I had seen. And for the extensive price of £3.50, I knew I couldn’t go wrong!
I already had a pair of black suit trousers, but they were women’s ones, and I also hated the way they looked on me. So, I headed out to Primark and looked through the men’s suit trousers, and tried on various sizes until I found some that fit. I was amazed because they actually had deep pockets! Never in my life have I worn any trousers that had deep pockets- I could actually fit my phone completely in them (is that possible nowadays?) which really did amaze me! These trousers will be perfect for con and carrying around some things- I’ll be wearing them for Phantom but also for Moriarty if I decide to wear him.
For the shoes I will wear the only shoes I’ve ever worn for cosplay (aside from Dark Elsa): my trusty black brogues! They’re a sensible, smart shoe and so will work for Phantom’s suit. Yes, his shoes are just plain shiny ones, but reusing my brogues will save me a lot of money- shoes are not cheap!
Phantom has a gorgeous big black fedora hat that is paired with his cloak. I went on a big online shopping spree to find one, and at first I did find a couple for a good price- but their brims weren’t long enough! Phantom’s is very large, and is bent down in front of the right side of his face to shield the mask.
I gave up trying to find a cheap one online (the only ones I could find were made by proper hatters and so very expensive!) and started looking in shops. Eventually I found a wide-brimmed fedora in Primark in the women’s section. At first I wasn’t sure whether I liked it on me, but the more I tried it on in the shop, the more I liked it. However, there were two types; one with a woven band around it, or one with a leather belt around it. There was no way I could take them off as they were glued on- and the glue patches would still be visible and could ruin the look. I went with the leather belt version- Erik is just going to have to be even more stylish with the little gold belt buckle on it!
The final piece of the outfit was the Phantom’s ring. I struggled to find clear reference photos for this piece of jewellery. The best picture I could get was a photo from the current West End cast, and zoom in on the Phantom’s hand. This was the only picture I had to work from, but I don’t think I know many people who know what the Phantom’s ring looks like up close, so I thought it wouldn’t be that bad if it wasn’t completely accurate.
To me, it looks like a wide silver band with a little detailing, and a black stone in the centre. I set out in my local high street hunting for a ring that resembled this, but didn’t get very far. In the end, I found a cheap mood ring with a silver band and some detailing, and I decided I could paint the gem.
I took some black nail varnish and my trusty clear varnish, and very carefully gave the ring a couple of coats of black. Once that was dry, I coated it with the clear varnish so the black wouldn’t chip off. I was happy with the outcome, however the smallest sized ring still was too big for my little finger. I found some pieces of plastic that fit on the inside of the ring to make them tighter (the name of them has evaded me), and they make the ring much more comfortable. Even though they are clear, I am worried they will be really obvious in photos if I extend my hand to the camera, but I don’t think that matters too much. Here’s the completed Phantom’s ring!
All that was left to do for the whole costume was to make the mask- but I will write about this in a separate blog post! I can’t wait to try on the whole outfit and see what it looks like together, and also wear it to con! Hopefully people won’t think I’m Tuxedo Mask…
If there was one costume you could own (any costume at all), what would it be and why?
~Jade a.k.a. Phantom
Phantom Tea Cosplay 
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