Costume Alterations
The 2006 Halloween season has seen some major fine tuning of the costume. To make it more true to the American productions, the tailcoat was modified with a suede material on the collar and strips of the same material on the cuffs, approximately four inches above the end of the sleeve. While I believe the actual stage productions use a velvet/velveteen material on their tailcoats, the material mine is composed of required something a little lighter. The grey lining was also replaced with black satin all through the inside and along the tails (thank goodness! No more looking like a cheap rental tux!).
The trousers also received a little attention. A strip of material was placed down the middle of the existing satin stripe, thus creating two satin stripes and giving them that "ultra" formal look that the Phantom sports so well. I am such a dork it nearly hurts.
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Long time Phantom Franc D'Ambrosio thanking the audience. This photo demonstrates all the new additions to the costume mentioned above. |
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Here's the tailcoat when I first bought it. The sleeve lining was white with tan striping, the body lining was grey, and the tails sported no lining whatsoever. Oh boy. Technically the lapel is the wrong style, seeing that this is a peak lapel, and the Phantom's tailcoat features a notched lapel. I'm not crazy enough to have mine redone though, thankfully. You can call off those men in white coats now. |
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The tailcoat after it received a little attention. The new material is on the collar and sleeves - also note the black lining. The tailor actually put the collar material wrong-side out, but from a distance I suppose it still provides enough contrast. Oye. |
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Here you can see the extra fabric strip placed down the center of the satin to create two satin stripes. I love the look of the double stripe rather than the single - definitely a little extra class. Here you can see the stitching in the extra material and how it was done. Don't think I'm talented enough to pull that off - I had a local tailor do it. |
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Finally, here are the new boots I purchased to finish the look. This is a pair of Der-Dau paddock boots made for horseback riding, hence the spur rest on the back. Since I was in the market for a new pair of paddocks anyway, I picked these up (second hand at a local tack exchange) so they can serve double duty. These are fantastic because they are a similar style to gentlemen's boots of the era. The punched toe might not be entirely accurate, but I admit that I'm a sucker for punched toes on riding boots, so sue me. |
