Dressing the Doctor - Mini Who

Recently I have had a number of emails from parents trying to find costumes for their Matt Smith obsessed children!

Although I can make jackets to order, producing a scaled version suitable for an eight or nine year old presents its own unique issues. The work involved in adjusting the pattern means the any saving on using less fabric is wiped out.

The actual construction part of making it is then exactly the same: it still has two sleeves; collar and lapels; breast, flapped and inside pockets; hand-stitched elbow patches – so there is no saving in time there.

As a result my price has to be the same as a full sized adult jacket.

Undoubtedly the BEST Matt Smith fan of a young age was Jack, who I featured last year. His superb costume was topped of with a great tweed jacket, which was a dead ringer for the season Five Donegal. He’s a very lucky boy.

So what are the alternatives?
The simple answer I would give is eBay!

Doing a simple search for Doctor Who Costume, I found a surprising number of tweed jackets or complete costumes in children’s sizes.

Here’s my opinion on what’s on offer, and the price range you can expect to pay.

Officially Fancy Dress Costume

These are very cheaply made, and look it.
the braces and bow tie are printed onto the shirt front, which looks to be no more than a t-shirt.
If you are looking for something for a fancy dress party, then fine, but I wouldn’t expect this to last beyond a few outings and isn’t really the thing to be seen out and about in!

These sell for around £15 to £20.

Now until I saw these on eBay I wasn’t aware there was an ‘official’ dressing-up costume, but apparently they exist.

If you look at the bottom of the jacket, it has the DW logo in blue, which is a bit distracting.

Vintage Tweed

I have seen a few of these on eBay: some are cheap costumes made for children; but some others can be genuine vintage tweed jackets, but these can be quite rare.

These are at least made from woven fabric, often wool.
Persistent searching should turn up a well tailored jacket, so keep checking back regularly to see what is on offer.

You can expect to pay around £50 to £60 as a starting price.

Finally some tips before buying.

I would recommend looking very closely at the jacket before bidding. You will be looking at it through eyes that are hoping it will be what you are looking for, so you may overlook shortcomings.

If information about sizing is provided, make sure it tallies with measurements you have taken. If it just lists an age for the sizing, it is worth contacting the seller to check. Ask the chest size, length of the jacket and sleeves.

Do make sure it will be a good fit, with some growing room before committing to buying one.

Don’t get swept up in the excitement of thinking you have found the perfect jacket for your budding Time Lord, only to find it is too small. Imagine the disappointment when it is tried on for the first, and only time . . .