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waxesnostalgic — Alek's Piloting Jacket
Published: 2010-05-25 17:45:26 +0000 UTC; Views: 3540; Favourites: 34; Downloads: 55
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This is a fan-costume from Scott Westerfeld's amazing novel, Leviathan! [link]Anyway, I had always thought that Alek's piloting jacket was really awesome, as drawn by Keith Thompson. So I decided to make it. I drafted the pattern myself, so it doesn't really look quite right. I think that I might fix the back sometime, by tacking the underlay to the lining seperately, because the pleats don't lay quite right, and I could never find any metal studs to put there either.
It's made of fake leather (like I could afford real leather XD), and lined in red satin (because Alek is a prince, after all...) I'm not totally sure if the colours are how they should be, I think that in the colour illustrations the jacket might be blue, but I made it brown and red. It photographed oddly, though, with the brown a bit more green than it is in real life, and the red slightly more pinkish... It was sewn by machine and hand, and it took me about four days of straight work, which included drafting and fitting the pattern, over Spring Break. Unfortunately, I only got to wear it a couple of times because it's too hot here in the South, even in late March. XD
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Comments: 28
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I wish I had the skill or patience to make one for myself
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AMAAAAZING!
How much do you think it costs now that it's finished? Have you ever considered selling Leviathan cosplays?
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What, do you mean how much did it cost me? I got the pleather on sale so it ended up being cheaper than it would cost normally... but I think it cost me around $25-30 for materials. Of course, I spent almost an entire spring break working on it which I think definitely increases its value. XD
I have considered doing commissions, only I have never made clothes for anyone but myself, so I am not good at making clothes from measurements. I don't know how good I would be at it. And I would never make this jacket in leather or pleather again, making the piping nearly destroyed my sewing machine and it doesn't drape as well as serge or light wool would. It is definitely the most difficult sewing project I have ever undertaken. But I would make cosplay if anyone is interested, though I work very slowly and am a busy college student... For one of these in a nice cloth I would probably charge about $75. I have a pattern for Deryn's jacket and that one wouldn't be as difficult to make, so it would cost less.
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I tip my hat to you. Very impressive.
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Beautiful jacket and construction, Melanie!
I do have one or two small critiques though. If you do plan on making it again and planning to be period accurate (well, as period accurate as you can), if you're going for a WWI pilot jacket, they were made either in dark chocolate brown or black leather (or you can use pleather. Good quality leather is extremely expensive, obviously). In our world, airplanes were used only toward the end of WWI so they are few pilot jackets. Austria-Hungary didn't have an air unit at all (if I remember right. My history is awful).
My other tiny critique is the lining. Traditionally, royalty wore purple (not red). Purple in Europe in the traditional "royal" color (red is the royal color of Asia). Alek was trying to HIDE, not be branded as the prince. His jacket was probably lined the same way Count Volger's and his soldier's were. They were probably lined in black satin, if they were lined at all.
(Sorry, I come from a military family. I know a lot about uniforms and I have a passion for royalty. I don't mean to offend or anything)
P.S. I could swear the jackets Alek and the gang wear are the traditional WWI Austrian army ones. They're stiff cotton that they still use in today's military uniforms and blue. I saw a color illustration that Keith Thompson did for Leviathan and Alek's jacket was blue. Where did I see it? Gaaaaaaah, it's going to nag me now.
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Yeah, I know that it doesn't look exactly like the picture or like a real uniform. I sort of had an idea of the coat when I was first reading, and that was what I wanted, I guess. It's more of a fantasy, and I actually wear this coat out and about sometimes. I considered doing research but knew that I wouldn't actually make the right kind of coat. XD All I did was watch Blackadder Goes Forth a bunch of times right before, which isn't very helpful at all for Austrian uniforms.
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I think it's a beautiful coat.
You know, I actually reread Leviathan and I need to smack myself on the head. Alek does indeed have a leather jacket. *face palm* Oie, sometimes I need to shut up and read my darn book again before I post (but I--being the bright person I am--kept conjuring this image instead of the jacket used in the book).
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Yeah, that one's got frogs on the front. It describes the jacket as leather in the book, yet I don't think Keith was drawing a leather jacket. I couldn't fine blue leather/pleather, in any case...
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He does have illustrations of the leather jacket, but he doesn't really have them on his site or in color (unfortunately). Keith drew two coats as Alek has two leather coats in the book; he has a civilian coat and the pilot coat. I'd have to look and see which pages are the pilot coat. I know for sure one of them is the one where he uses the old ancient sword to hack off phosphorus off their machine.
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total alek fangirl= total fan girl of alek jackets :love
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You.
Are.
AMAZING.
Seriously!!!
I barking love this jacket so much~!
(I have neither the skills or materials to attempt such fantasticness, but this I can appreciate and be jealous of all I want~ 
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Ohmygosh!
Thats like, EXACTLY what I imagined him wearing!Great work
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You. made. a. cosplay. ish. thingy. I love you with a passion! Really---this is a sort of milestone for the Leviathan fandom!
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