Jedi Training Gear!

Originally one of the discarded designs for the prequel Jedi costume (back when they still emphasised the military/police aspect rather than the monastic/samurai angle - hence the grey-on-black colour scheme and the overdone shoulders), this outfit was later marketed as "Jedi Training Gear" on a few 3 3/4 inchers. Above is a wee Qui-Gon, a gift from Master Jennifer. Can I just say he inhabits the exaggerated shoulder-to-waist line extremely well? *sigh* Master Jinn from behind is a sight for sore eyes indeed. Ahem.

And this is what it looks like on a real-life human. Well, it actually looks a lot cooler than it does in these pictures, but that's because I'm both a crap photographer and a very mediocre model, and trying to be both at the same time usually leads to disaster ;) Anyway, the "underwear", i.e. black tunic and trousers, is so plain as not to merit a separate picture, and the boots, belt, and lightsabre are part of my normal Jedi outfit of course. Except that I went creative on the leather scraps and added a little belt pouch for my, uh, commlink. Fortunately it matches the colour scheme, unlike my previous phone, which was bright purple...

Rear view. The collar and shoulder piece are leather, and the back panel is made from a very stiff and felty cotton material for sturdiness and comfort. I may not have Master Jinn's shoulder-to-waist ratio, but even on me, and even with the belt on really sloppily (see, that's why I need a photographer!), you can see the effect.

Detail of the materials. The ridges in the leather were achieved by sewing bits of cordage between the leather and the lining, and the bronze leather "clasps" aren't nearly as shiny as the flash makes them look. The fabric achieved its one-of-a-kind colour as a result of two separate dye baths: first a light grey applied via washing machine, and then the brown dyed in a bucket, which resulted in an uneven, cloudy "organic" look. Also, despite the thickness of both the fabric and the leather, Bernd the Bernina, aka the Tank Among Sewing Machines, only lost two needles to this project.

My trusty old Qui-Gon boots received an extra shin guard by means of the same bronze leather threaded under the straps and secured under the top one with a small piece of double-sided tape.

How could I resist a costume that comes with canon gauntlets? I couldn't, of course. At the moment, I'm still lacking the requisite brown gloves, but lucky me found leather thongs that exactly matched the thick suede they are made of. The straps are decorative, and echo both the straps on the boots and the decoration on the collar, and the fact that all the colours match eerily well creates a very organic feel to the costume. Almost as if some randome Jedi left it at my house... *grin*