a collection devoted to my ratcatcher character Ichabod Marcellus Vermin (”I.M. Vermin”), pest control automaton for the 2015 season of WOF’s Halloween Haunt. as far as i know, he should be returning this year.
the shirt, base jacket, and trousers were thrifted. the trousers had to be modified with two-inch panels in the side-seams to accommodate my rather dramatic pear-shaped frame and constant movement. the back patch was self-designed and printed as an iron-on transfer which was pressed to a separate piece of fabric that was loosely sewn around the shoulders and armscyes like a storm flap on a trench coat. this year, i’ll likely be using the same jacket with a different patch.
i already had the felt top hat, which is a reproduction (of course. i would not dare sacrifice my genuine antique top hat for this filthy, sweaty job.) that was already crunched and structurally destroyed from being crammed in a box during the move home from school. i distressed it using a pen knife and various acrylic paints, then glued gold-accented cockroaches and worms to it. i also jammed a few moustraps in the hatband. since, you know. ratcatcher.
the waistcoat was bespoke in the cheapest of ways. it was made completely from scratch, pattern drafted from a standard body-block, in the space of roughly 12 hours. i was still sewing buttons while standing in the makeup line later that night. i chose to construct it as more of a costume piece than a historical reenactment garment. so while the front (visible part) was made from “the ugliest plaid Joann’s could sell me,” the rest was a one-way stretch polyester to once again ensure a perfect fit for my form and unrestricted mobility. the heads of costumes were pleased with the construction (despite the sneaky faux lapels), but found the colors to be too bright, so i dulled the flannel with a mix of gray-black acrylic and water.
as for the other pieces:
the net is handmade from a dowel rod, a wooden embroidery hoop, and decorative fishing net. points of attachment are stabilized with papier mache and epoxy.
the “claw-hands” are my previous babadook gloves. they’re creepy and gross-looking, but comfortable enough to wear for long periods of time.
the wig is the same one i use for babadook. i may end up getting another identical one because this one is starting to look busted as hell.
the socks are from the wonderful online paradise that is [sockdreams].
the cravat is a costume piece left over from my steampunk phase in high school. the fact it matched my whole “purple and green” thing was happily convenient.
the original shoes were a pair of thrifted pleather almost-chelsea-boots that fell apart halfway through the season. they were very comfortable and i’m still kinda pissed that they didn’t make it all the way because the best character-appropriate approximation i had available were a pair of very pricey custom winklepickers from a shop in London. every time it rained, i had to stand on a table to keep these shoes from getting the slightest bit damaged. they’re one of two pairs of dress shoes that i own, man.
lastly, i want to note that my makeup was always courtesy of any number of WOF’s extremely talented Haunt makeup team. the only i hand i had in it was the occasional re-application of black lipstick. the gears were three-dimensional foam pieces that were attached by popping them around the beads of my dimple piercings with the bars of the piercings acting as “axles” on which the gears could spin as i spoke. that was a fun gimmick.