Sherlock Shellingford

Series: Milky Holmes

First worn: Realms-Con 2013 – Corpus Christi, TX
Awards won: Best Craftsmanship, SXSW Gaming Costume Contest 2015 – Austin, TX

This costume is probably the costume that I am most well-known for around the conventions in this area of the country; it’s pretty much my go-to costume for a casual cosplay for conventions that happen in winter and early spring.  It is definitely one of my warmer costumes, and I can get into it in less than five minutes from the car.

The coat is made using 11025897_881085661941740_1152552718837576024_oMcCall’s pattern M6800 (which is now out of print), with a collar modification.  The entire hem of the skirt and the sleeves have the lace trim and the lining hand-sewn onto them. All the white stripes are done with bias tape with a ribbon inserted inside the tape folds to ensure opacity.  The white stripes are hand-sewn onto the skirt to ensure there is no visible stitching with regards to the stripe.

The mantle is made using one of New Look’s mantle patterns, with a collar modification.  As with the coat, the stripe is hand-sewn on.  The collar is a detachable collar with lace trim.

The bow that you see on the chest is made out of cotton strips, with grosgrain ribbon as the white stripe.  The ribbon is attached to the cotton strips by topstitching it 1/32″ from the edge of the ribbon.  This part probably got remade almost every year as it tends to be the portion that’s the least durable.

The floppy detective hat is made from Burda’s pattern 7037.  One of the things about the hat is that the lining is not closed on it, so I can use it to store my glasses before I get up onto stage.

All the brooches, and her special cat-eared magnifying glass frame are 3D printed.  Even though the magnifying glass frame is not exactly complex, I feel it’s one of my finest props after all these years.

The wig was commissioned from Prince Pez Addictions years ago, and even though she no longer takes commissions on custom wig styling, her work on the wig has made me and my friends happy whenever I wear this costume.