I started making the Mandalorian during a time when I, like many other people, had more free time than usual on their hands- during quarantine. I loved Star Wars as far back as I can remember, but I really threw myself into it to fill my time and thoughts during such a hectic time and as one of the latests pieces of Star Wars media, The Mandalorian really stuck with me. Before the quarantine, it came out at a time when I really needed something fantastical to fixate my energy on instead of the chaos in life.
The base materials purchased:
Sleeves, Collar: CHEROKEE Originals Unisex Drawstring Cargo Scrubs Pant
Starting with the soft parts of the outfit, I didn't do a one piece suit just for ease of wear. The cargo pants had very little done to them alteration-wise, they were tapered and tailored for fit since they were quite long and loose for me. I then used the drawstring pants for materials since I got them in the matching color. I used a portion of the legs to create the long sleeves of the top, sewing them underneath the short sleeves of the existing top to give the illusion of layers! I them used the excess fabric of the drawstring pants to create the top panel and collar to cover the V neck of the top to give it a turtleneck look with a zipper added to the back since there is no stretch to the material. This front panel was all hand sewn down.
In the above image, you can see the alterations done on the scrubs and that I started airbrushing all of the seams and pockets to give them a worn look and make them pop! I adore airbrushing seams for added depth and this costume was perfect for it considering how much dirty work Mando gets done. Some airbrushing was done to simulate burns, dirt, and on the top to simulate the layered material without the bulk!
The bulk of the top and pants are covered by the armor so I didn't do too much detail on them. The top also tucks into the pants for a flight suit look which helps make it cohesive. The best part is after all the alterations done to these garments, every single pocket is still functional. Elastic straps at the end of the pants to hook under the foot to keep the pant tucked have been installed to keep the look solid throughout wear, the same elastic straps were also installed at the end of the sleeves to hook around the thumb to stay tucked under the gauntlets and gloves as well! This method was also used on the top to form a leotard like attachment to hug the inner thighs and remain seamlessly tucked.
As far as the gloves go, they are very simple. I cut the fingers off and finished the edges above the middle knuckle and replaced the fingers with yellow stretch vinyl from the Yaya Han line! I will most likely be airbrushing the fingers to look worn to match the rest of the costume!
The next blog post will be about the process of creating and painting the armor! Like always with every single one of my blog posts, if you have any questions about the process/materials or are looking for more resources or details, please don't hesitate to reach out!
Thanks so much for stopping by, see you next time!
- Trixie