Hey Skwad!
So I recently had my dear friend, @jennycj_, tell me that I reminded her of Clara Oswald,
Specifically in this dress. You're her doppelgänger. You're the same person.
Firstly, I want to thank her, because that is SUCH a compliment, Jenna Coleman who played Clara is absolutely gorgeous!
It also just so happens that I'm the same height as her, which adds to the ~cosplay-accuracy~ of the whole thing if nothing else. ...So, naturally, I thought I'd better see what I could do.
I've done a closet cosplay inspired by her generic, modern, everyday wear Clara before, using pieces in my wardrobe to create the type of outfit she would wear circa 2013: Heeled booties, tights, Peter-Pan-collared shirt, lots of jewellery and
a skirt that's just a little too... tight! - 11th Doctor on Clara
But I've always wanted to try something that was a little more episode-specific.
I won't hide the fact I've always shipped Clara with the Doctor, both with his 11th and 12th incarnations (although their relationship dynamic changes, I still find it equally palpable). Nonetheless, 11 and Clara in the latter half of Season 7 hold a very special place in my heart, so I thought it best to start there in choosing which episode to cosplay.
Whilst the dress my friend was referring to was her Vaudeville & Burlesque fit and flare red dress from Journey to the Centre of the Tardis, any exact high street clothes, shoes and jewellery worn by actress Jenna Coleman since the series release are now impossible to find and sold in the £150+ region (significantly more than the original retail price back in 2013) as collector's items. I really recommend this blog by Mariah as a great starting point for knowing the exact items! (it's just waiting for someone to sell them that is the hard part!)
The Blue Tartan NW3 Hobbs Elm Dress from The Name of the Doctor, the Karen Millen Masculine Oversize Check Skirt, Yumi Pointelle Black Bow Knitted Cardigan and Vaudeville & Burlesque Lace Collar Blouse combo worn in 11's swansong The Time of the Doctor and 12's overture Deep Breath alongside Clara "Oswin" Oswald's Asylum of the Daleks apocalyptic ensemble are the most cosplayed, most likely due to their recognisability. However, "Oswin"'s outfit would have to be created from scratch without a pattern handy as well as having to collect vintage jewellery and build a modified belt with tubes, whisks, spare bullets, bolted bars and a varied envelope, faceplate and radio pouches.
Unlike anything I'd cosplayed before, cosplaying a less popular character who mostly wears high street clothes no longer in stock was going to be a challenge due to how obvious it becomes you haven't found the exact article of clothing he or she is wearing, compared to cosplaying characters so sought after that finding costume pieces is easy or animated characters who have relatively simple designs and fabrics have to be interpreted and guessed with no official guide.
...So, I was going to have to make do and mend with what I already had in my wardrobe or could find similar items in charity shops.
Hence, I decided to look at Clara's outfits from when her adventures with the Doctor take place in past rather than the present or future: The Snowman or The Crimson Horror (both taking place in the Victorian era) or alternatively Cold War (which technically takes place in the 1980s, but the Doctor and Clara were trying to go to see Elvis in the 1950s before the Tardis doesn't land properly and they end up on a Soviet Russian navy submarine at, you guessed it, the height of the Cold War).
...Unsurprisingly, I wonder which of these options you think I chose to do? 😅
Whilst the Victorian garb can be purchased on Etsy for a ridiculous amount of money, I already had a 1950s - although bought in the 1980s (which actually met the plot of the episode exactly) - dress from my mother which was similar enough to the dress Jenna wore and, given my love of 50s fashion, would happily wear again! The dress in question has never been perfectly identified, therefore probably a custom job, although the Vivienne Westwood Metallic Pannier Dress is a close match. Plus, as a giant oversized Soviet Union navy (as in the division of the armed forces, not the colour, but I guess also the colour) jacket was going to cover the dress anyway, it didn't really matter.
I spotted a jacket that would do the job for £10 in a local charity shop that my other friend Issy introduced me to, which I was happy enough with and paired with sparkly shoes and a matching cross-body clutch (again, I realise Jenna's accessories are silver, but I already had champagne-y gold things on me, which to be honest, I actually thought matched the buttons of the coat better).
Here's the final look I put together:
In case you were wondering, here's what Jenny had to say:
OH MY GOD. THIS IS ICONIC. YOU ARE LITERALLY IDENTICAL. HOW?!
But whaddya think? Let me know!
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