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Doctor Aphra (Red Vest A Build) - Approved 2021


AphraCat

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Hi all, This is my first time making a build thread, so please let me know if I have done anything wrong. Originally I was going to try and join the 501st with Lana Beniko, but it's looking more and more likely I'll get Doctor Aphra done first and Lana will come soon after. 


Here's the CRL I'll be following.

 

For this costume, I will be mainly purchasing clothes as needed as her base outfit is pretty common (it's a polo shirt and jeans) and then commissioning the rest. As I am plus sized, it won't be as easy to source, but I'll do my best to find high quality items to use. 

I'm still at investigative stage, but I have found a pretty close match for her pants at City Chic. I'm slightly worried about the weird fading near the crotch, but I'll see if my local store has it and try it on. Harley style jeans are the denim style I usually wear so there should be no issues with the fit.  

 

I have also found a super plain polo at Myer, that I will be trying on to see the fit, as it is menswear. 

 

 

I may also possibly already have a wig I can use that I purchased for a cosplay in 2015 that I have been hoarding that I can hopefully repurpose, but a lot of wefts may need to be removed as it is only worn under the cap and it's otherwise super voluminous and be extremely warm. I may also have goggles that I can just repaint to the colour needed.  

I am worried about the boots, but I will wait until I have the jeans so I can try them on that way. Hopefully knee high boots with little to no heel are popular and aren't too wimpy for my calves. I have my eye on a pair, but boots are not in stores yet as it is not winter (Australia being the opposite to the Northern Hemisphere, it's only Autumn) so I will have to wait a little longer (and to also try and purchase them on sale as they are extremely expensive) 

 

 

Tl;dr: 
Things I have looked at: 
Jeans. 
Shirt. 
Goggles. 
Wig.  
Boots. 

 

Things I am yet to look into: 
 Belt. 
Aviator Cap. 
Vest/Outerwear. 
Gloves. 
Belt and Holster. 
Right Arm Tattoo. 
 

Edited by AphraCat
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This is so exciting!! Congratulations on beginning your build. :)

 

Finding plain grey/steel blue jeans was a bit of a challenge for me, too... I didn’t realize how common the bleached/faded accented look was until I started looking for Aphra. I’d be curious too to see how noticeable it is on those pants you linked.

 

Excited to see your build come together!!

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1 hour ago, fleurderys said:

This is so exciting!! Congratulations on beginning your build. :)

 

Finding plain grey/steel blue jeans was a bit of a challenge for me, too... I didn’t realize how common the bleached/faded accented look was until I started looking for Aphra. I’d be curious too to see how noticeable it is on those pants you linked.

 

Excited to see your build come together!!

Thank you! I've been made to feel so welcome by my local garrison and everyone else and I am super hyped. I think it does help that I read every single appearance of Aphra in the comics in a 36 hour period like a woman possessed as I've bene friends with most of the garrison for around five years. ?

I ended up buying another pair as well so I could have a backup if those ones weren't appropriate. They're also two different sizes to I can figure out which one is comfiest/able to tuck in the shirt easiest. That one does have zips at the pocket, but I'm hoping I can easily remove them and then maybe dye some consistency into both pairs? I'll have to research that more. As a plus sized woman, finding plain jeans is surprisingly hard as well as expensive. 

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Okay, so my jeans arrived far earlier than I was expecting!  I think the turnaround was less than a day from dispatch, which is wild.  They both fit, which is awesome. Whichever ones I do not go ahead with will just end up being a pair I wear through winter. 


Here's (Link 1, Link 2) the blue jeans. They are the larger size and are a bit loose which is a bit of a worry. Does anyone have opinions on the fading? I don't think they're too bad but I'm willing to give dyeing them a try if anyone thinks it may be a problem. 

 

 

The black ones are awesome and definitely look the closest to her pants so are my preferred choice.  Wearing them, they are a bit tight, but they will definitely stretch. However, they do have these weird fake zip pockets. I doubt I will be able to get approval with them there, so I'll have to figure out a way to remove them without destroying the item. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.  [Another Photo Link]

 

PXL_20210309_095140881_MP.jpg.e2a117e1ead22a0d1c1f3275756e3a71.jpg

 

 

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I don't know anything about the fading... I will let more seasoned Aphras speak to that :)

 

Re: the zippers - I think the belt and bottom of the vest should cover up at least the top one. The lower one may depend on where it hits you - it might also be covered?

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I decided to return the light blue jeans. They ended up being way too large when I properly tried them on and wore them for a bit. They were stretchy as well, so it would only get larger as time went on. It's not worth it I think. 

 

I have my eye on another pair of grey jeans, which don't have the weird zip pocket issue. I'll have to grab them online as they're not available in my state (which is annoying as I am unsure about their fit), but I'm going to start focusing on other parts of my build while I wait. If any costume judges swing by, I'd love an opinion on the jeans in the above photo! 

 

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Time for some updates: 

Received the new jeans and they're perfect. They'll be my main pair of jeans for now as they fit the CRL the most. The city chic pair will be my backup/convention pair!  I also purchased the polo shirt. It's slightly see through because it is a mens polo shirt and it does have a small insignia on the chest, but it'll be hidden by the red vest and is the same colour, so it won't be noticeable. The transparency can be easily fixed by wearing a tank top underneath.

 

Here's a general update as well to see where I'm at. I'm speeding through and I'm definitely looking to hit my target of being complete and submitted by the start of June. 

COMPLETE/ON THE WAY.
Jeans: Complete, backup also available.
Polo Shirt: Complete. It's slightly see through because I did have to purchase a mens one, so I will wear a tank top underneath.
Goggles: Completed. All ready to go to be painted once vest is complete.
Holster & Belt Rig: Ordered from Darman Props. 

ORGANISED/WAITING ON AVAILABILITY:
Vest: To be made by Grangertales (instagram)
Aviator Cap: To be made by Grangertales. (instagram)
Wig: Waiting to be available in black at Lumin's Workshop because Arda shipping itself is $70 and lolno. ❤️

NOT ORGANISED:
Boots. (Need to go op shopping and/or await availability at work.
Gloves.
Tattoo Sleeve. (Will be done last)

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Updates:

 

I went on a little buying spree because I have no self control and I want this done asap. 

 

I have purchased these boots for Aphra, I am waiting for them to be delivered to see the fit. If it's only a little bit tight at the calf I may take it to a bootmaker and have them expand the stretch panel because there is a small one.  I have also organised the gloves, which will now also be made by grangertales, so the only thing not organised in some capacity is the tattoo sleeve which I am still looking around at to find the base tight I want to use. 

From now it'll probably just be a waiting game as I wait for the Holster and Belt Rig to be completed and sent as well as the boots to be delivered. The commissioned work will probably be completed in about two-three weeks maximum as she's got another few commissions on the go. 

 

All in all I'm really proud of how quickly I am zooming through this build, usually I take 6 months to a year to complete one, so this being completed in max a month and a half is pretty amazing. 

 

 

COMPLETE/ON THE WAY.
Jeans: Complete, backup also available.
Polo Shirt: Complete. It's slightly see through because I did have to purchase a mens one, so I will wear a tank top underneath.
Goggles: Completed. All ready to go to be painted once vest is complete.
Holster & Belt Rig: Ordered from Darman Props.
Boots: Ordered from Myer. 
Wig: Using an old lacefront I have. Will just need to be slightly styled as it is currently curly.

ORGANISED/WAITING ON AVAILABILITY:
Vest: To be made by Grangertales (instagram)
Aviator Cap: To be made by Grangertales. (instagram)
Gloves: To be made by Grangertales. (instagram)

 

NOT ORGANISED:
Tattoo Sleeve. (Will be done last)

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Boots arrived and they did not fit whatsoever! I've bought a specialist extra wide calf boot from naturalizer so hopefully that will fit instead. Arrival date is really far away (May 7th) so that's a bit gut wrenching as I was hoping to have this done and approved well before May 4th so I could troop. We'll just have to wait and see for that one. 

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Very small updates: 

Boots are now officially shipped and on their way. They should be here by April 27th, which is over a week earlier than first thought, so score. 
Belt and Holster are also on their way - I don't have a date in particular for this one, but as they are also coming from the US I expect it will be similar to the above date, hopefully earlier. 

Vest, Aviator Cap & Gloves are also being worked on right now, I just need to queue up a time with the seamstress as we've both absolutely snowed in with work at the moment and it clashes. 

 

I'm now aiming for everything (including the tattoo sleeve) to be done when the boots arrive so I can quickly take approval photos and hopefully be approved by May 4th!  I have also come in below budget by over $150, so I'm absolutely thrilled. I just have to hope the boots fit as they're being frustratingly painful to find.

I still would love if possible for someone who approves costumes to cast an eye over the previous jeans mentioned, as they are much comfier and more flattering than the Levi Jeans I've got as a backup. 

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Your build is progressing nicely!!

 

For feedback regarding the jeans, you can reach out to the Garrison Membership Liaison (GML) of your local 501st garrison as they will be the one who will approve your costume, and get their thoughts.

 

If you're on FB, you could also try posting on the Ladies of the Legion FB group -- a few GMLs/Dr Aphras are in there.

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Just realised that I haven't updated this thread in ages. I've got a more detailed thread on the DSG forum as they're my local garrison. Half of it is literally just me panicking, so it's best avoided.

Here are some photos. I'm up to my minor fixes phase.

Belt & Holster made by Darman Props. 
Vest, Gloves (not pictured) & Aviator Cap made by Grangertales (instagram)
Wig styled by Shayminion Cosplay (is longer than it looks in the photo, I promise, it's all hidden at the back) 

I'm just waiting on my tights from snagtights to arrive so I can made my tattoo armsocks ( i have to include my other arm as I have a huge luke skywalker tattoo, which is not in character for Aphra at all) as well as some fixes to my belt and thigh holster (too loose as I've lost some weight) and boots (remove strap across the top of my foot)

 

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Tights finally arrived today (I ordered them well over a month ago)!

I'm hoping tomorrow I can get a friend to draw the design while they're on me tomorrow (in waterproof sharpie, which seems to be the winning method) 
Boots, Belt and Holster are at the bootmaker being altered now and will be picked up on Friday. I cannot be more hyped at the moment that this build is nearly over. 

Hoping to have approval photos submitted by the end of next week. 

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Okay. She's complete and I'm hoping to send my approval photos in tomorrow. Looking at this I'm not quite happy with my tattoo sleeve but I reckon I'll upgrade it very soon. 79a4aa501aa9dd6bb080caf3b02d08dc.jpg

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

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Okay so I got knocked back, but that's okay. I'm hoping to have all my fixes done by the 14th as they're all quite easy. 


Things to fix: 

 

Length and fit of vest: Will be fixed at a 501st/Rebels build day. 
Shirt sleeve length: Will be fixed at a 501st/Rebels build day.
Goggles: Repurchased, should be here this week. Will be spray painted a burgundy.
Gloves: Need to be leather. Will purchase some from work and cut the fingers off. Red patch will be sewn on at a 501st/Rebels build day.

Everything else was presentation. I'll see if I can get the rear holster strap to sit better next time I take photos. May have been because of how high the pant sat. Since the vest has to be shortened I need to use my other jeans which sit lower at the waist so that should hopefully fix that as well as the holster sitting a little high.

I will admit that there will be things that won't sit quite the same as the model as the shape of our bodies are super different (could not be more different tbh) but I'll do my damndest to look identical.

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It is all about making it fit according to your body, which is where the skill comes in hand, and the final outcome goal. You're doing a fantastic job, otherwise, and I am loving the dedication to this build!

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115BPQ9m_o.jpg

Here's one of my shots going in for approval. The convention this was meant to be for has been postponed so it's not TOO urgent but I still wanted to get that sweet, sweet 501st approval. 

As you can see vest has been shortened and taken in at the armpit, polo shirt sleeves shortened, gloves changed to leather and goggles replaced and the colour fixed. I also made a new tattoo sleeve as I was NOT happy with the colour match. This is so much better and photographs fantastically. I do have the other one as a backup in case it's needed, but I am hoping this can be my longterm one. You can't even tell that's a giant Luke Skywalker tattoo under there. (Don't boo me!)

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  • AphraCat changed the title to Doctor Aphra (Red Vest A Build) - Approved 2021

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