Replica Giorgio Armani Tie - Magnoli Second Incarnation

This month sees the release by Magnoli Clothiers of a second version of their Giorgio tie - a replica of Tie Seven (the Giorgio Armani).

Here is my review

This month has seen the release of a third, and much improved Swirly tie from online costume makers Magnoli Clothiers. It’s a very popular tie with fans, so great to see a decent replica widely available.

Previously they have gone through as many drafts of their replica of Tie Two (Daniel Hechter).

This demonstrates a level of dedication to review and revise their ties, each being a step up from the previous.

I wish I could say the same for the latest version of Tie Seven (Giorgio Armani) which has taken a bizarre route from the first draft.

Previously a replica had been made, copied directly from an original Giorgio Armani tie, though the source was a different colourway option in blue.

The weave was pretty much bang on, but for some unknown reason the two shades of brown were transposed, making the dominant colour a lighter, warmer brown.

So when I heard on the grapevine a new version of the tie was already in the pipeline, I was excited to see what had been done to improve on it, as only switching the browns would be enough to make it very near perfect.

I ordered my tie, and when it arrived I was what I can only describe as perplexed. The weave is the same as before but the colours have been changed to a dusty blue - just like the colourway option the first tie had been copied from to get the weave correct.

Why on earth this tie has been made I do not know. Maybe someone can enlighten me. But it is a backward step and further from the screen-worn tie than ever.

It’s a same the first draft tie is now out of stock as I would recommend sticking with that.
Sorry to be so negative, but even at US$45 it is not worth the effort to buy it.

I’ll wait to see what draft three brings...

Replica Christian Lacroix Tie - Magnoli Third Incarnation!

This month sees the release by Magnoli Clothiers of a third, and improved version of their Swirly tie - a replica of Tie Four (the Christian Lacroix).

Here is my review

Aside from trawling eBay for the occasional hotly fought as-worn ties; or finding something that is evocative or similar to the tie you are looking for, there is another option – a rewoven copy by online costume maker Magnoli Clothiers.

Over the past four or so years Magnoli has produced copies of Tie Two (Daniel Hechter); Tie Four (Christian Lacroix) Tie Seven (Giorgio Armani); and Tie Ten (St George by Duffer).

It has taken several drafts to get the ties to something near screen-accurate.
The earliest version of Tie Two (Daniel Hechter) was printed, and though was replaced with a woven version the pattern was not changed. The latest incarnation is to a better pattern, but is not quite the right colours.

Tie Four (Christian Lacroix) has gone through two drafts to date, though the latter was a woven version of the appliquéd copy seen in The Eleventh Hour, so wasn’t quite right on several levels.

But this month has seen the release of further update to Tie Four, this time replicating its main original appearance in The Girl In The Fireplace (it did appear briefly in other episodes, but since Louise Page herself regards The Girl In The Fireplace as its main use, I see it as that too).

Since February this year, when I found my original colourway version of the Christian Lacroix tie, the pressure has been on to make a more faithful version.

The second draft Magnoli had improved the pattern, but it was out of scale with the real thing, something that was difficult to match without having an original in-hand to work to.

So, using the images from my posting a new version has been redrawn from scratch, correcting many of the errors in the pattern seen in the previous version.

The colour has also been improved, though I’m of the opinion it has gone a bit too far.

Louise Page - School Project review

If you watched the recent Louise Page interview on my Tennant Coat Blog, where she revealed the background story to the development of the Tenth Doctor’s costume, you will have heard mention of her ‘School Project’.

This was a pitch document she put together to show Russell T Davies and Phil Collinson when she applied to be Doctor Who costume designer. It contained her initial thoughts and ideas for The Doctor’s new look, and gives a unique insight into that moment of development.

Louise kindly granted me special access to this document, and it makes very interesting reading.


It opens with her first impressions of The Doctor through the history of the series. She identifies the motifs that distinguished them and their clothing style.
She sees the incoming Doctor as being more funky and flamboyant, compared the the contemporary, tough style of the outgoing Christopher Eccleston.


To quantify her thoughts she created a word cloud with all the key aspects she wanted to bring together.

From here she breaks the possible looks for the new Doctor into three main design routes.

1. Military Inspired
The key points in the Military Inspired look include jackets and coats with good pocket and trim details; soft, worn in trousers; a sweater with texture; unusual buttons and pocket details; a mix of fabrics, colours and textures; great looking boots; a colour range of browns, fawns and sludge greens.

This puts me in mind of the plum coat of Tom Baker’s final season, apparently based on a Russian greatcoat.


2. Boho Romantic
The next look put forward, the Boho Romantic, is a eclectic mix of design and fabrics.
Louise outlines it as long coats or jackets in soft unstructured fabrics, possibly from suede, with unfinished raw edges.
The costume would comprise a shirt; a polo neck with a cravat type scarf; sort, worn in trousers; a waistcoat with unusual double breasted button details; boots.

The outfit was to have a sexy, grungy but romantic quality, coupled with a flamboyance and interesting detail, but keeping it very masculine. There would be a mix of textures, using a layered look.


3. Young Eccentric
Finally the Young Eccentric look brings the option of a much more colourful Doctor.
A mix of heavy checks (including tartans), as well as strong patterns. A tie or scarf would be a key accessory, suggesting a connection with previous Doctors. A waistcoats would round off the look, adding layers to create bulk and texture.

From the description I cannot get the colour-explosion costume worn by Colin Baker in the 1980s, though the magazine clipping show a more vintage clothing look, carefully selected but appearing to be thrown together.


The folder is rounded off with some footwear options cut from a catalogue.
At this stage it looks like thinking was a heavy military style boot, rather than the lightweight Converses screen worn.



To read the School Project in fill, click the headline below to view a PDF online.

Louise Page’s School Project