Doctor Who Day at the British Emporium

Every year, the British Emporium hosts what has affectionately called by most Whovian’s as "Doctor Who Day."  For at least five hours, The British Emporium brings in as many “Whovian large props,” “trivia” and eager cos-players as possible into their small parking-lot.  People often retire into the nearby metal shop to watch old or new episodes, and groups such as the U.S.S Joshua and WhoFest show off their latest stuff.

This year the event was visited by a number of attractions including the U.S.S Joshua's very iconic Tardis as well as M Propmaker Max Kirklnads latest tardis.  K9 as always was a popular attraction and local coplayers could be spotted posing with him. 

This year, as in the past 3 years to date, Cosplay Gallifrey also came to play.  This year, like last year

its members took home prizes for Best in Show, Best Femme Doctor and Best Male Doctor.   This year however, Keeley Grazer and her pink daleks took the prize for bes kids costume.

Local CBS Affiliate was also there to record member David Henderson, dressed impeccably as usual by his wife, Margaret Hui Henderson came forward with the newest 12^th Doctor look as premiered in “The Magician’s Apprentice” episode, and Den Mother Debbie Redfern showed off her Femme War Doctor cosplay. Which took best Femme Doctor.   

April Shriver was awarded a new prize, “Best in Show” which all of the members were extremely proud of.

The British Emporium’s event is one of the small but worthwhile events Cosplay Gallifrey looks forward to every fall.

 

The Standard for DFW Cosplay Gallifrey

This post is inspired by three people: Pete Calenzo, Katie Maricle and Nicole Velasco.
In order to be a member of the DFW Chapter of Cosplay Gallifrey you must have one costume.

That Costume must be Doctor Who Themed is the specific rule, so within those boundaries, there's lots to choose from, like monsters, or Doctors, or objects.  Some noted members in the past even dressed up like Producers Sidney Newman and Verity Lambert.  As well, Doctor Who Extends into comics and Parody and even the books and Big Finish Audio which has some amazing companions and Characters as well.

The rules for having a costume are specifically simple.

As Pete Calenzo puts it:  Cosplay equals are you trying to become a character.

Pete believes deeply in costuming and in personally choosing to try to make your costume the best you can.

In the past, we have invited people to join our groups based on many reasons.  Some were very lucky, they looked remarkably similar to the actors playing the characters on the show.  In fact some were very gratious and got interested based on the fact they looked exactly like the character.  

All who we invite to join the group are welcome to be a part of it, provided they put together a costume, which doesn't have to be the 1,000 Steve Rick's coat or any of the numerous expensive coats or full costumes out there.  Many members have put together wonderful costumes just using their closets, or their mother's closets or their friends closets.

We here at this group will never judge you provided you are trying the best you can given limited or full resources, or you rown creativity and ingenuity.  We are not out to critique yoru costumes, or to approve them, however, we are a Cosplay Group, which means you must have a costume that is either completed or influx, and we don't care if its screen accurate.

Like all Cosplayers we love looking at Amazing Cosplayers, but this group doesn't live or die on whether we are or aren't the best cosplayers around.  We love that many of our members are some of the best in the state and maybe in the nation.  We absolutely love that idea and are proud, but in the DFW Chapter, we are not here to judge your costume or cast aspersions on it, not here to label is less than screen accurate and limit your membership--we are not here for that.

We are here to help you, guide you if you would like, and be friends and enjoy Doctor who in frienship and Fandom, but we are NOT just a fan group. 

We have the word "Cosplay" in our name.  To ignore that would make us just another fan group, so with this in mind let me clarify what a costume is for this chapter.

A cosplay costume for this group must attempt to be the semblance of a character, maybe through small choices, but must embody aspects of that character or idea. 

With this in mind, you will see that most cosplayers who Cosplay the doctor do try to become him and copy things other than just his clothes.  They copy his movement's and sometimes his mannerisms.  

Wearing Clothes similar or right up a 100 percent the same as the doctor goes a long way toward that idea, so in that regard cosplaying a doctor requires a good portion of the clothing.  We have set beginners at 45 percent capacity meaning, we believe at 45 percent you can become most of the character.

AS for other characters, each of those depends on the person.  To apply the 45 percent to the Tardis does not work, and yet. there is something fun and playful about a Tardis Dress that invokes the Doctor's Wife, Idris the embodiement of the Tardis.  But the Tardis can be embodied in many ways, through its iconography and its female nature.

It is for this reason that we count Tardis Dresses as a costume, and technically it is a complete costume.  Do we consider this cannon--no.  It isn't cannon.  Do we consider it a costume, Yes.

With this in mind, we want people to understand, that most women are proud being the Tardis, they wear the Tardis dress, or Tardisesque outfit and when asked, they say, "I'm the Tardis."  We believe this to be cosplaying, since the iconography of Tardis Dresses, captures the spirit of the Tardis,

With that in mind this brings me to T-shirts.    For purposes of our understanding their are two typed. one is called a Fandom Shirt and is considered something that anyone can buy at a con or sometimes local store.

Fandom Shirts:

These types of shirts contain doctor who Slogans  or imagery.  They are Fandom shirts because they promote the fandom love of doctor who, but they are not part of cosplay.  The doctor never every wears such, nor even do his conspiracy theory fans in the doctor who world .  Shirts like this cannot be considered Cosplay.






Cosplay Shirts

 
 Now these types of shirts are a new thing, and there are even printed dresses and for Daleks, Tardises and Doctor's clothing that can be bought and can be incorporatad into a Cosplay.  They key here, is that buying the shirt only isn't enough.






Our thoughts in this matter are very simple.

A beginning cosplayer may use such "Cosplay Shirts."  

Tardis and Dalek Cosplayers may wear Tardis Dresses or Dalek Dresses and those may be store bought. Depending on what your cosplay is, we are okay with it, but most Human Character Cosplays, such as the doctor must be considered an evolving craft.   

We will not monitor your Cosplay ever, but our key to cosplay is this, as quoted by Katie Maricle:

"The best guideline would be to ask members to put in effort. Try. Not necessarily spend money, but work towards something that they're proud to wear."

With that in mind, that is our stance on cosplay T-shirts and fandom T-shirts.  DFW Cosplay Gallifrey's stands by this policy for all members.

Cosplay Sources for Eager Whovians

Below is a list of very good source material for anyone interested in Whovian Cosplay or Cosplay in General:


http://honorarydoctor.livejournal.com/14756.html


http://www.cosplay.com/


http://www.cosplay.com/marketplace/index.php


http://orderofgallifrey.com/


http://www.cosplaygallifrey.com/


http://conventionfansblog.com/2011/08/15/top-5-cosplay-sites/


http://www.ezcosplay.com/


http://www.baronboutique.com/