status: Commissioned by a friend. The strategy is planned out.

how it will be made: If you look at Spike's suit, you'll see that the identifying characteristic is not the asymmetric lapels, as you might think, but the slouchy shape with strong shoulders narrowing into a closely-fitted waist. I have yet to see a picture of a cosplayer who's got that right; they seem to be afraid of adding shoulder pads to the jacket, and it doesn't sit right without them. I suppose this might be due to lack of sewing skills or experience, but it's really easy to add pads. Secondly, the narrow waist. I shall be making this jacket a size too large for Brian and tailoring the waist in so it produces that inverted-triangle shape. Brian's got the tallish, rangy shape that fits Spike, and he's going to look good in this.

The other problem I find with the portrayals of Spike I've seen are the colors: most people do Spike in bright blues and yellows. Cowboy Bebop, while animated, is not a happy-go-lucky show. There's depth and darkness to it and primary colors don't sit well. I'll be doing Spike in muted shades to fit his character and the mood of the show.