(halloweenfilter) Help me look like Captain Kirk on a budget

October 15, 2007 12:56 PM

I'd like to be Captain Kirk for halloween. Anyone on MeFi have any ideas/experience as to how to find/fashion/fake a gold Star Trek TOS shirt/tunic thingy for a halloween costume? I've got black pants, leather boots, and good hair, but I'm fairly broke, and need to come up with a convincing Kirk costume top without breaking the $20 mark. Also, I don't really know how to sew. I'm about 6'3, 50" chest, 42" waist Thoughts?
posted by stenseng to clothing, beauty, & fashion (15 comments total)

I'd suggest layering a gold long-sleeved t-shirt over a black mock turtleneck shirt.

Here's a black mock turtleneck on sale for $15:

Land's end item.

I can't find exactly the right color of gold quickly, but here are a couple of almost-right ones:

on Amazon.com
another on Amazon.com

Buying two shirts would bring you over $20, and you still have to get/attach insignia, but it's a start, and you get two shirts.

You may be able to find super-cheap shirts locally, also.
posted by amtho at 1:09 PM on October 15, 2007

Patch + iron + shirt = Kirk
posted by ND¢ at 1:15 PM on October 15, 2007 [2 favorites has favorites]

I'm about 6'3, 50" chest, 42" waist Thoughts?

Try hunching.

Getting that gold color right is gonna kill you. Try all the Targets, Wal-Marts, and Joe's Discount T-Shirt Shops.
posted by rokusan at 1:19 PM on October 15, 2007

Close, but that's totally a Motion Picture patch! <>
posted by stenseng at 1:20 PM on October 15, 2007

The very first thing I ever 'sewed' (I use that term lightly, since I used a lot of stitch witchery--a kind of iron-on fusing tape--and the ugliest hand stitches this side of Kamp Krusty wallets) was a sixties Star Trek minidress uniform. You can get the pattern for a couple bucks (it's a set that includes the minidress and uniform tops/pants, AND the iron-on patch) at any fabric store this time of year, and the fabric. When I made mine, I got the fabric off the remainder table for cheap.

It's not that hard, especially if you get a lot of stitch witchery, and it's super cheap. Ha. Just don't expect the garment to last much beyond halloween.
posted by lovecrafty at 1:37 PM on October 15, 2007

Here's a Captain Kirk costume shirt on eBay
posted by briank at 1:39 PM on October 15, 2007

"paunch shatner" is the best series of tags I think I've ever seen.

Go to the nearest thrift store and wander around the ladies' shirts sections; there's a pretty good chance you'll find a loose-fitting yellowish shirt. Remember that light green is also acceptable.
posted by Greg Nog at 1:50 PM on October 15, 2007

If I were making this on the cheap, with minimal sewing, I would:

Check thrift stores to see if you can find a long-sleeved, v-neck shirt in that color. Definitely check the womens' section. (Or buy a white shirt and dye it, which you can do on a stovetop or in your washing machine. They sell Rit dye at Walmart, Target, etc.)

Wear a black t-shirt under that, or pin/stitch/cloth glue a strip of black under the collar.

I was going to suggest buying plain bracelets, but it's probably easier to just get a spool of gold ribbon for the bands on the sleeves.

It would be cool if you ebay the patch, but otherwise, paint it on a piece of cloth and glue it to the shirt (better effect than painting directly on the shirt).
posted by lhall at 2:01 PM on October 15, 2007

This is pretty close to what I figure I'll do. It would be great to get the real patch. I'll have to do some digging.
posted by stenseng at 2:08 PM on October 15, 2007

You know, deep down inside we all have aspirations of being Kirk... you know, the guy in charge, who is comfortable with his beer belly. The guy who gets all the ladies even though he is uncouth and a little shabby...

But that gold shirt is a killer to come by.

Now this is hard for a lot us Kirk admirers to wrap our brains around... indeed, some will shout "sacrilege" before slapping their monitors off their desks when I say this... but...

Have you thought about a RED shirt?

Okay, okay, deep breath... hold it... hold it... release!

The thing is that for a Halloween outfit your really pigeon holing yourself as Kirk if you go with the yellow/gold shirt. That means that your Kirk game has got to be on all night long. Let. me. ... repeat ... you... will... find... yourself... [motions crazily with hands] stuck... as... Capitan James Tiberius Kirk ... all ... evening ... long ... inthatgetup!

Now... the Red shirt... I admit... it's a little whacky, perhaps a little avant-garde or whatever the kids are saying these days... but it frees you up to be whatever type of Federation recruit you want to be. And you can get creative with it: you could be a zombie red shirt for starters.

Plus a red shirt is a helluva lot easier to come across than Kirk's gold...
posted by wfrgms at 2:31 PM on October 15, 2007 [3 favorites has favorites]

Seconding the patch. If I saw a dude with some yellow v-neck and a patch I'd know it was Kirk, or at least start trek. If I saw a dude with a thift store gold lame women's blouse and a sharpie marker start trek insignia I'd think he's just a really bad drag queen and a little messy.
posted by damn dirty ape at 2:57 PM on October 15, 2007

A better version of the Captain Kirk costume would be to dramatically rip the yellow tunic so it exposes your chest and shoulders, muss your hair a bit, and then tell people you've just beaten the crap out of Finnegan.
posted by fandango_matt at 3:34 PM on October 15, 2007 [2 favorites has favorites]

Like damn dirty ape says, if you can nail the details (patch, gold braid on sleeves (ask for "rick-rack" at your local fabric shop)) the color of the shirt could be anything from yellow to beige, as long as it is a long-sleeved v-neck.
posted by Rock Steady at 4:27 PM on October 15, 2007

"A better version of the Captain Kirk costume would be to dramatically rip the yellow tunic so it exposes your chest and shoulders, muss your hair a bit, and then tell people you've just beaten the crap out of Finnegan."

Or even better yet, do the same, and tell people you just emerged from "diplomatic negotiations" with a hot green alien chick...
posted by stenseng at 4:58 PM on October 15, 2007

This Kirk shirt is a little less... $29 plus shipping. Or wait -- here's $24. Or hey! A new shirt or a vintage one for $15.

And here's that hot green wraparound thing for $20 (hurry! Bidding ends in little more than an hour!).
posted by miss lynnster at 8:49 PM on October 15, 2007