Columbia's Closet

Frank's jacket JUST A THEORY

I have a theory (uh oh)...
So, here in Texas I perform with a local cast in Houston, and sometimes get to guest perform in Dallas and Austin. I write a monthly newsletter that I take wherever I'm going. I was researching some stuff for my April issue - which has both Tim Curry and Sue Blane's birthdays in it.

I was trying to tie it together a bit. Tim Curry and Sue's costumes. I wanted to mention the jacket. I had heard something about him getting it from a biker in London, but I couldn't find any sources to back that up. So I asked around and got some fabulous insights!

Apparently Tim bought the jacket from Malcolm McLaren's shop "Let It Rock". According to Wiki, he sold "clothing (dead stock, military surplus) and objects he'd sourced. When the shop became a success, he enlisted the help of his then-girlfriend Vivienne Westwood who customized and repaired original clothing and made facsimiles." Tim said the jacket came from a dead biker. Which honestly, sounds like something Vivienne or Malcolm would have made up just to give the piece more provenance, but that's just my opinion.

Okay, so here's what really got me thinking about the jacket. Bikers tend to be pretty brand-loyal. Doesn't it seem weird to have Ducati, BMW, Royal Enfield, etc... all on the same jacket? And Hell's Angels alongside the 59 club? And a few Nazi patches to boot? I mean, when you think about it - it's really all over the place. Street bikes.. racing bikes... luxury bikes...

But here's my theory. The jacket probably came in partially adorned... but I'd bet anything Vivienne (or maybe even Malcolm) threw a WHOLE lot more stuff on it. Maybe surplus pins they had... deadstock patches... just really decked it out with anything and everything. It's completely in line with the info from Wiki (quoted above) and Vivienne's early M.O. (and someone who maybe didn't know a lot about Motorcycles...)

Magenta's Hair Dryer

Looks to be a Roffler Hair Dryer from Germany. I found one on eBay for $29.

Janet's Panties

Honestly, I never really paid much attention to Janet's panties other than that they were white, and low across the hips.

Jaimie F. has informed me that Janet wears two different white undies (and I will absolutely take her word on that!) The ones in Touch-a are different than the dinner scene.

The Touch-a pair have some scalloped lace trim on them with white satin bows. There's also a small lacy trim around the leg holes. That side seam is probably no more than 3". They would most definitely have been Nylon.

I've never found any vintage panties just like them, but I've found similar styles from the 70s that have diagonal lace on the front. They seem to have the lace trim continuing from the side waist to the crotch seam or meeting in a "V" above the crotch seam.

Frank's Dinner Scene Boots

Oh boy, these are gonna be hard to find! You're looking for a high heel, knee-high boot that laces up the back side of the leg. They also have a peep-toe (but you'll most likely have to create that yourself). It looks like part of the vamp is made of a shinier, patent leather - and then the rest is some sort of slightly-stretchy pleather. Most Franks just attach a different anklet to their boot so they don't have to fuss with it in their quick change before the dinner scene.

Frank's Sweet T Heels

D'Orsay (pronounced "door-say") is a style of heel where the sides are cutaway on the vamp. You can read more about its 19th century origins and history here.

Terry de Havilland (aka the "Rock-n-Roll cobbler of the 70s") was an English shoe designer (1938 - 2019). You can read more about his amazing career here.

Frank's Sweet T shoes are D'Orsay style platform heels designed by Terry de Havilland. They feature a very small, triangular peep-toe opening that is hard to discern from the side view (like the red shoes below).

The modern "Lena" line by Terry de Havilland is similar in many ways, but not an exact match. Most of the newer lines have a larger, curved toe opening (like the silver shoes below).


Newer D'Orsay styles by Terry de Havilland	Vintage peep toe shoes with a triangular opening

Mick Rock was on the set during the filming of Sweet Transvestite so there are a lot of photos taken directly on the set while filming.

The lab shoes seem to be identical, except in solid black. The boots are also peep-toe. And the floorshow heels seem to have some slightly different shaping, but are also made by Terry de Havilland (see them here).

Meet Fuchsia... Magenta's sister

Personal project of mine to attend The Rocky Horror Show in the UK on the new tour starring Jason Donovan as Frank. Last year for the 50th anniversary I replicated Little Nell's 1973 costume, though I failed to get the response I was hoping for. I was later informed that because I attended the show on a weeknight I missed most of the hardcore (fan club) fans.

So this year I aimed to do better. I needed something more recognizable, but still a bit unique. I came across Mark's gorgeous space suit creations and felt inspired to go pink (I mean, have you seen my hair??)

Although I'm still nursing a toe injury from June and couldn't wear my pointy-toe stiletto boots, I found a round-toed option by the same manufacturer that was tolerable to wear. The wig was from my usherette costume, though I dyed it a tad darker.

I was so excited that the Space Suits who inspired mine were actually there - along with so many other people in amazing costumes. My wings were actually just left-over prototypes - one was made with 3mm foam and the other side with 4mm foam. No big deal, I don't think anyone could tell. The buckle was 3D printed by my husband. First I sprayed the vertical bits hot pink, then I over-sprayed them with a darker (almost purplish) glitter spray to get it to match the tabard.

Space Suit Buckle

Although I realize the back of the buckle is stitched vinyl like the belt I wanted to create something a little more functional for quick changes. My husband 3D printed this buckle with a pass-through for the belt in back (someone has a similar version on Thingiverse, too). Click here for more info and pricing on my Space Suit and its components.

RHS Space Suits

RHS Space Suits from one of the early stage productions (before the film) - not sure what color they were, but I've seen references online that they were silver.

Columbia's Collar (updated)

Oh how the internet keeps making things easier! Now I can get everything I need to make Columbia's collar from Amazon. All I have to do is spray-paint the lock washers gold, and space my rivets out 3/4" apart. Check out these links via my Amazon Associate account -

Honbay 12PCS Rivet Studs (Amazon Assoc. Link)
CRAFTMEMORE 50 White Clear Rhinestone Rivets (Amazon Assoc. Link)
External Tooth Lock Washers (Amazon Assoc. Link)
Milakoo Adjustable Leather Collar (Amazon Assoc. Link)

Crim Ascots...

I discovered that buying beads is a little like buying lumber... the "size" is not the actual finished measurement!

Amazon has 2000 4mm beads (Amazon Assoc. Link) or 700 5mm beads (Amazon Assoc. Link)

I do like the "5mm" slightly better, though they only actually measure 4.5mm.

Need your help!

I'd like to curate a product list on Amazon - the best option to accomplish this goal is to create an Amazon Influencer Acct. However, I deleted my Columbia's Closet accounts on Facebook and Instagram several years ago. They were permanently deleted and not able to be restored so now I'm having to build everything from the ground up again. Amazon will look at my social media metrics before approving me - I need roughly 500 followers, but also a lot of interaction (in the form of likes and comments). So if you've got some free time and want to help me reach this minor goal please follow (and even share!) my accounts with all your Rocky Horror friends:

Columbia's Closet on Instagram
Columbia's Closet on Facebook

Introducing: Columbia's Closet Patterns

In addition to the handful of free patterns that I offer here, I've been busy drafting a more complete line of Rocky & Shocky patterns in 2023 to release in 2024. Here's the short list of what I hope to (ultimately) accomplish:

Frank - Dinner Corset, Floorshow Corset
Janet - Proposal Suit, Pink Dress
Magenta - Maid Dress
Columbia - Tailcoat, Bustier, Shorts
Brad - Khaki Jacket
Floorshow - Corsets & Garter Belts
Space Suits (complete)
Nation - Scrubs
Cosmo - Scrubs
Ansalong - Green Dress

Each pattern purchase will include online support on my Discord Server - with dedicated (private) channels for each pattern including supplemental video tutorials. Ideally pattern testers and fellow customers will also be on hand to share their results, too.

My Usherette Dress

This was my final design pattern based on my research, and my final costume result! I made a few (personal) adjustments from Patricia Quinn's original usherette costume:

I chose a sheer fabric (to be a lil' sexy) in a neon pink color (to better match my hair).
Instead of the giant Elvis pin, mine is Anthony Head (because I saw him play Frank in '91). I had it custom fabricated and based it on the '90s UK tour graphics.
Instead of “Sloane Cinemas“ (re: Royal Court), my cap says “Farley’s Flicks” (Shock Treatment nod).
Her tray reads "Lyon's Brand Strawberry Time" (a British ice cream treat), but my tray says "Barry's Berries" because Barry Bostwick was in attendance when I wore the costume - and the tootsie pops are Strawberry flavored!

Columbia's Pajamas - the shoes! (Research)

I guess in my original post about Columbia's Pajamas I never included her shoes. Although I can't tell if she's wearing shoes during Touch-a, you can clearly hear them when she gets up to leave the dinner table. The best time to see them is during her monologue before she gets Transduced. It's also a great capture of that ridiculously long string hanging from her waist.

They're just basic black mules (slide-on slippers with a heel).

They're also on her feet during her Eddie's Teddy verse, but so hard to see without lightening the screenshots substantially...

RHS Usherette Costume (Research)

In the stage production the Usherette has traditionally been performed by the same actress as Magenta. In the original 1973 cast Patricia Quinn wore a pink usherette dress with an enormous Elvis Presley pin and carried a "Strawberry time" serving tray. The outfit was topped off with a fan-shaped cap (?) that read Sloane Cinema. The Royal Court Theatre (located in Sloane Square, London) was built in 1888, and for a period between 1935 to 1940 was actually used as a cinema before being closed from bomb damage in the war. The theatre reopened in 1952 and the smaller Theatre Upstairs (with just 63 seats) was added in 1969 - where Rocky Horror would premier 4 years later.

I have never seen any photos of Quinn's usherette costume without her holding the tray in front, nor any views from the side or back. Sue added capped sleeves to later incarnations, and of course the name on the hat would change.

The dress has a straight yoke across the front, with a pleated segment (presumably ending in a waist seam). Often when a shirt or dress has a yoke in front it will have one in the back as well. It looks like there are pockets. It has a plain collar (with no collar stand) much like her maid dress in the film.

During the 60s and 70s Lyons Maid "Strawberry Time" and other frozen treats were peddled at theatres (film and stage). You can even find some of their previews/commercials from the 60s and 70s on YouTube - I grabbed a couple relevant screenshots below.

In 1974 Jamie Donnelly joined the Roxy cast production in L.A. (and later the Broadway cast) and "Hi.. I'm Trixie" was written across the front of her serving tray. The costumes were once again designed by Sue, but there's no way of knowing how similar her dress was to Patricia's. Jamie's dres has a separate midriff (which was popular in 50's waitress uniforms) and if you go back and look closely you can see a hint of the same segment on Patricia. Jaimie's dress appears to have the same front pleats and pockets, but her wig is covering any confirmation of a yoke (probably??). Sleeve cuffs were added, but I can't make out what is on her pin.

Riff's Tailcoat (Research)

Shawn A. speculates the tailcoat was cut down from a longer coat - and I find that theory intriguing. Perhaps cut down from a Frock coat of some sort (think Abraham Lincoln style of coat). Check out that wayward button way up there on his chest (and the dangling threads of buttons past). Either way, here's some detailed photos from Mick (click to enlarge). Also great shot of the Winklepicker boots, his single spat, and the lacing on his right leg. And did someone split their pants? Hmm.

Bruce M. believes it's a vintage tailcoat from the very early 20th century and has provided this example of a tailcoat pattern from that era. He says "If you look closely at the photos, you can see it was a vintage tailcoat, probably from about 1910's. It has the characteristic 'strap' on the tail skirt as and center front seam, typical of tailcoats made from about 1810 to the 1910's. It looks like it was probably made for someone slightly taller than Richard O'Brian, so a hump could go across the shoulders. The edge of the tail was either worn and/or distressed to look very used."

Eddie's Boots (Research)

It's very hard to see his boot design in the film - these are the best screenshots (courtesy of Shawn H.) that I found.

This is Dav Rogers' pattern for incorporating the boot's embellishment onto a solid black pair of western boots. More on Dav Rogers Costuming Blog!

Eddie's Helmet (Research)

Per a discussion in the Rocky Horror Costume FB Group, it appears to be a M16 Stahlhelm (issued from 1916 to the end of WW2) likely with Lancers Death or Glory Badge on the front. Replicas available from Epic Militaria in Ireland (however it doesn't come in silver color).

Ruth's research on the Anal Retentive Costume List claims it's a German WWII M42 style helmet, which is similar with slightly different holes.