Sephiroth Feedback Pouring In!

We've been absolutely inundated with comments and e-mails about our prototype Sephiroth design, and we're loving all of your feedback! Thanks so much! We see that Sephiroth has a lot of hardcore fans, and your suggestions will help us to do justice to his beautiful trench. We’ve got so many great comments to address, we’re going to have to make a numbered list here just to make it readable. Here we go…

1. Inspiration

First and foremost: the Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children style wins by a landslide! It's just a more realistic looking coat than the game version, along with the fact that all those buckles are going to look AWESOME!

2. Skirt

For the person who asked about the skirt of the coat, we went with a look closer to the Enigma than the Lobby Trench.

3. Sleeves

Also, we're definitely not going to taper in the arms of the coat quite as much as the actual Sephiroth coat in the movie. We’re going to have to make it a little more functional for everyday wear.

4. Collar

We’ll have to closely analyse the collar of the Advent Children coat as well, as there seems to be a bit of debate about how high it should be. The movie collar looks REALLY high to us, but we’ll analyse it to see just where along a person’s face it should be.

To those fans that are worried that our collar isn’t stiff enough, or is going to collapse or whatnot: please don’t worry! We took pictures of a VERY early prototype that is far from 100% complete. Our seamstresses and designers are absolute experts when it comes to high collars, so they won’t rest until it’s perfect.

5. Metalwork

We know that a lot of fans do want the pauldrons and wrist cuffs that go along with the complete Sephiroth look. We definitely understand where you’re coming from, but we won’t be able to offer these items even as optional extras for the coat. As some people have pointed out, AbbyShot is a clothing company with plenty of experience making coats, but with no experience in metalwork. The armour plating involved in these pauldrons is very complicated and would require an experienced metalworker to even contemplate.

With that being said, AbbyShot is not against promoting or even partnering with someone who can work this kind of magic with metal. Is there anyone who knows a good place to find Sephiroth armour? We’d be very interested to check it out!

6. Fabric

Now THIS is a tough question: what material should we use to make the Sephiroth coat? It’s been debated back and forth, with some people LOVING the idea of this trench in our pleather, and others HATING that same idea just as much! We’ve got three fabrics in mind for this coat right now: stretch twill, pleather, and RDF. We’re really going to try to use all three for different versions of this coat, much like our current system of choosing a fabric for the Enigma, and each one for different reasons.

Stretch twill, in our opinion, seems to be the most screen-accurate fabric for making Sephiroth’s trench, especially when you look at pictures like the one at the top of this post. The trench seems to be made of a durable woven fabric just like our stretch twill.

Pleather, however, is a beautiful option that we’re sure will be popular with many fans. Advent Children is a computer-generated anime where even fabrics have an amazing shine that can really only be replicated in the real-world with pleather.

Finally, RDF is our new light-weight fabric that gives quite an impressive flowing look to a coat in motion. To quote one commenter, “anti-gravity billowyness” is what some people are looking for in Sephiroth’s trench, and we feel that RDF will be the best fabric to deliver that feeling. We can’t promise that it will defy gravity like CGI animation, but it may come close!

7. Options

When it comes down to the actual release, many of our coats are simultaneously given the set-size treatment and the custom fit treatment, and we feel the Sephiroth trench will follow the same lines. Our set-sizes are made with a certain fabric and only that one fabric (for example, all set-size Enigmas are made with pleather), while the custom-fitted coats give you more options.

Right now, we feel that our Stretch Twill is the most screen-accurate fabric for Sephiroth’s coat, and therefore will probably end up being the material used for our set-sizes. A custom-fitted Sephiroth would then allow you to choose between Stretch Twill, Pleather, and RDF. Any objections? Can anyone change our minds as to whether or not Stretch Twill is the most screen-accurate fabric? Check out our Enigma Custom page for some pics and descriptions of Stretch Twill and Pleather for comparison purposes.

Other possible options in a custom-fitted Sephiroth coat are also worth considering. One commenter mentioned that Sephiroth’s wide-open chest might not be very functional, so an unobtrusive way to fasten up the front above the buckles could be an option. Some fans may also want just one buckle at the waist of the coat to look more like Sephiroth in the Final Fantasy 7 Playstation game. Lots of interesting options could work for this amazing trench.

8. Conclusion – Get Out the Vote!

This blog post certainly was a long one, but we really did want to address all your excellent comments from our previous post on the tantalizing news of an AbbyShot Sephiroth coat! Every single comment we get from you guys will make a better product in the end.

So now our main question remains: what would be the most screen-accurate fabric for Sephiroth’s trench in Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children? Stretch Twill, Pleather, or RDF? Hit those comments to give us your vote!

Now one final note: Merry Christmas to all of our readers and fans! We hope you have the happiest of holidays and the best new year yet! See you in 2007…

Motoko Shrug Follow-Up Time!

It’s time for the next chapter in our series of follow-up posts – let’s talk about the beautiful Motoko shrug. It’s been getting a lot of love in the comments and in our e-mail account, including some INTERESTING feedback from men who aren’t afraid to show their sensitive side. We can’t wait to get this out so we can see those oics!

Once again, all your comments and critiques have been very helpful to us. Thanks to Mark who e-mailed us a BUNCH of screencaps from the anime that really showed off this shrug from some hard-to-find angles. We did check out some links to the lovely Motoko figurine for a bit of context on how the shrug looks in that form, but it does have some noticeable differences from the anime look (especially in the back). When it comes down to the anime vs. the figurine, for us, the anime usually wins.

As for some changes we’re looking into, we’re definitely going to round the collar a little where it meets in the front as some keen-eyed fans have suggested. We’re also going to move the zippers up the sleeves a little bit to look more like the anime version. On the topic of the zippers, Sara had an excellent question: are they for real pockets or are they ornamental? Those zippers are there for the look, since we found that real pockets would have thrown off the fit of the garment.

Thanks for all the comments! Keep them coming! If there’s anything that we might have missed, please let us know. We’re getting excited for Christmas now, and we hope you are too…

UPDATE: A huge thank you to Lucas who posted a wonderful article about our Motoko shrug on his Ghost in the Shell fansite called the Masamune Shirow Hyperpage. Check it out!

Squall Jacket Follow-Up

First of all, we just have to say a huge THANKS for all the excellent comments that you guys are giving us! In the next little while we’ll be doing some follow-up posts to address the suggestions and questions that we’ve seen in comments and e-mails so far. We really want to keep you up-to-date on our development process. Today’s follow-up post will be all about Squall from Final Fantasy 8.

We received lots of great comments on this design and we have to agree with those who said that the fur really “makes or breaks” this jacket. It’s true! We will certainly be making adjustments to the shape of the collar to make it look more screen-accurate. I think the person who suggested a touch of gel in the fur to make it spikier might be onto something too!

As for the jacket itself, there are also a few changes we will be making based on your suggestions. We will be adding a bit of length to the body of the coat to give it a more masculine look. In the game, Squall’s torso seems really short (maybe it’s how he wears his pants?) so the jacket does look longer on him. We’ll have to make it a bit longer for real-world wear.

Some people also mentioned the zipper – we will be getting a slimmer zipper pull tab for a better look. The one we had there was only a test.

Finally, the jacket’s sleeve is something that has been under much debate. Some have mentioned that a flared-out look might be cool. Others say that it’s not quite loose enough. We re-examined ALL the pictures we had of Squall and realized that we missed a small detail on the sleeve that we’re now going to add: there should be a small leather cuff on each sleeve to give it a little bit more of that “bomber jacket” look.

I think that’s all for now, but if there’s something you think we’ve missed out on, by all means, leave us a comment! Don’t forget to check out our other new prototypes as well! More updates soon…

Secret Sephiroth Sample Revealed!

The Japanese sure know how to design cool jackets and coats for their video games! This week we're looking for your opinions on what will (most likely) be our last protoype to show off for 2006. It's the greatly requested and much-adored black trench coat of the villain Sephiroth from Final Fantasy 7! Yes, we're not kidding, our designers have made up a sample of this awesome long coat! Check it out...

So now were wondering: What do you think? There is one catch though that we need to warn you about right up front. We won't be able to offer the gear Sephiroth wears on his shoulders in the game as a part of the coat. It just wouldn't be feasible for us to make it accurate while still keeping this coat at a reasonable price. Basically, you'd have to figure out a way to make your own Sephiroth shoulder gear.

So the question now becomes: Is this coat cool enough to buy without the crazy gear on the shoulders? Leave all the feedback we can handle in the comments - we love hearing your opinions!

QUICK UPDATE: We forgot to ask a very important question: Which coat would you rather have: the Final Fantasy 7 game version with the one buckle at the waist, or the Advent Children version with the seven buckles down the coat?

And a final bonus question: What should we make this out of? One of our lovely fabrics? Maybe our brand new (and awesome) pleather? Let us know!

MORE HUGE NEWS: Motoko Shrug Prototype Now Complete!

AbbyShot has already realized, early on in the world of blogging, that sometimes a Monday announcement turns into Tuesday announcement. With that being said, the promised pictures of our second new prototype are here! This is a HOTLY anticipated new ladies garment, where a sneak preview at Dragon*Con 2006 led many women to wonder: "When am I going to be able to buy this?!?"

As announced in previous newsletters, this is now the finished prototype for our Motoko leather shrug, based on the Anime series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.

This is a very fashionable new ladies garment that can accentuate any kind of outfit, and it will certainly make you stand out in a crowd! The leather is soft to the touch, the look is beautiful, and we really think it will appeal to a wide range of women both inside and outside of Anime fandom.

So these are the pictures, now we need your opinions! What do you think of the style of this new leather garment? If you are familiar with Motoko Kusanagi from the Ghost in the Shell anime series, then does it look the part? Please leave all impressions in the comments here to help us perfect this upcoming product!

HUGE NEWS: First Pictures of a Hot New Jacket!

AbbyShot is so excited – we’ve got news for you that you won’t believe! We’ve got the prototypes of two brand new leather products ready to show off to the world, and this is the first place where you can see the pics!

The first design comes from the mind-bending eighth installment in this popular Square video game series: YES, it’s the Squall Leonhart jacket from Final Fantasy VIII!

We are so pumped about this jacket and we hope you are too! The leather is top quality, the fur collar feels great, and we figured why not make it removable too? Yes, the fur collar can zip off as a great added feature when wearing this fashionable jacket.

Just put this jacket on and you instantly wish you had a Gunblade handy. This is definitely going to be the Squall jacket to end all Squall jackets! But what do you think? This is our prototype version so please pick it apart: Tell us what is or isn’t right, give us any comments you think we’ll need to make a great final product!

What’s the next prototype we have ready to show off? You’ll have to wait until our next blog post on Monday to see it!

As a final note for today, thanks to everyone who bid on our latest Ebay sale! It was a great success and we’re glad to be shipping coats off to very happy Ebayers. See you again on Monday!

UPDATE: As requested, here's a quick snap of the Squall jacket without its fur collar!