New Designs were a Hit at AbbyShot’s Best Con Yet

A Montage of Happy AbbyShot Customers!

Where else can you wait for an elevator with a wizard, a Stormtrooper Elvis, two lovely elven ladies, and Chief Tyrol from Battlestar Galactica? It’s got to be Dragon*Con folks. This is the most fun you're legally allowed to have in Atlanta (just don't quote me on that) and three hotels packed full of sci-fi and fantasy fans would probably have to agree. It’s an amazing experience that has to be seen to be believed.

tdj2908 with abbyshot crowd! Mark and Justin wearing the Deckard.

AbbyShot was there in full force with stock on hand to sell at the con for the first time ever! The AbbyShot crew (along with the wonderful Atomic Ferret) were ever-helpful as people tried on our garments, checked themselves out in the mirror, had measurements taken by our girls, and basically just got to see and feel the AbbyShot quality in-person for themselves.

Steve Bacic in Mad Max Colin Lawrence in AbbyShot Mad Max

We were very happy to have many loyal customers stop by to say hello as well. Blade showed up in his Sunstalker Trench (of course!), followed by his legions of fans, and tdj2908 was looking dashing as he showed off his Stampede Duster (and took time out for a photo op!). Caleb stopped by to show us just how good he looks in his beloved Cleric and got a VERY pleasant surprise when he saw our new Deckard coat waiting in the booth! And we'll never forget our two favourite Browncoats, John and Joe, who made sure that every Serenity fan at the con knew where they got their Malcolm Reynolds coats! "AbbyShot booth! Over there!"

Don Davis in AbbyShot Deckard Trench

A few celebrity guests even came to our booth to try on our products! The ladies of AbbyShot had wonderful pictures taken with the charismatic Steve Bacic from Andromeda, the super-friendly Don Davis from Stargate SG-1, and the energetic Colin Lawrence, most recently seen in Blade: The Series. The fun they had trying on our coats was infectious, and gave us a great feeling that lasted all weekend long

AbbyShot Girls Wearing Their Costumes

The AbbyShot girls had a few surprises up their sleeves this year for those lucky enough to make the trek to Dragon*Con. They showed off an amazing THREE new designs for ladies, and all were big hits! One of these was the smoking-hot yellow Kill Bill Leather Jacket, a surprise new ‘Coming Soon’ product.(see "Coming Soon" article below. - Ed) The other two garments were specially made for Dragon*Con: one being the black soft leather shrug worn by Motoko in the Ghost in the Shell series, and the other being the caped costume worn by Chloe in the anime Noir. The jury is still out on whether we should make these anime designs into new AbbyShot products; have a look at our pictures and let us know what you think!

AbbyShot Mad Max in DragonCon Parade

We didn't spend every waking minute in the booth, as AbbyShot tries to engage in some extracurricular activities at the con every year. We donated a new Deckard coat to the Dragon*Con Charity Auction to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Two AbbyShot crew members joined a Mad Max group in the 5th annual Dragon*Con Parade, a surreal event where over 900 costumed fans marched through the streets of Atlanta as people watch in amazement. I've never seen so many Stormtroopers in my life! A good time was had by all at the Saturday night Browncoat Shindig, which was put off by the group behind the wonderful documentary on Firefly fandom, Done the Impossible. The people at the Shindig were friendly, the music was amazing, and one member of our team even taught a few brave souls how to play the spoons like a Newfoundlander. There are too many great memories to even list from Dragon*Con 2006, but we just want to end by saying: Thanks to everyone who came out to see us at the con!

The Bride’s Leather Gear Makes its Debut at Dragon*Con

A new style available now!

One of the big questions flying around Dragon*Con this year was: where did those three ladies get the amazing Kill Bill jackets? Everyone was talking about the AbbyShot girls, and the response for a certain yellow leather jacket was fantastic! A perfect recreation of The Bride’s stunning motorcycle jacket from Kill Bill Volume 1, this garment will make any lady feel like she can take on the world!

We're so excited to be able to say it: The Kill Bill jacket is NOW AVAILABLE to order! This jacket has got it all - bright yellow leather with black stripes up the sides and those same sew-on patches you see in Quentin Tarantino’s instant-classic film.

The Kill Bill Jacket product page is now up and we've got a whole range of sizes waiting for you. You will not find a more screen-accurate version of this leather jacket anywhere else. If you want to look like Uma Thurman did in Kill Bill, then AbbyShot’s Kill Bill Jacket is for you! Order now as this garment is available for shipping, priced at $399.00 USD ($435.00 CAD) this leather jacket will be moving very quickly!

AbbyShot to Take Part in an Exciting Trade Mission

Komið þið sæl! At the end of the month, AbbyShot President Bonnie Cook will be traveling to beautiful Reykjavik, Iceland as a member of a Canadian Trade Mission. What many people don't know about Iceland is that they have the highest movie attendance per-capita of any place in the world, beating out second-place United States. How can AbbyShot not pay Iceland a visit, right? Bonnie will certainly have a lot to do with many meetings to attend and people to see, but she is more than happy to make time if anyone should want to meet with her. If you're in Reykjavik between October 31st to November 4th and have any questions about AbbyShot or want to get expert measurements taken for that coat of your dreams, anything at all, please e-mail us to let us know!

You'll be seeing red!

The Stampede Duster,
available in red once again!

We are pleased to announce the return of red to the AbbyShot web site! It has been a long time since you were able to buy a red Stampede Duster. When the supply of red Silk~Wind dried up, we began what became a surprisingly long search for the perfect replacement. Your patience and our determination has been rewarded with the sourcing of a new fabric called RDF.

This fabric is lightweight and boldly coloured like Silk~Wind was, yet also has a surprisingly soft surface texture as well. On top of all this, RDF is also water-repellent against light amounts of rain or snow. We've completed our tests of this fabric and are 100% happy with the performance, draping and even ease of sewing of RDF fabric.

Effective immediately, you can now order the Stampede Duster in Red RDF. If you've been waiting for the return of red for your Stampede Duster, then now is the time. Place your order now and receive your RED Stampede Duster before Christmas!

Improving our design for screen-accuracy

At the beginning of September, AbbyShot debuted the Deckard Trench. There were some specific design details that the Blade Runner fans wanted improvements on. As always, we listened to the fans and went back to the drawing board to further improve our product. Thanks to all the insightful commentary from fans (most notably, the folks from the Replica Prop Forum) we have finalized our improvements and would like to outline them below.

A view of the collar turned up

The first concern was the number of buttons down the front. People noted that our version had four instead of five. This is a feature that has now been corrected. Another question was regarding the button sizes. People weren't sure if our pocket and sleeve buttons were smaller than the main row of buttons down the front. They are indeed smaller and we will be posting a view in the new photoshoot that better shows this.

The collar can button closed too!

Fans were concerned about the length and width of the collar. Some even wondered if it buttoned up properly. We're glad to report that the length and width has been improved to be more screen-accurate, and the collar does indeed button as required (it always did, but our initial photo gallery didn't show that view). Also, as requested, there will be an additional line of decorative stitching on the top and bottom of the two front external chest pockets.

The last concern was the fabric itself. Blade Runner fans were worried that the new "Mercury Threads" fabric was too effective an outerwear material and thus would not adequately recreate the wrinkled or wet look from the movie. So, as much as we liked this material, we had to admit that some of you did not, and so it has been replaced with an appropriate coloured version of our new RDF fabric. RDF is a lightweight material that will wrinkle, and while it is water-repellant enough to withstand brief exposure to light rain or snow, an extended rain-filled journey will very accurately reproduce the correct screen-accurate appearance!

We're awaiting the completion of our replacement stock of the revised Deckard Trench and will be conducting a new photoshoot that will include requested views of specific features. We expect a release of the "Version 2" Deckard Trench to be shortly after Christmas. In the meanwhile, we have updated the existing Deckard "Version 1" product page. There are still some limited quantities of this trench available in mercury thread for pre-Christmas delivery.

Fun Places, Cool Stuff!

Mad Max costuming resource!

Mad Max fans are still going mad about AbbyShot’s leather jacket, and this month’s featured website is owned by one of the biggest Mad Max fans of them all. The site is called Mad Max Costumes and is run by webmaster Karol Bartoszynski. At the age of 15 he was blown away after seeing The Road Warrior and has been making Mad Max costumes ever since. He is a consistent champion at costume contests, with his most famous creation being the Bartertown Guard costume from Beyond Thunderdome (pictured to the right). He has even gone to Australia to see the locations where the movies were filmed! A bigger Mad Max fan you would be hard-pressed to find.

That’s why AbbyShot is honoured to be featured on the Mad Max Costumes Website! The site now has an exclusive interview with our production team about the design of our popular Mad Max jackets, gloves, and badges, along with some exclusive photos that aren't even on our website. As well, there is an excellent article comparing all the versions of the Mad Max jacket currently available for sale, including everything from our own AbbyShot jacket down to some vintage 70’s versions you can only find in Australian second-hand shops. The whole website is an excellent resource, not only for Mad Max fans, but also for anyone interested in cool costumes and clothing.

If you have any suggestions for future "Featured Websites" please let us know!

Customers are buying these up quickly!

There is a happy feeling we get when people are excited about their purchases. It is a feeling that spreads from person to person when we share customer letters at our staff meetings. A few of our products have been especially good to us, resulting in a lot of very nice customer comments in return. We can't share them all with you, but here are a few - hopefully they will give you the same feeling we get when we read them.

The Kingdom Hoodie

Kingdom Hoodies are moving fast!

So I just received my Kingdom Hoodie today with the beads. It's even better than I imagined! I love it so much, I haven't taken it off since I opened it and first put it on! The thumb holes are wicked, the bead effect is perfect, it's comfortable and warm enough to wear outdoors on a brisk day yet you won't get overly hot if you wear it indoors!

The hood itself is huge and depicts the Enigma perfectly. This outta be my favourite thing to wear for quite a while to come!

-- James

Mad Max is racing out the door!

To one and all, I received the Max Max jacket and was thoroughly pleased with it. It fits like a glove - which is saying something since I'm 6'4", 200 lbs and have xlong arms. You did a wonderful job and I can't thank you enough. I don't know of another company that would have responded to ardent movie fans as you did. Thank you doesn't seem to say it all. Cheers Mates!

-- DMC

This would be a good time to mention that we have limited quantities of some sizes available for immediate delivery for both of these products. Customers who order now are enjoying one week turnaround times on their Kingdom Hoodie and Mad Max Jacket orders. Once we run out there will be additional delays while we restock these two items. Place your order now for Christmas while supplies last!

Silent Bob's Coats are hot items!

I must admit that I love my new Silent Bob trench coat, it fits like a dream and feels great! I love the look, and the material feels awesome, the lining too. I'd say overall it's a great coat that looks great on me. I am a really fat dude so I could never find a trench that fits me right, let alone Silent Bob's awesome ass coat! (See Txicavenger's "Customer Oics" in left sidebar - Ed) So if you're thinking about purchasing this garment, BUY IT ALREADY! AbbyShot workers need to eat as well...

-- Txicavenger

We're emptying our closets and putting it all on ebay!

AbbyShot's biggest ebay auction ever!

Just in time for Halloween, AbbyShot has put some products up for sale on Ebay at amazing prices! After a bit of Fall cleaning, we have put together some extra stock that was just begging to be put on auction. There are 30 items in total for this one-of-a-kind sales event: some were early versions of our products, some were specially made for our photo-shoots, some are Limited Edition products at the end of their run (I'm talking about the Continental Stampede Duster here people!), and some are just funky oddities that you won't find anywhere else. A black Pleather Mad Max Jacket anyone? (it was a prototype) Check out all 30 items on Ebay under our seller name, abbyshotclothiers, to see what all the excitement is about!

Please share, email, or copy this newsletter to anyone you know who likes cool clothing from Movies, Anime or Video games!! The AbbyShot Newsletter is free. It's a friendly note from us that's full of goodies about what's new and exciting at AbbyShot! Click to subscribe to AbbyShot's monthly email newsletter.

You can go to the AbbyShot Newsletters Archive to view all of our previous newsletters.