I don't know if that's the real name of the clothing. this is the the one keanu reeves used in his movie the matrix. does anyone use this kind of clothing in his/her shows?
I do use this clothing because I have diffrent kind of stage magic and I prefered using this than using toxedo. any opinions?

thanks!

cardcaptor

Trench coats seem to arouse curiosity, and suspision. People wearing them seem to have something mysterious about them. This is why detectives and spys were depicted as wearing these in the old movies. I am sure it would go well in a show if it fits your style. But since they are so big and long, I am not sure whether or not anyone would think you are hiding stuff inside of it. But I cannot say anything. I wear a big, long Zoot suit coat.

I think Rik Brooks, who goes by Tex Austin, mentioned that he wears a "Duster" or "Drover" coat which is similar to a Trench coat.

Bob Elliot wears a Trench in his on his Café' avatar.
Both are Café' members.

Kylethegreat, your right I want to be mysterious in the eyes of the spectators so I used trench coat, ya your right it depends on the user and the presentation of the user of the clothing.

any suggestions in a more mysterious clothing that I can use in my performance?im a kind of mysterious magician and wants to be unique in everything that I do.

thanks!

cardcaptor

I'm new to magic, especially stage, parlour ... so pardon me if my questions seems off. If you wear a trench coat to look mysterious, would it not have a more major down side of your audience attributing any vanishing, appearing etc effects to stuff being hidden somewhere in your trench coat (since it is so large)?

I was thinking that say for a topit with a regular looking coat, it would still seem pretty amazing that fairly large stuff can appear and disappear, but with a trench coat, would your audience not immediately get distracted with thoughts like "it must be hidden in his trench coat .. it's so obvious!) Would love to hear your experiences as I am thinking of making my first coat soon

Hello cardcaptor:

I think I agree with Paul's thoughts: People will give your trenchcoat a lot of the credit for any magic you're doing. Perhaps, if you are doing large-scale illusions, it will be okay, but for a standard manipulation act (or something similar), I think it's a mistake.

Too many magicians do wear Tuxedoes, so you're to be applauded in trying to think of another costume. There are performers like Tommy Wonder who wear tuxedoes and look really great, but sadly too many look like buffoons.

Ron

I'm using my trench coat in my first set of performance, I'm doing a stage dance first then I produce a sunglass using a flashpad (so I'll be like keanu reeves in the matrix, haha!) then I do a dance then I do this routine while I'm wearing the trench coat:

dove in gloves (shimada)
apearing magic wand
change bag with silks
appearing cane
dancing cane
disapearing cane to silk
disapearing silk

I don't do large illusions while I'm wearing the trench coat because I also got the same thinking that maybe the audience may think that I'm using my trench coat to hide something to them. for my 2nd round magic I will take off my trench coat then do my illusions and levitations. I wear my trench coat only in my first round performance, because I want the spectators to think that I'm a very mysterious magician and maybe they will also think that I'm a develish kind of person.. haha!

I'm also using toxedo when I'm performing but I'm feeling awkward when I'm wearing it. maybe I'm just thinking about it. haha! thankyou for advicing me.

thank you!

cardcaptor

Cardcaptor

You seem to have your routine all figured ut. That's great. AI'm almost envious

Just a link...if you want a Matrix style coat, or just a very cool trenchcoat, check out these guys. They're friends of mine, and I have several coats and they are amazing quality.

http://www.abbyshot.com/

This coat is my favorite I think:
http://www.abbyshot.com/products/ps-stampede-duster.php
They also have that one in leather, my wife is the model for that one...
http://www.abbyshot.com/products/ps-leat......ster.php

I usually wear a suit, but I've been considering wearing that coat in my shows as well. It's just ... so SHARP looking! (People actually stop me in the street to ask about it.) So I've been strongly considering it. The problem for me is that I don't think I'd want to wear a trenchcoat for the entire show, so at some point I'd have to take it off.

Wow man! nice link you got there! thanks for posting it! it has nice trench coats and it has the anime coat that I'm looking for a long time! thanks!

I wonder they ship internationally.. thanks!

It is amusing to see your responses to the trench coat topic. It makes me very aware of geographical, age and cultural differences served on The Café. Those things do matter as an act moves around the country.

Since I am from the South where trench coats are really only rain coats, I associated them with someone selling something (stolen watches & jewery, guns, dope, cell phones etc.). Out west I associated them with Mexicans selling puppies. In the park I associated them with flashers. In Chicago I associated them with miserable weather and people in hurry.

Then there are other facts I must face. Dove magicians (like me) used to always wear a London Fog with a liner when we flew commercially. The pockets were loaded with doves. Life changes! Now we mail our birds and they get there before we do. Homeland Security has made hitchhiking a faster mode of transit than flying. The coat pockets are for the food we need during the extra two hours waiting in the airport! LOL

Long coats on stage don't impress me. But in theater I can see their use in character identification. It would seem risky in different parts of the country.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

Thanks ... those are great links. You might also want to do a search for a "Frock" coat. They tend to have a more western or traditional look and not as trendy as the Matrix-like coats pictured in the links.

Dan.

They have a lot of coats besides Matrix coats, and I know they ship all over the world. (They are in Newfoundland, Canada.)

If anyone uses their coats in magic I'd love to hear about it. It seems like it'd be great.

Check out Hot topic stores and hottopic.com that hole Matrix and goth look

I would NOT wear one of those long, black trenchcoats. I tried one once and I looked like the Hamburglar!

Also, in certain parts of the U.S., they are very much frowned upon - the Columbine High School shootings were done by kids calling themselves the "Trenchcoat Mafia" and who wore those coats. Some schools specifically FORBID them on campus for precisely that reason, as a matter of fact, just FYI, folks.

Just some notes. If you don't have the right body type, you look pretty silly in one, too.

Lee Darrow, C.H.

Yeah I use one on the street... it helps, big time. whether it arouses suspision or not, they know whatever you vanished is on your person etc. Plus I don't do vanishes on the street, its great for Criss' levitation and makes it look so much better. The audience will get completely zoned in on your coat etc that they don't try to search for the gimmick. I dunno, I just like it, its useful at times. In response to Lee Darrow, just don't wear one at a school... Fround upon? Yeah, sure, I agree, but you'll be performing magic, sooo... You're TRYING to get attention, thus the coat helps. If someone questions your coat because they happen to 'frown upon it', ignore it, that's liberals for ya. git 'r dun
take it easy

The other thing being that it's hot under those stage lights. Wearing a coat and dancing is going to be really hot. I think to open in the coat with the glasses will be great, and set up your image really well. But when you open you should also open yourself up to the audience, take off the coat and glasses and let the audience join you in your magic.
In your routine the things that you are vanashing/appearing pack really small, you don't need the huge cover of the coat. Also dancing cane with a big open jacket is very difficult to do without hunching over because the cane has a habit of catching the edge of the coat, or is it just me?
But do think about using the coat for covering a huge production, or a quick change...
Paul

For stage magic the trench coat would probably be ok but it seems like their could be problems for street or walk around magic due to the conotations of the trench coat with individuals such as school shooters and terrorists. Not sure if this would apply in your area but may be something to consider.

Somehow I missed this. I do wear a duster, and it is in fact called a Drover. Jaz has it just right. It is deceptively light though. It's made for cowboys and you don't find a lot of folks driving cattle in December in Maine.

The coat is made of oil-cloth. I have a raven down my right arm and a Vernet Universal down my left. I have a topit in both sides and double pockets on both sides.

It does get hot under the lights so I use it in the first few routines then off it comes. It is different and that's the point. Is it mysterious and suspicious? No. It's a piece of clothing. If I'm suspicious then it will be. If I'm as nice as your favorite uncle bob then you won't see the coat as suspicious, will you?

My stage name is in fact Tex, but y'all go ahead and call me whatever you want, I ain't particular that way.

I have a "trenchcoat" for sale...it's really a very nice, lined, black SEQUINED (black sequins) long coat with side pockets. Nothing home-made, either. It came from a very well-known men's clothing outlet. It goes with the silver sequined tux shirt...with a black banded collar. Can anybody use these? Not my style, and there's not another place on the Café to post something like this...

Steve Thomas