Steampunk "assassin" costume

[Mosch]

Hi everyone,
I'm currently thinking about randomly throwing some stuff together and calling it a costume and I thought you good people could help me remove the word "random" from the beginning of this sentence

What I'm trying to create is a costume for an assassin-like character. I'm not entirely sure how to explain what I'm going for, probably because I'm not all that sure myself, but here's what I have so far.

First of all, I'll be wearing all this stuff in august during Gamescom, so I still have some time to work on my outfit.
Now what I'm going for is a classic kinda high-class steampunk look with a menacing edge. Here's what I have so far:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

That's me on a friend's bachelor party (yes, I'll steal his clock as soon as possible). I swear I didn't bring the knife, they handed it to me after telling me I look like Jack the Ripper
Here's another one without the coat:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

So far it consists of a white shirt with a black vest and tie plus my... coachman's coat? Whatever those things are called in english. All of this could potentially be changed (for example I have an awesome frilly red shirt that makes me look, and I quote, "awesomely utterly gay", but I like it ) if better options or ideas come along.
I also have a pair of round sunglasses that I am quite happy with and a chapeau claque that has seen better days, but still has a working mechanism. I also wear a mechanical golden pocket watch with visible gears. All three items should remain part of the costume.
I am not entirely sure what to do about pants. In the pictures I'm wearing black jeans which really feel out of place - I'm open to suggestions there. I also don't know what shoes I'll be wearing - I'm thinking black dress shoes, but they may make it look even more modern than it already is.

I said "assassin" because I was thinking of Dishonored, so I intend to carry a weapon. I have my heart set on a crossbow which I want to build myself. Since I want it to look teched up and steampunk-ish I would really like to build a hand-held, gear-driven torsion crossbow. I'll be carrying it around a convention, so it will NOT have a functional firing mechanism, probably not even a functional winding mechanism - I'd rather be too careful than be denied entry However I do want it to do... something. I'm going back and forth between wanting a pistol- or a two-handed design, but I am currently leaning towards a pistol design, which would allow me to build an arcane-mechanical glove thingy for my offhand. Why yes, thank you, I AM very specific in what I envision

So... yeah. Basically I'm bouncing ideas around. I'd be thankful for any and all input.

[Narsil]

Trousers are probably the trickiest thing for an 'upper class' type costume since these tend to rely more on historical authenticity to work and while perfectly passable jackets, coats, waistcoats and even hats are relatively easy to find in mainstream stores the cut and styling of leg wear has changed a lot since the 19th century.

Ideally you would want something close fitting with a high waist, rising at the back worn with braces(suspenders) rather than a belt, but the only real option for something like this is a specialist historical reproduction.

The next best thing may be military surplus 'mess dress' trousers, which should be pretty close for a sensible price if you can find the right size.

Failing that modern evening dress/ formal dinner suit trousers are probably the easiest thing to get hold of, again you may need to hunt around to find some that fit well as modern styles are often cut a bit loose in the legs.

An alternative would be to use the leg wear as the slightly anachronistic edge and go for something with a modern spin on it. Clearly baggy cargo pants or ripped acid washed jeans won't really work but fitted leather trousers or similar might. If worn with high riding style boots even slim cut jeans might work if they are very black.

I would also suggest that changing the collar/tie combination would make a big difference, even something as simple as turning the collar up and making a simple cravat from a silk scarf etc would do a lot.

[Unsubtle Pete]

Black Tie and Morning Dress still (usually) involve waistcoats, and consequently Morning Trousers and Dinner Suit Trousers are still available - while these will be lower waisted than the Victorian examples, as long as they are high waisted enough for the waist to be under the waistcoat, you are fine. If you can, avoid examples with pleats in the front, as these are a 20th century introduction. It is sometimes possible to get this sort of thing ex hire, as these trousers are often worn for weddings and the like.

I second what Narsil said about neckwear, and add the extra suggestion of wearing a cravat inside a shirt that is open at the top button. For footwear, you could consider elastic sided boots such as chelsea boots.

[Guinevere Meander]

I would try and get a violin case, to replace the suitcase. Striped pants could work,too and maybe a stiff high white collar. Do not forget the tight wearing black leather gloves and another tie, more like a cravate. But the look suits you well with the goatee and the glasses. Very mean looking fella. Don't want to meet him in the dark ally.

[Man of Steam]

I'd recommend some kind of half mask. A good assassin isn't seen 
I'd also get some kind of leather pouches to carry any assassin tools that may be needed.
Best of luck!

[Atterton]

I would suggest hidden weapons, certainly nothing like a large crossbow. Then as mentioned some kind of mask that you can pull up, when you are near your victim. Then you bring out the weapons, do your thing and disappear after the kill. If nobody notices you untill that point, nobody can identify you.

[Tito Alba]

Hmm... my contribution to this thread yesterday seems to have disappeared!  I'll try to write it out again.

I was saying something similar to Atterton, that an under shirt cravat you can pull up to hide your face when necessary and then put back to blend in with a crowd would be a good idea.  A decent sized silk square with common colour or pattern would be ideal for that.

My other suggestion was a cane or umbrella as they can hide a multitude of weapons and gadgets: guns, blades, poisons or even a good stiff drink for regaining the composure after a hairy escape!  If you really want to go with the gadget crossbow idea then it could be possible to develop something that transforms from a humble cane into a crossbow, with sides that come out, a drawstring that attaches, a trigger at the crook and bolts hidden inside the shaft, like a steampunk version of a modern sniper rifle that fits together from pieces in a case, and then quickly collapses back into a cane for making an anonymous exit.

[Faolinne]

I'm thirding the cravat idea--and perhaps a particularly nasty-looking tie pin. I was always terrified of them as a child, so thinking of them as small stilettos isn't much of a jump.

Also, if you wanted to play with all sorts of trinkets for yourself, harnesses/holsters underneath the coat (or, if you're wearing one, waistcoat) might add a nice touch. A particularly well-made muffler might double as a mask, as well. It would fit well with the upper-class attire, anyway.

[Tito Alba]

and perhaps a particularly nasty-looking tie pin. I was always terrified of them as a child, so thinking of them as small stilettos isn't much of a jump

I like the suggestion.  Turning regular accessories into weapons is a good idea and easily done.  Maybe with small doses of poison in your cuff links (either secret compartments or with 'gems' made of poisonous resin that you can scrape onto the point) so you could scratch your victim inconspicuously in a crowd and be long gone before they fall sick...

Or how about a pocket watch with a chain sturdy enough for strangulation or weighted for use as a flail.  Just don't use the watch as the weight or there will be cogs all over the place

Goodness.  My morbid imagination is starting to come through 

[Zeppelin Kapitan Fritz]

     For some reason "Victorian" plus "Assassin", makes me think of a stereotypical "bomb-throwing anarchist" as depicted in some particularly nasty political cartoons from that time onwards.

[Argus Fairbrass]

All my posts have disappeared 

Meh, maybe you read them the first time, I really can't be bothered again, best of luck with it anyway. 

[Otto Von Pifka]

I pcked up a cheap derby and plan to add one of those LED tea candles to the top so that it looks like a burning fuse on an anarchists bomb. a hat bomb!

as for the crossbow, a pistol version that is made so the action swivels so the whole thing is flat enough to ride on the torso without being too obvious. there are some reproduction motorcycle belt/backbrace affairs out there, very spiffy and would look good under the coat, it could be repurposed to carry all your tools of the trade.

a very small pistol crossbow wouldn't have to be overly powerfull if it uses very small bolts (arrows) that are more for delivering poisons or other items like timed explosives.  a nice row of multipurpose bolts arranged on the motorcycle belt would look quite menacing.

maybe a few oddball weapons, like bolas with poison needles built into the balls. just don't mess up using them, would make for a rather short career. throwing tomahawks, for a wierd west feel.

also, take one of the cuff buttons and make it into a garrot. it could be a piece of wire with a button at the other end so that it only comes out so far and then stops. maybe a piece of elastic band and a safety pin could help retrieve it up your sleeve. you could even use some silver elastic cord as the "wire" and attach it well up the sleeve so it can reel in the button to the cuff and still be able to come out enough to look the part.

[Hez]

Love the garrote button idea.  One of those retractable key/ID holders would work.  Clip the base inside your sleeve and fasten a button to the end instead of your ID card.

[Mosch]

Thank you very much for your replies, everyone, and sorry I didn't check back sooner - real life hit me like I would never wish upon anyone and suddenly there are a lot of things that are more important than my costume right now...

Anyway, I switched my tie for a homemade red ascot; it's made of satin for now, but I don't like the way it ruffles so I'll see if I can get some silk.
Let me tell you: That one little piece of cloth makes an incredible difference when worn under the shirt with a popped collar.
I just tried binding it somewhat more loosely and what do you know, I can easily pull it up over my nose. It even doubles as mask duty! Why exactly didn't I have an ascot before?

As for gloves: I have a pair of white waiter's gloves that look nice on their own, but I don't think they go with the costume too well, so I guess I'll be searching for my leather gloves.

Pants. I found some old dress pants that are far too big, but the basic look is alright. I think I'll use those for now and improve on them when I got the other stuff sorted.

The crossbow... yeah, I'll rethink the whole "handheld torsion corssbow" idea. Don't get me wrong, sooner or later I'll build one, but I agree - it's probably not the best weapon for this particular character A pistol crossbow though... compact, concealable, projectiles driven by steam pressure... hm. That might work.
Also: Cuff button garotte? I love it. I'll definitely build that.

I know you're probably waiting for pictures, but I can't take any right now. I'll upload some as soon as I can, though, so you can witness the (small) evolution of my half-baked idea

[Aleister Crow]

A pistol crossbow though... compact, concealable, projectiles driven by steam pressure... hm. That might work.

Use steam pressure and you can leave off the bow entirely, making it even easier to conceal. But then it wouldn't be a pistol crossbow, it'd be a pistol. 

[Mosch]

I managed to have some pictures taken today. Unfortunately I couldn't find my cuff links - of course I would never leave the house looking like that, I'm sure I'll find them soon I do like this shirt more than the other one, though.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Here's another one with the obligatory goggles and black leather gloves instead of white waiter's gloves:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I'm mostly working on my gadgets right now. If all goes well, I'll present a cane and the first few of my tools of the trade in a few days.

[Calvin Sinclair]

Perhaps you can make a leather vial holder for your poisons

[Hez]

Or a poison ring like this one from Blind Spot Jewellery.

[Lady Toadflinger]

Oooh! I like the vial holder! I've made something similar attached to a hat band, but I like this version, too.