The Famous Little Red Riding Coat!

The Red Coat is coming! (For the other side, click here.)
Stoler bought the coat at a thrift store in New York City early in 1987; they were liquidating the holdings of a costume company. He wore it to his father's wedding in May of that year, sort of trying to look like Michael Caine's character, Peachey Carnahan, in "The Man Who Would Be King", as if his bearded father were Sean Connery's Daniel Dravot. In the fall, he sometimes made it part of his bicycle messenger outfit. For the helmet, he paid a doorman at the Marriott $20 -- whoah, that was a lot of money in 1988. Here's the first documented wearing of them, at the ceremonial opening of Stoler's college dorm, Quincy House, in September of that year: (At right, Michael and Rosa Shinagel, then co-masters of Quincy.)
And here he is at the door of the California Theatre in Berkeley for the first night of the movie "The Four Feathers" (the most recent of a zillion remakes, released in September 2002.) Certain changes to make it less dressy, more adapted to actual service in the desert in the late 1800's.
The latest incarnation, in April 2008, at Costume-Con in San Jose. Pretty much the same thing, but with pistol and sword added. Maybe he should also have added some modern or futuristic touches to make it steampunk; that's the fashion these days.

The Red Coat is coming!