Ok ok.. in all geek-dom fairness, here are some specs on the final product.
Basically, I ended up using my custom 2x3" PCBs for both the top and bottom and having custom 1/16" white plexiglass panels CNC cut to sandwich over the top to help diffuse and protect the LEDs. I used 4mm nylon bolts to secure them all.
For the top, I used a Patagonia Capilene 2 pullover. I chose this because the material is sheer and thin yet super warm and stretchy. I wanted something that I could wear something else under if I needed to for warmth out there, yet would keep me warm by itself. The problem I ran into was that the PCBs are very sharp on the edges and I was worried about poking and ripping it. As a solution, I used black naugahyde flipped upside down and glued patches on that overhang about 1/4" on all sides. That was, as I moved the edges would run into the patches instead of the shirt. This also gave me a more secure base to attached the PCBs.
For the bottoms, it was pretty straight forward. I used the same fireman's pants as last year. The problem I ran into with these was that.. surprise! The metallic coating conducts electricity. I found this out when I bolted on some panels and test fired them.. shorted out the LEDs.. and fried them. Solution? Duct tape! I coated the back of each PCB with duct tape and trimmed to fit. Perfect insulating material.
I also built a small velcro'd pouch to house the PIC controller and mounted an on/off switch along with the variable pattern speed control dial on the front. Battery pouch on the other side.
