Carbon Costume

In Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element, Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg (played by Gary Oldman) is a weapons dealer who falls in league with Mr. Shadow, also known as the Ultimate Evil intent on destroying Earth.  Zorg attacks Leeloo while looking for the four elemental stones, though his plans are eventually thwarted by Korben Dallas and others.  Recreating Zorg’s futuristic look may take some time if you want to get the pieces just right, but you can always tone down his wet-look holographic clothes by choosing slightly more muted pieces in similar colors.  By getting crafty with some clear plastic and a small toupee, you can evoke a look that is similar to Zorg’s unique hair and futuristic head piece.

Honest John, also known as J. Worthington Foulfellow, is an antagonist in the Disney movie  Pinnochio. Contrary to his name, he is a conniving fox. Together with his bumbling sidekick, Gideon, he spends his time swindling the villagers. Honest John uses his charisma and persuasion to convince others to do what he wants. In a get-rich-quick scheme, he sells Pinnochio to Stromboli. This character was based on the Fox in Carlo Collodi’s original collection of Pinnochio fairy tales.

Slappy the Dummy is the antagonist in the Goosebumps movies, based on the children’s books by R.L. Stine. He seems like an ordinary ventriloquist dummy…until someone utters the incantation written on the paper in Slappy’s jacket pocket. Once uttered, Slappy will come alive and try to make you your slave. He will wreak havoc and then frame you for his evil acts. He first appears Night of the Living Dummy, and has since become the most popular villains in the franchise. Use the brown eye pencil to color in your eyebrows, draw on freckles, and to achieve the puppet’s design, draw two lines from the corners of your mouth to your chin.

Severen (played by Bill Paxton) is a manic member of the roaming vampire family in Kathryn Bigelow’s film Near Dark. Severen is often at odds with the recently-turned Caleb. Severen’s costuming includes a leather jacket covered in trophy pins from various police departments, a red flannel, and plenty of fake blood.  The most important part of this costume, however, is the attitude, so make sure to have as much fun as Paxton did playing this slightly-unhinged blood sucker.

Barbie is an American (and in many place, global) household name. And it’s not just a doll line. She long ago branched into movies. And some, like Barbie as The Princess and the Pauper have a huge fan following. For good reason, too! The songs (where Barbie is voiced by Melissa Lyons) are catchy and Barbie herself (voiced in speaking parts by Kelly Sheridan) is an inspiration.

If you want to channel your inner Barbie princess – and the good she tries to do – you’ll want to start with a pink ballgown. A few examples are included above since a princess rarely has only one dress. You’ll also need a long blonde wig, a gold tiara, a gold choker, and gold shoes. Gold ribbon can add bow details to your gown as well. And of course you’ll want a white cat just like the princess!

Lou Strickland (voiced by Rob Schneider in the U.S. version of the film) is the new police chief and main antagonist of Top Cat: The Movie. Lou pursues Top Cat after TC steals his Lazlo-Lazlo concert tickets. Lou has ginger colored hair and a noticeably hairy mole on the point of his chin. He wears a red bow tie, green blazer, and brown pants pulled up very high on his waist.

Hermione Granger (played by Emma Watson) is the brains of Hogwarts’ most notorious trio. At least the most notorious while she was in school there. Usually Hermione wasn’t one to stand out from the crowd except with her intellect. But when the Yule Ball rolled around the stole the show in her lilac dress, slick curls, and the school’s visiting heart throb as her date.

You might be hard-pressed to find your own Viktor Krum but you can certainly copy Hermione’s look. You’ll want to start with a long curly wig since one of the first things noticed about Hermione at the ball was her hair. You can achieve the same updo with hair pins and this YouTube Video. There are also video tutorials on how to copy her exact makeup look as well.

Once you have your wig set, add in a violet ballgown and some plum ribbon as a sash. Finding her exact dress is a little difficult (though there are patterns online if you are handy with a sewing machine) but there is one listed above. A few similar dresses are also included that may be a little more affordable. Once you have chosen your gown just add in some enamel flower earrings, silver heels, and Hermione’s wand. We might not have seen it at the ball but it’s not likely that she didn’t have it close at hand!

If you were a ’90s kid, Miss Trunchbull from Matilda was the stuff of nightmares. Played by Pam Ferris, she was the epitome of a horrible principal. Whether it was locking kids in the Chokey or tossing them out a window to land (safely, thankfully) in a rare patch of flowers near her school, she terrorized students and staff alike.

I wouldn’t recommend emulating her attitude but you can certainly get her severe style with a few key pieces. The most important pieces are a long green overcoat and a wig with a slicked-back bun. The overcoat pictured above is longer than Miss Trunchbull’s but this will allow you hem it (or tape it up) to the right length for you. If you want to cosplay her her school uniform you can wear a skirt and shirt under the overcoat, though they won’t e seen. Of course you’ll need the wig with its slicked back bun as well. Add in some tall Army green socks and leather shoes as well as a leather belt to complete the look.

For the clothes she wears at home you’ll need a grey pullover sweater, green sweat pants, white athletic socks, and sneakers. Using letter Transfer sheets add the words “1972 Olympics” to the front of the sweater.  Tuck a white towel in around the back of your neck with the bulk of it showing above the collar. Take the leather belt from her school outfit (or a weight lifting leather belt if you have one) and tighten it around your waste. Then add in green sweats, bunched athletic socks, and simple sneakers.

And, of course, Miss Trunchbull isn’t Miss Trunchbull without her coveted box of chocolates. You can make your own by taking the chocolates (still in their paper cups) out of a standard box of chocolates and putting them into an enamel hinge-top box. It’s a bit bulky for an accessory but every Matilda fan will know immediately why Miss Trunchbull would keep the box close!