Carbon Costume Posts by S. Randolph
Queen Maeve from The Boys
Queen Maeve (Maggie Shaw) is a character in the Amazon TV series The Boys. Maeve is a member of The Seven, a group of “superheroes” who have become morally corrupt and use their powers to do more harm than good. Despite her cynicism, Maeve proves to be more self-aware and principled than the rest of her team. Her powers include super strength, agility, resilience, and stealth. Maeve’s name originates from the warrior Queen Medb of old Irish Mythology. Her armor evokes the image of an ancient warrior princess (think Xena and Wonder Woman), featuring an intertwining maroon and gunmetal breastplate design with a herringbone pattern on the skirt and cross-body straps. If accuracy is your priority, you’ll want to check out the full Queen Maeve cosplay armor by CosSuits. If you like the creative journey of piecing together a costume from scratch, browse through the shopping list below for some Maeve-inspired items!
Anna Kone from Pen15
It’s the year 2000. In Hulu’s cringe comedy Pen15, Anna Kone and Maya Ishii-Peters are two best friends navigating the trials of seventh grade at the turn of the 21st century. At the core of the show’s hilarity is the fact that actresses Anna Konkle and Maya Erskine are real-life best friends in their 30s, portraying fictionalized versions of their former selves while surrounded by a cast of actual 13-year-olds. Anna (or ‘Na!!!!’ according to Maya) is a lanky tween with a heart of gold and a mouth of metal. Like most middle schoolers, she is swayed easily by her peers. In the iconic garage scene of S1 E2, Anna dresses to impress in true Y2K fashion with choker necklace, teeny tiny purse, low-rise camo, and a generous display of midriff.
Maya Ishii-Peters from Pen15
It’s the year 2000. In Hulu’s cringe comedy Pen15, Maya Ishii-Peters and Anna Kone are two best friends navigating the trials of seventh grade at the turn of the 21st century. At the core of the show’s hilarity are 30-year-old actresses Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle portraying fictionalized versions of their former selves while surrounded by a cast of actual 13-year-olds. Like most teens, Maya Ishii-Peters lacks self-awareness; but that’s what makes her perfectly endearing and oddly amusing. In the iconic garage scene of S1 E2, Maya dresses to impress in true Y2K fashion with layered choker necklaces, an embroidered tank, low-rise khakis, and a large plaid shirt (which most likely came from dad’s closet).
Susie from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
In Amazon Prime’s comedy-drama The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Alex Borstein portrays Susie Myerson, the grouchy yet lovable talent manager for Midge Maisel. Midge and Susie are opposites in every way. Midge is naïve and bold, while Susie is cynical and practical; Midge owns over a hundred frocks of different shapes and colors, while Susie puts on the same black leather jacket every day. This stark contrast makes the pair perfect for cosplay. Susie keeps it simple, tough, and masculine, always topping her look off with a signature newsboy cap. When cosplaying Susie, throw in the plunger prop for a clever reference to her charade in the Catskills in Season 2.
Midge from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
In Amazon Prime’s comedy-drama The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Miriam (Midge) is a Jewish-American housewife living in 1950’s New York City. With her impeccable wardrobe, elegant home, rigorous beauty regimen, and a family of her own, she appears to have everything figured out. But when life takes an unexpected turn for the worst, she discovers a hidden talent for stand-up comedy and hits the road to stardom with her amateur talent manager Susie Myerson. Midge flaunts countless iconic looks throughout the series, but nothing says Mrs. Maisel more than the all-pink ensemble from the show’s first episode. This costume will have you screaming “We got the Rabbi!” outside your local deli.
Sydney Novak from I Am Not Okay With This
Sydney “Syd” Novak is the moody teen protagonist of Netflix’s dark comedy series I Am Not Okay With This. Sydney (portrayed by Sophia Lillis of IT) is a timid 17-year-old girl beginning to realize that she has telekinetic powers, all while navigating the complexities of adolescence, family, and loss. Something shocking happens at the homecoming dance, leaving her covered in blood and exiting the school in a daze (Carrie, anyone?). Cure your depression over Netflix cancelling the show by recreating Syd’s homecoming look and dousing yourself in fake blood. Sure, you can pretend it’s the blood of Netflix executives.
Kate Dibiasky from Don’t Look Up
In the Netflix satirical film Don’t Look Up, Jennifer Lawrence portrays Kate Dibiasky, an astronomy Ph.D. student who discovers a massive comet hurtling toward earth. Kate goes on a campaign with Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) to warn humanity of the impending extinction event. Unfortunately for the astronomer duo and for all life on earth, their warning is not taken seriously. Kate spends the entirety of the film freaking out, but definitely looks cool while doing it. The film’s costume designer went for a punk-scientist look, giving Kate a double nostril piercing and red bob with shaved temples and micro-bangs. See the below guide inspired by Kate’s most memorable outfits. I recommend the leopard print if you’re in a *f— it we’re all gonna die* kinda mood. Who knows, maybe Timothée Chalamet will show up and let you make out with him.
