Carbon Costume

In Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Bruce Thomas voices the role of Russell Adler.  Adler is a CIA agent tasked with finding and stopping a Soviet agent named Perseus.  Adler’s look is quintessential ’80s cool, including square aviator glasses and a light brown leather jacket.  If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you can also use a scar wax kit to recreate Adler’s distinctive facial scarring.

Leonard Shelby (played by Guy Pearce) is the main character in Christopher Nolan’s 2000 film Memento.  Leonard suffers from anterograde amnesia, meaning he is incapable of making new memories.  As he searches for the man who killed his wife, Leonard must rely on Polaroid photos and the tattoos he has in order to remember the facts of the case.  In the film, Leonard uses a Polaroid SLR 680 camera.  Unfortunately, this particular model is difficult to find and extremely expensive when you do.  But any Polaroid camera would certainly help elevate the costume and provide a fun way to record your evening.

Emma Stone takes on the titular role of the iconic Disney villain Cruella de Vil in the live action movie Cruella.  The film is an origin story, tracing Cruella’s beginnings to 1970s London where she was once a young fashion designer named Estella before she became obsessed with using the fur of dogs in her clothing creations–especially Dalmatians.  Cruella’s costuming is exceptional, as is to be expected of such an iconic and fashionable character since her debut in 1961’s 101 Dalmatians.  Whether you choose to emulate Estella’s redheaded beginnings, or go full villain with Cruella’s signature black and white locks, try to focus on the overall silhouette rather than getting the pieces exactly right.  And don’t forget to bring her signature attitude… brilliant, bad, and a little bit mad.

Ruth Langmore (played by Julia Garner) is a trusted employee and confidante of Marty Byrde on the Netflix show Ozark.  Despite her young age, Ruth is a sharp and indispensable addition to Marty’s operations.  She also undergoes one of the more obvious character transformations on the show, beginning as part of an antagonistic small-time crime family who attempts to undermine Marty’s business, to a powerful part of his global operation.  Ruth’s clothing choices evolve with her character, from favoring comfortable jeans and layers in earlier seasons to a more polished professional look that favors high-waisted skirts and tucked blouses when she takes over daily operations of the Byrdes’ gambling boat enterprise.

In Wes Anderson’s film Moonrise Kingdom, Mrs. Bishop (played by Frances McDormand) is the mother of Suzy Bishop.  When Suzy and Sam Shakusky disappear together, Mrs. Bishop and her husband search for her.  Mrs. Bishop wears several colorful outfits that are all true to the story’s 1965 setting, making this a fun costume to recreate with both new pieces and vintage finds.

In the anime InuYasha, Sango (voiced by Houku Kuwashima in Japanese and Kelly Sheridan in English) is a powerful demon slayer who teams up with Miroku, Inuyasha, and Kagome.  Sango eventually falls in love with and marries Miroku.  Sango wears two distinct outfits, her pink and green kimono and her black and pink demon slaying uniform.  Her signature weapon is Hiraikotsu, a giant boomerang made from the purified bones of demons.  A replica of this weapon may be somewhat expensive, but it will truly elevate your costume.  If you are crafty, perhaps you can even make your own!

Ruff Ruffman (voiced by Jim Conroy) is the titular talk show host of the PBS Kids’ show FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman, a reality-based game show where children competed for prizes.  Ruff is a chubby dog with an outgoing personality.  To dress like him, you’ll want an oversized costume, a pair of round glasses, and some face paint crayons to complete the dog-like transformation.

Miroku (voiced by Kōji Tsujitani in the Japanese and Kirby Morrow in the English) is a monk and an ally of Inuyasha and Kagome, in the anime series InuYasha. Miroku is the current wielder of the Kazaana or Wind Tunnel, a curse that manifests as a black hole in his right hand.  Miroku seals the Wind Tunnel with arm coverings and his prayer beads.  Miroku falls in love with and eventually marries Sango, a Demon Slayer.  Finding purple monk’s robes is almost impossible, but some clever folding and tying of a large tablecloth can help evoke the same effect.