Carbon Costume

Eddie Blake is not what you would call a nice man. He’s done his fair share of hero work as The Comedian and the press loves his patriotic public persona. But behind closed doors he’s not what most people would call a hero. Jeffrey Dean Morgan manages to bring a certain charm to the character in Zack Snyder’s 2009 adaptation. But it’s up to the audience how long that charm holds out.

Blake is a military man and a good portion of his costume is inspired by the military. Black combat boots, black tactical pants, and his thigh holster with a (costume) pistol all stem from his interest in the military. His chest piece is pretty easy to recreate with a paintball vest and leather belts can be repurposed as the straps over his shoulders. His belt buckle can also be recreated using black foam painted with the same silver spray paint you’ll need to modify pre-made shoulder protectors so they have the red, blue, and silver colors Blake wears.

Add a mustache, mask, and smiley button as your finishing touches and you’re good to go. Just don’t forget the cosmetics glue to keep your mask in place!

Peeta Mellark is a central character in The Hunger Games literary and cinematic universe. He is a baker from District 12. At the Reaping, he gets selected to participate in the 74th annual Hunger Games alongside Katniss Everdeen.  She remembers Peeta giving her a loaf of burnt bread that saved her family from starvation. During training, Peeta proves to be a master of camouflage. Katniss and Peeta partake in a “star-crossed lovers” narrative, which results in favoritism and sponsorship from the Capitol. Peeta finds this difficult because he actually likes her, so he doubts whether she likes him back, or is just playing up for the camera. As the final tributes, they almost commit suicide together, but then they’re both declared the winners. Peeta returns to the Arena again with Katniss for the Quarter Quell. While Katniss gets rescued by the Rebellion, Peeta gets captured by the Capitol. They brainwash him into calling a cease fire and thinking Katniss is the enemy. The rebels save Peeta and he slowly regains control of his memory. In the epilogue, he resides in Victor’s Village, where he is married to Katniss and have two children together. Josh Hutcherson plays Peeta in the movie adaptations.

Betty Rubble stole the hearts of millions when she hit the air with the 1960 premier of The Flintstones. Her husband Barney and son Bamm-Bamm keep her busy most of the time. But when she gets a minute to herself you can probably find her with her best friend Wilma Flintstone.

Betty’s look is pretty iconic. Her dress is easily found as a ready-made costume that usually comes with a blue bow, though some dress tape might be handy for keeping the dress in the right spot. Once you have her dress all you’ll need is a black wig and a gorgeous plum lipstick to finish off her look.

If you plan on wearing the costume out, shoe can get tricky. Many people opt for black pumps given Betty is a bit of a prehistoric pinup. But there are other options such as skin-tone flats or “invisible shoes” like those in this tutorial.

Ultraman crashed onto the scene in the 1960s and soon became a giant in every right. His long run of success has landed him on Netflix where a whole new audience is growing to love Ultraman and his current voice actor, Kaiji Soze.

The hardest part of Ultraman’s costume is getting the jumpsuit right. You can also start out with a silver body suit and add in the red details using fabric paint. Once it’s dry you can use a hot glue gun to attach shoe soles to the bottom of your suit. These will make it much safer (and healthier) to walk around cons in your costume. Finish the look off with his helmet and you’re ready to go!

The Jaeger pilots of Pacific Rim (pictured here played by Charlie Hunan and Diego Klattenhoff) work together to pilot giant mech suits in the battle against invading extraterrestrial Kaiju. Each Jaeger requires two pilots that are Drift Compatible, allowing them to merge their thoughts and control the giant machines. The pilots in the movie are best known for the panel armor suits they wear while in the Jaegers, but when they’re not in their rigs, they have a more mobile look. A standard flight jump suit and white t-shirt under a bomber jacket bearing the right patches is all you need to blend in with these brave men and women in the battle against the Kaiju!

Goofy and lovable with a penchant for rhyming, Sisu the dragon (voiced by Awkwafina) has numerous magical abilities, including transforming into a human. Her outfit seems like it was practically designed with us cosplayers in mind! Sisu and her newfound friend Raya embark on a quest to unite the fragments of a powerful dragon orb that protects the five divided kingdoms of Kumandra from evil spirits.

Marianne (played by Noémie Merlant) had one job. She had to observe Héloïse during the day and the paint the reluctant bride’s wedding portrait at night. It is a fairly straight forward if unusual approach to a painting. Until the two fall in love, knowing that Héloïse is destined for a wedding she does not want and cannot escape. It’s heartbreaking in the way only art can be.

You may not paint like Marianne but you can mimic the gorgeous style of the 1770s. Historically accurate costumes are expensive so the options listed above are meant to get close but won’t be perfectly accurate to the movie. Or history.

One option is a custom gown such as the one on the top left. The Etsy listing has a few fabrics to choose from and though none of the fabrics are identical to the movie you might be able to get close. You can also opt for a more affordable gown from Amazon such as the one just below the custom gown and to the right

Another option is to pair a skirt with a long chemise and a corset similar to the stays women at that time wore. The skirt isn’t the same dark red as Marianne’s gown in the movie but you might get close by experimenting with combinations of bright red and dark blue dye. The dye has to be DyeMore when working with Rit since the skirt listed above is mostly made of a synthetic material. If you already have a cotton skirt in mind you can just grab a bottle wine-colored Rit dye instead.

All three options can be finished off with a brown wig styled into a bun, boots, and a long brown coat. And of course no artist would be complete without her brush holder.

Anton is a character in the fantasy film titled The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. He is the barker for a traveling theatre troupe in London. The  troupe’s main attraction is the “Imaginarum,” or a surreal dream world. Anton has a crush on Valentina, the daughter of Doctor Parnassus. At the end of the movie, the two are happily married with a daughter. Andrew Garfield, whom you may recognize from the Amazing Spider-Man as Peter Parker, plays this role.