Carbon Costume

From web-slinging superheroes to beignet-making princesses, black characters are inspirational to everyone. Diversity in pop culture is extremely important, but […]

On a charity stream, Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch sketched his headcanon of human Bill Cipher as a grotesque monster with snake eyes and rotten yellow teeth. This shook the fanbase who long depicted human Bill Cipher in their fan art as a svelte and suave human dressed to the nines.

Anne Boleyn was the real-life wife of Henry VIII. The mother of Queen Elizabeth I, Anne was beheaded shortly after her daughter’s death after being falsely charged with several crimes against the crown. Though her story was largely untold in the centuries following her death she has been given a voice in more modern times in both academic and pop culture circles. One such outlet for Anne’s story is Six! The Musical, an edgy take on the lives (and deaths) of Henry’s six wives where Millie O’Connell plays Boleyn.

Cosplaying as this particular version of Anne Boleyn takes a little bit of DIY. All of the musical’s costumes are very unique and you aren’t likely to find an exact match. To get her look you want to get a bright green dress and use tape to create the black gridwork pattern seen in the show. The original dress’ grid is made of small studs but you can start with basic black tape and upgrade if you decide to keep the costume going.

A connected high-neck collar and set of cap sleeves finished the dress while black nylons, black-heeled boots, green hair bows, and Anne’s signature “B” pendant finish off the outfit. The musical’s version of Anne also has several piercings and prefers bright green eye makeup, so a few fake piercings and shimmering green makeup are must-haves.

In The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Lisbeth Salander (played by Claire Foy, Rooney Mara, and Noomi Rapace in different adaptations of Stieg Larsson’s book) is a sort of antihero. She is more than willing to take down the big bad guys of the world and she’s not shy about getting her hands dirty to do it. But she’s also aggressive, untrusting, and often seen as rude. And after everything she’s been through who can blame her?

No matter the movie version of Lisbeth you prefer, the character dresses all in black. They all have black leather jackets and ride motorcycles which means their black boots are very sensible. Black jeans, black t-shirts, and black makeup are also regular parts of her costume. A black scarf and black spiked choker are also part of the costume that would be most widely recognized in America, as well as black hair cut asymmetrically or spiked into a mohawk.

Oono Akira is a girl who doesn’t speak much. Despite not speaking much, she has very lively facial expressions. Oono does well in her studies and hobbies, especially gaming. She can be aggressive at times, but it’s mostly towards Haruo. Funnily, Haruo is someone who is good at reading Oono’s expressions, so they are friends. Oono and Haruo geek over games in Hi Score Girl.

Sypha Belnades (played by Alejandra Reynoso in the Castlevania animated series) is a sorceress with control over the elements. Her people, the speakers, are a nomadic tribe of scholars and magicians. Syphas people were wrongly accused of causing Dracula’s mass murders of humans and therefor were mostly in hiding. Sypha herself presented as a young man so she would not be accused of being a witch. She met Trevor Belmont in The Catacombs after being turned back from stone once he killed the cyclops that attacked her. The two start working together shortly after and decide to start on a quest to kill Dracula and defeat his army. Sypha’s Costume requires a good amount of layering. I recommend turning the Teal Mesh Poncho Top inside out and cutting from the bottom along the seam until you reach the top of the shoulder. This will give more visibility to the layers underneath the poncho. Use the bandage wrap over her tank top which should be tucked into her skirt. This is a fun simple DIY costume that will be a great choice for any cosplay event.

Miss America, or America Chavez, is a superhero in the Marvel comics. Raised by her parents in the Utopian Parallel, she absorbed her powers from Demiurge’s magic. Her abilities include super strength, super speed, and flight. Another one of her abilities, star blast, projects a star with an incredible energy blast that was capable of wounding Captain Marvel! Miss America is on the current roster of the Young Avengers. Additionally, she makes history as the first Latina LGBTQ character to star in an ongoing series.

In Brawl Stars, Pam is a tough mother figure with a retro style who attacks enemies with bursts of scrap metal and heals her teammates with “Mama’s Kiss”. In her new holiday skin, Pam is ready for a hot summer day on the beach, with a water gun backpack and picnic basket.

Mary Winchester (played by Samantha Smith) is the mother of Sam and Dean on the CW’s Supernatural.  In the earliest seasons of the show, Mary is shown mostly in flashbacks, as she was murdered by the Yellow Eyed Demon when Sam was a baby.  However, she is later resurrected by The Darkness as a favor for Dean.  When she was originally killed, Mary wore a white nightgown.  As a hunter, she opts for sensible clothing that moves well and a sharp machete or other appropriate weapon.

Warden Wrath (voiced by Robert Craig Smith) is the head warden of the Conformitorium. As the name implies it is where “unruly” citizens go so that they may learn to conform to the way Warden Wrath thinks things ought to be. He is not someone you want to cross, after all. He can shapeshift and breathe fire, as well as do tremendous damage with his superior strength.

To get his fearsome look you need foundational garments of black scrub pants tucked into heeled boots and a tight-fitting undershirt with a black hood. Over that goes a white “mad scientist” coat belted around the waist with a black leather belt. Then you put in your plague mask and pull the hood up and you’re good to go!

You can take things a step further by getting long grey gloves to cover your hands and arms, the only exposed skin Warden Wrath has. Grey body paint can also help you get the same effect!