Carbon Costume

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.

Washimi (voiced by Komegumi Koiwasaki in the original Japanese and Tara Platt in the English dub) is a secretary bird who is, fittingly, the secretary for the president of Chalaryman Trading Company. She is no-nonsense hard-kicking pragmatist who balances the more flighty natures of her two best friends Gori and Retsuko. That’s not to say she doesn’t have a soft side, though. You just have to get close to see it!

To cosplay as Washimi you’ll want to start with a white wig that is long enough to style back with silver hair pins that mimic her feathers. A white shirt and blazer pair with a black pencil skirt and yellow leggings to set up her work style. And, finally, yellow pumps finish off the look.

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.

Hero Boy (also known as Chris and voiced by Daryl Sabara as a child and Tom Hanks as an adult) is the narrator of both the book and the movie The Polar Express. Though Chris is losing his faith in Christmas he is still holding out hope for the magic he once felt for the holiday. All it takes is a trip on the Polar Express to reignite the spark.

There are a couple of options when it comes to cosplaying Hero Boy. His yellow pajamas are a little hard to come by so you can either grab a pair of gold pajamas for men or a pair of yellow women’s pajamas. Both are fairly unisex in cut so it comes down to whichever would be more comfortable.

Throw on a blue robe and slip into a pair of brown leather loafers. Grab your ticket and you’re ready to ride The Polar Express!

Yasmin “Yaz” Khan (Mandip Gill) is a character in the British sci-fi series, Doctor Who. She is a companion of the 13th doctor alongside Graham O’Brien and Ryan Sinclair (former classmate). At age nineteen, she is the youngest of Team TARDIS. On duty as a probationary police officer, she reunited with Ryan after the report of a strange pod. When his grandmother calls, Yaz accompanies Ryan to help and they both meet the Doctor. She helps the Doctor solve problems with her investigative skills and reassure victims of trauma. Yaz usually sports a fun hairstyle, such as braids or space buns.

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!

Sabina Spielrein (played by Keira Knightley in the 2011 film) was a very real person caught between two men who both sought to develop psychoanalysis in the field’s early days. Though much Freud’s work has been debunked, his name has still carried through time while Spielrein’s was less common until her story was more clearly told in A Dangerous Method.

When cosplaying this character, it is important to remember that she was a real person and a driving force in the early development of modern psychological treatment and practices. Even after parting ways with Jung and Freud she continued to train psychoanalysts until her death in 1942 at the hands of the Nazis. Spielrein was a brave and brilliant woman who should still be given the respect she deserves.

As the film is a period piece, Spielrein’s costume is as well. It consists of a blouse and skirt, hat, and period-accurate boots from the early 1900s. White gloves add another element to the costume while a long brown wig styled into a bun completes the character’s appearance.