Carbon Costume

Taylor Swift is an American singer/songwriter. From “Love Story” to “You Belong with Me,” her songs narrate her personal and romantic life. She started out as a country singer, but her current music fits more of the pop genre. Taylor is one of the world’s best selling music artists and the highest earning female musician of the 2010s. Some of her hit albums include Red, Speak Now, 1989, and her most recent album, Lover. As most musicians, Taylor’s style has evolved throughout the years, so we have three looks from each era of her career. You can go classic country pop with her long hair and cowboy boots, Red style with a black fedora and red flats, or a modern T-Swift with a glittery dress.

Sabina Wilson (played by Kristen Stewart) is a rebellious Angel in Elizabeth Banks’ 2019 reboot of the Charlie’s Angels franchise.  An heiress and former criminal, Sabina is fiercely loyal to her fellow Angels, including Jane and Elena, and credits the program for saving her from a life behind bars.  Sabina’s style changes wildly throughout the film depending on the needs of her job, providing a wide range of costume options for everyone’s tastes.  Many of the pieces Stewart wears as Sabina are high-end and difficult to find, so a little creativity and flexibility may be required to recreate her looks on a budget.

Summer Rose (voiced by Sandy Lee Casey) is the deceased mother of RWBY‘s brave young protagonist, Ruby. The circumstances of her death are mysterious, but as Rooster Teeth’s anime-inspired webseries progresses, we are learning small details about her past and personality, from master cookie baker to responsible team leader with a “bratty” streak.

In the Wonder Woman 1984 movie, Barbara Minerva (played by Kristen Wiig) is an insecure scientist who befriends Diana.  After being exposed to a mystical force, Barbara eventually transforms into Cheetah, arch enemy of Wonder Woman.  Barbara’s look evolves almost as much as the character.  From her frumpy 80s style at the outset of the film, to the sexy animal prints she wears later, there is a lot of room to have fun with the era.  Barbara’s fully evolved Cheetah form looks like a humanoid cat, so some adaptations to a standard leopard or cheetah Halloween costume can make it look more intimidating and better suited to the character.

Queen Poppy (voiced by Anna Kendrick) is the leader of the Pop trolls. She’s one of the most adventurous – and definitely among the most energetic – of nearly all the trolls. After creating peace with the Bergens, how hard can peace among the trolls be?

Getting Poppy’s perfectly pink look takes some work but is well worth it! You’ll want to start with a pink wig and pink body paint. A green headband and some felt flowers can recreate her headband while you can get close to her felt dress with printed blue dress to match the pattern on hers. And, yes, technically Poppy runs around barefoot but that’s not a safe option. Pink sandals will get you close enough unless you can find a tutorial for invisible shoes, which might come in handy for other costumes!

Xena (played by Lucy Lawless on Xena: Warrior Princess) is a reformed villain originally introduced in the TV show Hercules who fights for the greater good in pursuit of redemption.  Xena is a formidable warrior who takes the villager Gabrielle under her wing, eventually training her falling in love.  Replica armor for Xena can be prohibitively expensive, so the easiest way to recreate her look is to find studded leather pieces that evoke the same warrior feel as many of Xena’s outfits from the show.

Cara Dune (played by the fantastic Gina Carano) is a former member of the Rebel Alliance. When the Empire fell the Alliance largely disbanded and Dune began wandering the galaxy on her own. She’s savvy and quick with a sharp tongue sharper knife. In short she’s everything a Mandalorian could ask for in a friend!

Cara’s costume requires a little bit of DIY and some patience, specifically when it comes to her armor. You can buy the pre-printed pieces above or, if you know your way around a 3-D printer, you can order the patterns from Etsy and print the pieces yourself. In both cases you’ll have to go through some trial and error to get the paint colors right in order to finish the appearance of the armor.

Once the armor is done, though, the rest of the costume is a bit of a breeze. A black compression shirt provides a foundation for the armor while leggings and boots make up the rest of her outfit. You can style a brunette wig to mimic her hair and apply temporary tattoos to match Cara’s. Just make sure you cover up with an arm band if you’re going near any Imperial holdouts!

Umaru Doma (voiced by Aimi Tanaka in Japanese and Emily Neves in English) is the main character of the anime Himouto! Umaru-chan.  Umaru has three different “modes,” providing ample opportunity for costuming.  In her “outdoor mode,” she wears a typical school uniform in burgundy.  Umaru’s “indoor mode,” or what is described as her true form, is also a chibi and she wears a cozy hamster hoodie.  As “UMR,” a feared gamer at the local arcade, Umaru wears a hoodie, hat, and mask to keep her identity concealed.