Carbon Costume

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!

Most people today are familiar with Dr. Trevor “Broom” Bruttenholm thanks to the 2004 and 2008 Hellboy movies starring Ron Perlman and directed by Guillermo Del Toro. Newer fans met the soft-spoken professor in Neil Marshall’s 2019 Hellboy adaptation starring David Harbour. And still others remember Dr. Bruttholm from the Dark Horse Comics. The source that started it all.

Both big screen versions of Dr. Bruttenholm share a certain style. They both like three piece suits and close-cropped goatees. Because of this there are two suits listed above. One in tweed with a more classic look and another with a sleeker, more modern look. The cane is part of the earlier look while the accessories – a leatherbound book, a rosary, and of course the goatee – are shared between both looks.

Colonel Richard Strickland (played by Michael Shannon) is in charge of a project designed to “study” a humanoid amphibious being found in South America. And by study I mean maltreat and eventually dissect in an attempt to learn something that might be helpful to the military. He will stop at nothing to complete his mission, his work overshadowing everything else in his life. And he does it all with that classic creepy midcentury vibe.

You can get the same vibe with just a few pieces. Pomade will slick back your hair to match Strickland’s style. A button-down shirt under a shirt, suspenders, and tie gives you a classic mid-century look. Finish it off with dark Oxfords and an overcoat and you’re ready to prowl the stark halls of every secret Army installation in Baltimore.

Jake Pentecost (played by John Boyega) is the son of Stacker Pentecost, arguably one of the most famous Jaeger pilots in the history of the program. And that’s a big legacy to live up to. It makes Jake reckless. And though that’s what got him kicked out of the Pan Pacific Defense League to start with, it’s also what might help him save the day in the end.

Like his father, Jake prefers to wear a neatly trimmed mustache. You can either try the fake one listed above or follow this tutorial to draw one in if growing one is not an option.

Jake also follows the uniform expected of a PPDL ranger, though he is a little more casual with it: A tan uniform shirt with the PPDL patch, a name tag, and a pilot’s pin. A white undershirt, black pants, and black combat boots. It’s a straightforward look expected of rangers in the resurrected PPDL and one Pentecost wears well as he forges a legacy all his own!

(Check out our other Pacific Rim costumes)

Elisa Esposito (played by Sally Hawkins) is unqiue among monster movie heroines for many reasons. She works as a cleaner in a secret military installation. And, of course, she can’t speak. Nobody is quite sure why – until the end of the movie that is. But her inability to speak doesn’t stop her from changing the world around her through her compassion.

Elisa has two costumes throughout the film. One is the uniform she wears at work. The other is the standard clothing worn by a working class woman in the 1960s.

For both costumes you will need a brown wig cut in a bob and a headband: a green one for her work uniform or one that matches the dress of her day to day uniform. You can also use makeup modeling wax and this tutorial to replicate Elisa’s mysterious scars.

When Elisa is at work she wears a dark green dress with a collar covered by a green apron. She usually wears an olive cardigan and shoes to match. When at work Elisa usually has hard boiled eggs as her lunch, so you can carry a few fake ones like those listed above. Or, if you can keep them fresh, take a few as a snack at the convention!

Elisa’s personal clothing is a little more colorful. A red dress with matching headband and a cardigan in a slightly darker color with matching shoes is a look she wears toward the middle of the film. These are also great cross-cosplay pieces that small details – like the scars and the eggs – can lock into one character or another!

Liz Sherman (played to acclaim by Selma Blair) is the pyrotechnic female lead in Hellboy. She largely plays the role of Hellboy’s long-time love interest but her reach extends much further than that. Her abilities make her incredibly dangerous – dangerous enough to take out demi-demon monsters with a penchant for resurrection – but she herself is a peaceful and kind-hearted person.

Liz sports two looks throughout the movie. The first is an all-black look of boots, pants, a loose-fitting sweater, a peacoat, a scarf, and a beret. Accessories for this outfit can be an Americano (no cream or sugar) and a Polaroid camera. Her other look is a set of plain red scrubs seen after she is tricked into setting fire to her asylum by Rasputin’s magic. They are both very basic looks that are still classic Liz Sherman.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army was the second Hellboy movie directed by Guillermo del Toro. It bears his trademark style of the darkly fantastic and nowhere is this mor clear than in the design of Prince Nuada Silverlance, the last heir of Bethmoora.

The elves seem to draw fashion inspiration from all over and Nuda is a perfect example of this. His usual costume is tight black fabric with leather armor pieces over the top. A red waist sash is nearly the only color aside from the yellowed tips of his hair. Finding wigs with his specific coloring is difficult so you will have to add the darker tips in yourself.

It is also hard to get a replica of Nuada’s blade. Most of the ones currently on the market run between $300 and $600. Cosplayers can substitute short blades like those pictured above or they can try their hand at making their own blade out of foam or plastic. Or, if they’re lucky, a 3-D printer!

On The Strain, New York City has fallen to an ancient strain of vampires, the strigoi. Vaun (Stephen McHattie) is the leader of a band of undead hunters who were summoned by the Ancient Ones to stop the spread of the strigoi plague. Vaun resembles the other strigoi, though his distinctive feature is his Glasgow smile. With the proper prosthetics, makeup colors, and blackout contact lenses, Vaun’s look can be easily achieved.