Red leather skirt costume (no witty headline included)

July 14, 2009 9:47 AM

I have an upcoming costume party and the theme is 80s or 90s - but how can I incorporate a red leather skirt?

I doubt I'll ever wear this skirt in a normal context, so I'd like to get some use out of it. Problem is I'm drawing a blank when it comes to any 80s/90s icons who famously wore a red skirt - any ideas? Ideally I'd love to dress up as some sort of comic book or cartoon character, but I'm open to a more generalised costume such as dressing new wave, or grunge etc..

posted by nextian_geometry to clothing, beauty, & fashion (11 comments total)

Red skirt specifically? Dunno.

But you could probably emulate Pat Benetar or Tina Turner with that.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:54 AM on July 14

Get a red leather jacket and you can go as a female Thriller-era Michael Jackson.
posted by ninebelow at 9:54 AM on July 14

Match it with a red trenchcoat and a hat, and you're Carmen Sandiego!
posted by Greg Nog at 10:00 AM on July 14 [4 favorites has favorites]

Tina Turner wore one in the video for... something. (I thought it was this but it isn't.) So fwiw when I think red leather skirt, I think Tina.
posted by DarlingBri at 10:02 AM on July 14

There were any number of hair metal videos with women in red leather skirts. I can't remember exactly but I'm pretty sure Van Halen featured a few of 'em. Just crimp the hell out of your hair and wear a blouse with shoulder pads.
posted by Quizicalcoatl at 10:06 AM on July 14

Be Nena? Wear all red and carry (approximately) 99 red balloons.
posted by drjimmy11 at 10:07 AM on July 14

Well, Wikipedia has a list of people known to wear leather skirts, but the only one that is recognizably 80s is Pat Benatar. So, I guess I'm seconding Pat Benatar.
posted by pemberkins at 10:12 AM on July 14

What about one of those gals from the ZZ Top videos (did they ever wear red?) Have a copule of bearderd guys to go with you would help.
posted by pointystick at 10:47 AM on July 14

Not an exact match, but it would certainly let you approximate a Robert Palmer backup dancer.
posted by jocelmeow at 11:04 AM on July 14

Like pointystick, I immediately thought of the video for "Legs" by ZZ Top. I don't remember if anybody wore a red skirts specifically, but that video should offer some style inspiration.
posted by jennyb at 2:42 PM on July 14

Cyndi Lauper?
posted by harriet vane at 8:10 AM on July 15