I use to be a superhero

April 23, 2006 12:49 PM

It's time for my boyfriend's birthday and I need clothing advice.

[The boyfriend needs to stop reading and friends should probably skip it]

On his birthday I dress up like a superhero (or, really, comic book character). First it was Wonder Woman and then Supergirl. This year I want to blow his socks off, do something clever and inventive, and for added difficulty my budget is VERY small.

To accomplish the first two outfits I just bought the pajama sets...tight tee shirt or tank top and panties with stars or thong with the Superman symbol. I definatly want to break out of that mold this year. I know The Baroness and Poison Ivy are on the wishlist but I kind of want to wait to do The Baroness just right and I don't really know how to accomplish Poison Ivy.

So what have you dressed up as? What do you wish your woman would dress up as? How do I score sexy points while also scoring nerd points?

I have two weeks.

posted by nadawi to clothing, beauty, & fashion (28 comments total)

You could not show up, thus being The Invisible Woman. This has possibly sexy consequences when all the lights go off later.

Sorry, that was way too obvious.
posted by patr1ck at 1:01 PM on April 23, 2006

wouldn't poison ivy be green bikini + fake vines + green lipstick?

maybe I'm being overly reductive.
posted by heeeraldo at 1:02 PM on April 23, 2006

Okay I'm a woman, but wasnt' catwoman the sexiest of all? (the michelle pfeiffer version)
posted by zia at 1:07 PM on April 23, 2006

I'd say Zatana would be the most exciting without being too hard to get together... That is if you can find the top hat.
posted by shanevsevil at 1:15 PM on April 23, 2006

Huh, not sure why that link didn't work. And I just realized Zatanna has 2 N's in it...
posted by shanevsevil at 1:18 PM on April 23, 2006

wasnt' catwoman the sexiest of all? (the michelle pfeiffer version)

Oh my god yes.
posted by grouse at 1:18 PM on April 23, 2006

Poison Ivy = green bathing suit with fake leaves glued on at the edges (covering the entire suit in leaves makes you look like the Jolly Green Giant)
Emma Frost = white bikini top, white pants, white suit jacket (optional)
Spidergirl = Spiderman ensemble
Harley Quinn = jester hat, black masquerade mask, improvise the outfit
Motoko Kusanagi (from Ghost in the Shell) = dark blue bathing suit, knee-high leather boots, black jacket, loose black belt with gun holster, dyed blue hair (optional)
Evey Hammond (from V for Vendetta) = shave your head (sorry, I had to say it)

Google'd and came up with these for possible ideas (NSFW):
Marvel
DC
Other

FYI - there's a special place in heaven reserved for women who do this for their nerds.
posted by junesix at 1:43 PM on April 23, 2006

How about Elektra?
posted by Nugget at 1:53 PM on April 23, 2006

Catwoman's a great idea. Low-cut black (or purple) body suit, or just a low-cut tight fitting black or purple outfit. Add matching long gloves, a pullover mask that stops at the nose (or just a black mask that goes around the eyes), and cat ears.
posted by CrunchyFrog at 1:57 PM on April 23, 2006

Laura Croft?
posted by PurplePorpoise at 2:02 PM on April 23, 2006

Make your own Princess Leia metal bikini?
posted by PurplePorpoise at 2:05 PM on April 23, 2006

not an answer. But just wanted to let you know: You are the coolest girlfriend ever.

now... the easiest, in my opinion, is going to be the animated version of Poison Ivy. Green swimsuit worn over tights in a lighter green. Red hair. Gloves & Boots in the same green as the swimsuit. Ivy's boots remind me of 'Elf' boots.

All versions of PI are in the same vein, the comic book and movie version had more detailing in the top and appear to be made of ivy, both have arm coverings that go from wrist to elbow rather than actual gloves. Both feature white flowers and/or ivy in her hair.

Recent comic book versions of PI have shown her sans shoes. Older comic book versions featured the elf boots and ivy stitching up the legs of the tights. Movie version had a cape and wore very dark green heels (Uma's tights seemed to flow from a dark green at the foot to a lighter green at the top.)

All versions I've seen seem to have green eyebrows, though some versions they look like green hair, and some they look like ivy.

So... Unless your boyfriend demands accuracy... I say combine them. Red hair with white flowers & ivy, green swimsuit, and tights. Skip the shoes or buy green heels, unless you can find cheap green elf boots. Buy a second pair of tights in a smaller size & cut the legs to make the 'gloves'.

For all versions... Green Lipstick is a must! PI wears lipstick that is made from a plant poison. She's immune, but the men she kiss aren't.

And because you want to be authentic... have a friend dress as Harley Quinn! *runs*
posted by aristan at 2:06 PM on April 23, 2006

Lara
posted by randomstriker at 2:08 PM on April 23, 2006

If he's into video games, Lara Croft is a great idea. I'll nth Catwoman though.
posted by devilsbrigade at 2:23 PM on April 23, 2006

Depending on your body-type and the various kinks of your relationship, you might be able to pull off Carrie Kelly.

Two huge drawbacks: 1. It might freak him out forever. 2. If it doesn't, THAT might freak YOU out forever.
posted by Ian A.T. at 3:09 PM on April 23, 2006

I'd think Zatanna would be great.

It wouldn't be that hard to put together either.
-Fish net stockings and black heels. (Both items that many women already have or are likely to use again.)
-A black one-piece bathing suit or bikini bottom. (Again, something you could keep and use.)
-Finish it off with a thrift store tuxedo shirt and jacket. (Cheap! But don't forget to give them the tight fit that she prefers.)
-For the finishing piece, any costume/magic shop would have top hats for fairly cheap.

For reference:
Picture 1
Picture 2

Finally one nice thing about Zatanna is that her costume has varied wildly over the years (do a Google search). You'll see her with and without tails; sometimes she has a black vest, sometimes it's white, or purple, or yellow; sometimes she's in thigh high boots and not heels. Since there is a lot of leeway in what you can put together, you don't have to feel pressure to spend a ton of money to get it exactly right. It's a bonus that you could probably re-use most of the elements in the costume over and over again.
posted by oddman at 3:23 PM on April 23, 2006

Oh, grow up!

No — I mean literally: Become Nancy Archer, protagonist of "Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman." First titillate, then captivate, and finally dominate your man with stilettos, torn undies, lots of teased hair, growls and snarls ... and a model truck.*
*Model truck sold separately. Offer void where prohibited.
posted by rob511 at 4:47 PM on April 23, 2006

How about the Phoenix? Jean Grey from the X-Men? Preferably Dark Phoenix, but either should be fine. Oh, by the way, your boyfriend is a lucky, lucky fellow.
posted by jzb at 4:51 PM on April 23, 2006

Wow... Nads... Morg's a lucky guy!

What was the name of that evil chick from X-Men? The one that was all blue? A simple tub of blue body paint could accomplish that.... but you might show up to work the following morning with a blue tinge to your skin, and try explaining *that* to the kids' parents...

Other than that, there could be Vampirella. Seems like that would be easy enough to make with a simple cut-up red swimsuit and a black wig. Bonus points for goblet of his favorite alcoholic beverage dyed red with food coloring to be "blood."

I'll second or third or whatever the suggestion of Lara Croft, too.
posted by kaseijin at 4:51 PM on April 23, 2006

What was the name of that evil chick from X-Men?

Mystique.
posted by artifarce at 6:09 PM on April 23, 2006

wasnt' catwoman the sexiest of all? (the michelle pfeiffer version)


The only true Catwoman is Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether, or Eartha Kitt.
posted by 445supermag at 6:50 PM on April 23, 2006

And if you got junk in the trunk, how about an R. Crumb chick?
posted by 445supermag at 7:00 PM on April 23, 2006

If you go Crumb, go with the Devil Girl. (Color reference.)
posted by limeonaire at 12:02 AM on April 24, 2006

No one's mentioned Power Girl or She-Hulk. The latter would probably be easier to pull off: green wig, white bathing suit, green body makeup. I think I speak for a lot of the other geeks here when I say, I hope he's appropriately grateful!
posted by kimota at 3:39 AM on April 24, 2006

I second, third and fourth the Princess Leia Metal Bikini. Seriously.
posted by antifuse at 5:13 AM on April 24, 2006

How about Storm from X-Men? Halle Berry pulled it off very nicely... You could have a fan in the background, one of those nature soundtracks that plays lightning & thunderstorm while you aah... blow... his socks off... did I say that outloud??
posted by Cohiba4009 at 6:32 AM on April 24, 2006

I knew I could count on the askme community!

All of these are great ideas and ones that I will probably use in the future. My favorite characters that I wouldn't have thought of myself are Vampirella and Nancy Archer. As for Catwoman (and I have to agree that when looking for a Catwoman you look to Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether, and Eartha Kitt before you look ever look to Ms. Pfieffer) and Princess Leia...they are on the list like The Baroness is on the list. I will do them but I want to wait until I can really do them right.

I think the front runners right now are Poison Ivy and Emma Frost but that could change at any moment.

As a bonus to all the great advice I learned that my friends cannot read a disclaimer. I do not apologize for any scarring...you were warned.

Finally, rest assured that the boy appriciates the shit out of our little tradition.
posted by nadawi at 6:14 PM on April 24, 2006

So for weeks I was forbidden to click into this thread. I am the boyfriend who's socks where blown off by the costume discussed in this thread.

She went with Poison Ivy. It was the hotness. I can't wait to age another year.
posted by EatTheWeak at 11:41 PM on May 11, 2006