Leotarded is not a word!

September 9, 2010 2:20 PM

Help me create a superhero costume. I need advice on supplies & techniques. Where can I find appropriate clothing in Toronto (for a man & a woman) and how do I make a nifty mask?

This Halloween, I will create a good costume! I want something similar to Green Lantern (basically a suit & a mask).

Where can I buy the suit components? Is it a leotard? How do I not embarrass myself in spandex? I'm unsure of the terms to Google.

How do I build the mask? Do I need to mold plastic?

If you could provide links to stores (online or brick) or how-tos for putting it all together I would appreciate it.

posted by Apollo's Favorite Mistake to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (9 answers total)

Best answer: Throw the word "zentai" into your Googling. Many of the companies producing zentai fetish wear also produce superhero-style lycra costumes. Just make sure to choose "no front zipper" when ordering.
posted by griphus at 2:28 PM on September 9, 2010

Best answer: The best mask I ever made was latigo leather, I got a piece that was about a foot and a half square, soaked it in water, and shaped it by stretching it using thing like steel spoons (similar to how you would bone the leather to create a holster for a gun).

The end result was a mask that perfectly fit my face, and looked really nice when compared to the felt and plastic ones you find in costume stores.

Upside is that it cost about $5 in materials, the downside is that I had to put in quite a few hours into just that piece of the costume.
posted by quin at 3:23 PM on September 9, 2010

That was assuming you were looking into making a domino style mask that only covers your eyes and maybe your nose, if you want to do something more helmet like, you'd be better off sticking with molded plastic.
posted by quin at 3:25 PM on September 9, 2010

spandexman.com is where I got the suit for my Particle Man costume.
posted by dolface at 3:47 PM on September 9, 2010

There are several decent costume shops in Hogtown: Malabar on McCaul and Theatrix on Geary come to mind if quality is more important than price.
posted by thatdawnperson at 5:57 PM on September 9, 2010

When I went as The Tick, I went to a dance supply store and bought two full body suits and a head piece (you won't need the head piece). The suits were the wrong color, so I dyed them blue (thank you, Rit dye). One suit I wore, the other I cut up to make gloves, boots and a mask.

Since I am not a body builder, I took a t-shirt and used contact cement to glue foam rubber pecs and abs onto to it, which worked well enough although the photo doesn't show it.
posted by plinth at 6:09 PM on September 9, 2010

If you want a fairly inexpensive mask, Michael's carries mask blanks. They're usually meant to be tarted up with feathers and sequins but they can be painted. If you're going to make your own, it'll probably work as something to work from.
posted by deborah at 10:54 PM on September 9, 2010

What kind of character are you envisioning? What are your powers?
posted by lhall at 12:58 PM on September 10, 2010

Response by poster: I'm interested in the classic superhero outfit: tights & a domino mask - like Green Lantern. Another example would be the modern Nightwing outfit.

I'm slim, but not muscular. So I am wanting something that doesn't make me look like a scrawny guy in spandex. Part of my research recommends cotton over spandex. I'm not sure if that is true.

There's been good advice so far. Keep if coming!
posted by Apollo's Favorite Mistake at 8:31 AM on September 13, 2010