I decided to give the Fights, Flights, and Tights contest a try. I started working on the costume a little late in the game since I hadn’t decided which superperson I was going to try to redo. I eventually picked Starfire. Starfire’s a sweet girl from another world who wears a bathing suit as a costume. Well, not an actual bathing suit but she shows more skin then Wonder Woman. I thought it could be interesting to try to create a more modest outfit for Starfire.

In the cartoon series Teen Titans, Starfire was given a completely new costume. It is cute and age appropriate. Perfect for a teen on the go frighting crime. I thought she could use something different as a woman attracting stares from men and glares from their wives.

I started with the idea that she would wear pants. She does a lot of flying and needs to have things covered. I realize she has a different sense of modesty and body image than us silly earthlings, so I wanted to leave some skin showing. The top keeps her high collar yet shows her midriff. I’m not into the boob window or the super v-neck styles some artists give costumed females, but I acknowledged the trend by adding cutouts along the collar bone. Starfire is one of the heroes that wears gauntlets. My version also has gauntlets.

Things about my changes that aren’t really changes just me working with what I have. She has long red hair and when she flies she leaves an energy trail that makes her hair look longer than Godiva’s. I don’t have a long hair wig. I have my hair but it isn’t red. I felt it was more important to have the red hair contrasting with the purple suit than my long hair. So, short red hair wig. You’ll notice I don’t have any shoes. I thought boots would be the best thing to do. However, since I started so late on the project and finished right at the last moment, I didn’t make boot covers. I know, how can I submit a costume without shoes? I did. You can imagine knee-high purple boots. A dark purple similar to some of the accent color.

What do you think? I won’t know if I placed in the contest for a few weeks. For my first entry, I think I did okay.

This week Project Rooftop announced my favorite contest: Fights, Flights, and Tights. It’s an annual contest that allows the costume makers, not the costume pencilers, to have a shot at creating a new design. I love waiting for the results of this contest each year.

Now you know about the contest and can enter too. If there’s time! November 4th is right around the corner. How are we supposed to conceive and create a costume that quickly? Sure, I knew it was coming up. Yes, I know it’s an annual contest. Alright, alright, I should have been ready for this. I’m not. Heh. Oh well. Maybe one of you can kick some hero costume butt.

Check out some of the past entries: FFT1 and FFT2.

To the craft closet!

A few weeks ago Project Rooftop hosted a new redesign contest. This one would be one of the trickiest and more iconic assignments they’ve given the readers. Revamp Vampirella.

Vampirella is known for her revealing costume: blood red, cut down to there, string suit. I thought I’d give it a shot. Why not? I looked through lots of Vampirella covers and thought about it a while and decided the look I wanted. I saw her as a Pin Up. A kind of 40s bathing beauty style. I tried to draw what was in my head. That’s not where my talents lie. The costume is still Vamp red with the white collar. I added cuffs to just because I liked them. The cut is much more modest. I moved her bat emblem to the left thigh instead hovering over the crotch.

Anyway, my head just couldn’t make my hand produce what I envisioned. Oh well. I tried.

Today they posted the results of the contest. Some of the designs are amazing. They’ve listed the winners and a few runners-up. Over 100 entries came in for the Vampirella contest. Project Rooftop has never had so many submissions.

I did not win. I didn’t expect to win. I’m not an artist when it comes to drawing. I see where I made my design mistakes. Vampirella is very much a sexual being. Alien. Foreign. My design just didn’t hit that mark.

I’m proud of myself for trying my hand at a costume contest that didn’t require any sewing. It was fun.

A few days ago, I read about the MET’s latest exhibition and wished I could experience it firsthand.

Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy
May 7, 2008 - September 1, 2008
“Featuring movie costumes, avant-garde haute couture, and high-performance sportswear, it reveals how the superhero serves as the ultimate metaphor for fashion and its ability to empower and transform the human body. “

For some reason, reporters focus on the celebrity guests and not the exhibit. Why? This is an interesting and compelling display of colors, shapes, and designs. As you move through the gallery you can explore the differences between a functional costume and a concealing costume. I think it’s neat. The exhibit is divided into themes by types, focusing on one particular well-known costumed hero as the example. The theme then builds on the example and explores why it works, why it doesn’t work, and how it’s influenced fashion.

So much of the character of a hero is modeled in their costume. Batman’s dark cowl is for fear and concealment. His loaded utility belt keeps weapons and tools handy. His outfit is designed that way because he’s just a man. By looking at the dark figure we can guess he’s a man with money and deep vigilante issues. That’s a fair guess. The MET exhibit explores those kinds of motivations by using costumes and fashion to illustrate the development of trends.

Kinda fun I think. You can use the ideas to create your own hero costumes. There’s no law that says you have to wear a costume for a character some middle-aged man created 40 years ago. Peruse the Project Rooftop blog for excellent re-imaginings of hero gear. Like this redo of Power Girl by Joel Carroll.

So, go to it.