Suiting Up: Part 3 - Putting It All Together.

So far we've discussed the basics - everything from looking at the evolution of superhero costumes to the necessary considerations to make when planning your look. This time out we're going to look at some of the current RLSH looks and examine how they fit in to the categories of costumes we mentioned in part 1. Also I'll be providing some resources for putting your costumes together. More after the break.

RECOGNIZING YOUR LOCAL RLSH:

There are literally hundreds of RLSHs currently active in the world, and they've been pretty inventive in developing their looks.

There is the "Detective" style look, like Life, Professor Midnight, Thanatos and Geist pictured above. This is a style based on classic heroes such as The Shadow, The Spirit, and the Green Hornet. The main elements of this look are obvious - a coat or suit jacket and a fedora or wide brimmed hat. The look can be accessorized with dress shirts and ties and pretty much any kind of "mask" from domino style masks to scarfs or balaclavas. This is a relatively easy look to go with, as the main elements of the costume are readily available, and it looks pretty stylish and classy, if I do say so.

There is the classic hero look, inspired by comics' tights wearing heroes, as shown here by Dark Guardian, Patriot, Superhero and DC's Guardian. This look can be rather challenging, especially if you don't know how to sew. It can also be a challenge to effectively pull off the spandex look. Fortunately these guys do a really good job at it.

There's the gear-oriented look, as is demonstrated here by Urban Avenger and Master Legend. These outfits, like the detective looks mentioned earlier, can be relatively simple, since the gear itself makes up the majority of the look. Both of these heroes utilize motocross style armor as the center of the costume (Urban Avenger is wearing his underneath the hoodie in this earlier pic, but currently wears it on the outside - also, UA has done extensive modification to his armor using both polycarbonate and fiber glass, adding to its protective properties)

Now here is a picture of the New York Initiative as it appeared in the Superheroes documentary. I post this picture to show that you don't have to be elaborate with your designs to have an effective costume. Zimmer (far left) is wearing a simple T shirt with his binary "Zimmer" logo printed on it. It doesn't get much simpler, yet it is effective and iconic. T shirts, military style BDU pants, sweaters, jackets, pretty much anything can be used to make simple, yet effective costumes. This style of costume often allows the hero to blend in with the public better.

Phoenix Jones. PJ has decided to go with the "rubberized" look of the late 80's This look can be effective aesthetically as it brings to mind the iconic image of Michael Keaton as Batman. There are also several disadvantages of this type of costume. The latex is heavy and can limit your range of movement in the arms and neck. Also, this type of costume is expensive. All that said, PJ seems to make it work, and it looks pretty cool.

So now you've been shown the trend in looks from comics to film to the Real Life Superheroes that currently patrol our streets. By now I'm sure your mind is swimming with ideas for your look, and now you're wondering where the heck to go to get your costume.

http://www.hero-gear.org/ - This is a site owned and operated by RazorHawk, one of our own and a very skilled costume maker. For the more traditional style hero costumes, jackets, masks, capes. He even makes custom patches! This is definitely a resource worth looking in to.

http://www.ebay.com/ - You can find just about anything on ebay, from costume accessories to protective gear. You almost literally can't go wrong with this site.

Thrift stores - Yeah, I said it. Thrift stores. They are a great resource for finding clothes and accessories for extremely low prices. You want a good T-shirt for $.99? They got it! The other day I even found hockey leg guards for $2.99 a piece and elbow guards for the same. You can put nearly a complete costume together for an incredibly low price.

So, do you have a good idea? Good! Now what are we missing? 

That's right, a LOGO! Next time: Logo design!