Medri 50s Rockabilly Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn

[keepcalmcostume]

This is something that MouseMeat and I have had in the works for a long time (over a year now I guess) but have really only in the past few months moved forward on. Our plan is to wear them at SDCC for the DC meet-up/photoshoot. I'm slowly working on a Rockabilly Batgirl too, but for now the villains take precedence.

These are probably a little over half done, but we'll be doing in-progess updates from here on. (Our joint costuming Facebook page with fairly regular in-progress updates is https://www.facebook.com/TwoGirlsSewing?ref=hl )

This is the source material, though I'm sure mostly everyone has seen it by now. (Batman 50's Rockabilly Universe by DenisM79 on deviantART)


Despite having a lot of specific or custom pieces, we lucked out that Harley ended up being fairly simple. MouseMeat already has a leather jacket, which would have been the most difficult and expensive part. We made the poodle skirt out of felt, which ended up being really cheap and easy and still turned out really nice (literally the only time I've seen the fast/cheap/quality trifecta align). She measured and cut, I sewed. The shirt was something I found on Etsy. It's 80s vintage, but the color combination and asymmetrical collar and closure, plus the black insert in the sleeves, was perfect. It originally had long sleeves, so we just measured out how long she wanted them and then I trimmed them down and finished the raw edge. We mostly cut down the sleeves so it would be a bit more comfortable under the jacket and still look cute if she took the jacket off, but as an unexpected bonus the short sleeves kind of reminded us of old-fashioned bowling shirts too.


Because Ivy's design varies between the two drawings, and there's no fully clear view of either one, I decided to kind of improvise. I do eventually want to go back and make costumes closer to what she's wearing in these drawings. But for now I'm doing something different with the clothing itself while keeping some things - green skin, red lips, cat-eye glasses - the same.

I didn't have anything specific in mind - green and vintage-y were pretty much my only requirements. It took both of us doing a lot of browsing and internet searches, but MouseMeat eventually found this dress on Etsy. It's pretty much perfect - gorgeous color, really interesting leafy textured pattern woven in, and it's original 50s-60s vintage. All I'll be doing to it is cleaning it a bit and taking it in to be a bit more formfitting. The photo on the left is mine (washed out from my camera phone, as usual), and on the right is from the seller - FabVintage on etsy - and it shows the color and texture more accurately.


Since I'm doing green skin to some degree (just working out the specific method), I figured it would be much easier to add gloves to the costume than to have to worry about keeping my hands green too. With some costumes that wouldn't be an option, but with this it is so I thought it would be nice to take advantage. Since I didn't want to do too much green in the costume and wash everything out, I decided red would be a good accent color. I started looking for red gloves online, but most were either vintage and pricey, or meant for cold weather (not ideal in San Diego in July), or just not quite what I had in mind. By chance I found these at KMart of all places in the winter clearance, so they were really cheap (I think about $2 in the end) despite being real leather and lined. I removed the Thinsulate lining since I didn't want them to be warm, and it worked out nicely because they actually fit more comfortably too without it. (Ignore the earrings and flower. The earrings idea got scrapped when I got my wig and realized my ears probably won't show at all, and the flower was for a hair clip before I got something new and better.)


Next step is shoes, hairclips, and makeup tests for Ivy; shoes for Harley; wig styling for both.

 

[keepcalmcostume]

The alterations on my Ivy dress didn't turn out quite how I wanted and I was a little frustrated, so rather than try to redo it I decided to make an alternate costume. It's still an original take on Medri's Ivy rather than a direct recreation of the artwork, but it's still 50s and still suits the character I think. Normally I wouldn't completely change up a whole costume so last minute, but luckily I had enough stuff (and the right stuff) to make it work. The jacket was something I found over a year ago when we first started thinking about these costumes, the panel under the jacket came from the cuffs of a blouse I never wear, and the skirt was altered from a kid-size dress I originally bought for the fabric (there's also a bright green petticoat underneath that came from a delayed/scrapped Emerald City beautician costume from two years ago). The buttons and shoes were just sitting around unused. Closet cosplay to the fullest extent.

Before and after some tailoring, and a little glimpse of the gloves and unstyled wig in the before shot (ignore the makeup on the mirror and the sleeping cat):


After we decided to make Harley's "bang" gun, I decided to make a potted plant as a prop for Ivy based on this:

I got a nice red pot courtesy of my mom, and I've cut down and glued in a styrofoam base. As far as the plants themselves, I'll be starting with some vines and then maybe adding a flower with teeth (probably out of craft foam and fake flower petals) like those in Medri's artwork.


Mousemeat just got her Harley shoes, and they're fantastic. She decided that roller skates were too much of a hassle for the con (though she could very well end up getting some if we ever do formal photos of these costumes). So she wanted to go with saddle shoes since that still fit the bill for era and style and color, and then she chose some that were a little less traditional to make it more interesting (and so she could wear them in "real life" more readily).

She also did a costume test with the (unstyled) wig but minus the jacket (she'll post more photos).

 

[The Ronin]

Very nice! I love the Medri designs. The wife and I are planning on doing Bats and Catwoman next year after she works off the baby weight (and I work off the sympathy weight)

Can't wait to see these finished.

 

[midnightblu]

Don't know if you watch Hero's of Cos'play or not but the girls did these on the show last week and they looked great especially the animatronics on the flowers.They also had a friend dressed as Catwoman with them here's a picture of them.

 

[MouseMeat]

Yeah! I first noticed that through Medri's instagram and it sparked my interest. We've been slowly working on these for the last year or so do to budget restrictions (that have been eased this last year, thankfully). These girls did a pretty good job.

The biggest qualm I had with the whole situation was the lack of any kind of crediting for Medri and his designs. Being an artist, myself, I found it really disrespectful. But, all in all, costume wise these were done well.

Ronin! That'll be awesome! And congrats on the baby!

 

[keepcalmcostume]

Very nice! I love the Medri designs. The wife and I are planning on doing Bats and Catwoman next year after she works off the baby weight (and I work off the sympathy weight)

Can't wait to see these finished.

Thanks! Medri's artwork is fantastic, and I'm always so happy to see someone else doing costumes from it. There's never enough Rockabilly Batman. Good luck to you guys! I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for your project.

Don't know if you watch Hero's of Cos'play or not but the girls did these on the show last week and they looked great especially the animatronics on the flowers.They also had a friend dressed as Catwoman with them here's a picture of them.

View attachment 344463

I don't watch the show normally, but I did see that episode specifically because they did these costumes. I thought they turned out really well, and incorporating animatronics was a very nice detail. But it's really disappointing (and inexcusable) that neither the cosplayers nor the show credited Medri for his designs, and the fact that they didn't makes the show as a whole off-putting for me.

 

[The Ronin]

To be fair, Chloe did credit Medri in her online comments, but the show edited out any live mention of him. It's annoying that editors forget that artists need credit, but at least the cosplayers themselves are sharing who they're getting inspiration from.

 

[keepcalmcostume]

To be fair, Chloe did credit Medri in her online comments, but the show edited out any live mention of him. It's annoying that editors forget that artists need credit, but at least the cosplayers themselves are sharing who they're getting inspiration from.

I hadn't seen much of anything about it on the internet, so thanks for sharing that. I might not have known otherwise. It's still really frustrating that the show didn't credit him in the episode itself, which is where the credit belongs first and foremost. But that's very reassuring to hear that the cosplayer is crediting him on her own at least. It just serves to remind me that I don't like the show or how it represents things, but that I really like the cosplayers and community featured on it.

 

[MouseMeat]

To be fair, Chloe did credit Medri in her online comments, but the show edited out any live mention of him. It's annoying that editors forget that artists need credit, but at least the cosplayers themselves are sharing who they're getting inspiration from.

That is nice to know, thank you. Though, I do know that (at least initially; I don't follow her so I don't know) their Catwoman was simply calling this "Bettie Paige Catwoman" on her Instagram. But, as I said, I don't know that that has changed. It's besides the point; I'm not a fan of the show for a lot of reasons.

 

[MouseMeat]

Whomp whomp whomp.

I'm finally making a (kind of) update.
Keepcalmcostume mentioned that the only thing I've managed to NOT photograph is my jacket, so here it is!
View attachment collage_20140703213628210.jpg

It's not 50s, and it's not the style in the illustrations, but it is 100% 80s and 100% leather. Which, in short, means I will be dying the entire time we're outside and will prolly be carrying it over one shoulder or something. I don't wear this very often, so the leather is really stiff which makes it a little hard to move in. Not to mention that the bottom actually doesn't close as comfortably as it used to, anymore O.O

This is a hand-me-down from my mom; it was her first leather jacket and my nana bought it for her shortly after "Terminator" came out. Because of the similarity, this has been dubbed the family Terminator Jacket. It's been mine for about 10 years now. I just don't have the occasion to bust it out very often.

 

[The Ronin]

The 80's jackets were mostly trying to copy the 50's motorcycle jackets anyways, so I say roll with it.

That will be REALLY hot though. I feel for you.

 

[MouseMeat]

The 80's jackets were mostly trying to copy the 50's motorcycle jackets anyways, so I say roll with it.

That will be REALLY hot though. I feel for you.

No kidding! I only ever break this thing out in the winter, and hardly have an occasion to wear it. I predict a lot of me slinging it over one shoulder when we're not inside. It was a big reason why I wanted my shirt to look good on its own.

 

[KatieGeorge]

Though, I do know that (at least initially; I don't follow her so I don't know) their Catwoman was simply calling this "Bettie Paige Catwoman" on her Instagram.

In Michele's defense, she's REALLY new to cosplay, so unlike the other girls, she might not have been aware that she was cosplaying fanart as opposed to stylized cover art the other girls found. Hell, to be perfectly honest, a lot of fanartists these days produce artwork that makes the pros look like they're phoning it in.

I think your changes to Ivy are actually an improvement over the original! She's a villain that relies HEAVILY on her sexual appeal- a high-necked dress that doesn't show off her decolletage just seems... wrong!!

 

[keepcalmcostume]

In Michele's defense, she's REALLY new to cosplay, so unlike the other girls, she might not have been aware that she was cosplaying fanart as opposed to stylized cover art the other girls found. Hell, to be perfectly honest, a lot of fanartists these days produce artwork that makes the pros look like they're phoning it in.

I think your changes to Ivy are actually an improvement over the original! She's a villain that relies HEAVILY on her sexual appeal- a high-necked dress that doesn't show off her decolletage just seems... wrong!!

That's true. The more I hear about it, the more it seems like the problem is with the show for not throwing a caption up on screen.

Thanks! That's really a huge compliment. I kind of felt like the changes were still true to character while still in keeping with the 50s/Rockabilly aesthetic, so I'm glad other people are seeing that too.

 

[joshspiderman23]

No kidding! I only ever break this thing out in the winter, and hardly have an occasion to wear it. I predict a lot of me slinging it over one shoulder when we're not inside. It was a big reason why I wanted my shirt to look good on its own.

I ended up doing the same for my rockabilly batman, also had a 80s wilson biker jacket. It really does match the whole 50s feel. very excited to see progress on this thread keep it up

 

[MouseMeat]

I ended up doing the same for my rockabilly batman, also had a 80s wilson biker jacket. It really does match the whole 50s feel. very excited to see progress on this thread keep it up

Thank god for Marlon Brando; he made this jacket style popular, so at least it's kind of era - appropriate.

We really appreciate the interest shown in all this! You guys are great!
Seeing as we're at two weeks and counting, the next updates you guys get will probably be finished product photos unless we do some late-night, last minute posting of our styled wigs.

Can't wait to show you guys!

 

[The Ronin]

I ended up doing the same for my rockabilly batman, also had a 80s wilson biker jacket. It really does match the whole 50s feel. very excited to see progress on this thread keep it up

And that's what I'll be doing too. Nobody really makes affordable jackets in the "original" 50's style anyway. I can't justify hundreds of dollars on a single item for a cosplay. At least not yet.

Thank god for Marlon Brando; he made this jacket style popular, so at least it's kind of era - appropriate.

We really appreciate the interest shown in all this! You guys are great!
Seeing as we're at two weeks and counting, the next updates you guys get will probably be finished product photos unless we do some late-night, last minute posting of our styled wigs.

Can't wait to show you guys!

Can't wait to see it!

 

[King of Kittens]

What a fun idea!

 

[keepcalmcostume]

Jumping between projects in the weeks leading up to a convention means not much time to post updates, but I did take some photos of the mess that is wig styling.



This is a Buttercup in Dark Copper from Arda Wigs. I've never been a fan of using wigs, but after realizing it was more cost effective to buy a red wig than temporarily dye my hair I gave it a shot and I'm a total convert now.

I forgot to take a real "before" photo, but the top left is about halfway through curling so you can still see some of the original straight hair. I separated strands about an inch wide by several weft tracks deep, used a low heat straightener (which usually gathers dust since it's too weak to use on my hair, but turned out to be a perfect effective-but-not-too-hot temperature on wig fibers) to warm the fibers, then wrapped the ends around my fingers and rolled the whole strand up to the "scalp" and pinned them against the lace/netting. It's basically the same technique as pin curls, but leaving the curls raised instead of pinned flat against the head (which I decided might help prevent dents in the fibers and give me more volume). After that I ran a blowdryer over it to heat everything again and set the curl better at the roots, then sprayed lightly with a flexible hold hairspray. Since I don't need to style it properly right away, I'm letting it sit like this for 24 hours or so to really get as much curl as possible: first from the hair warming up and cooling while in a curled shape, and then from also just being pressed into that shape for a long time.

I'll probably be styling the wig (somewhat) at home before we leave for SDCC, so I'll try to post photos of that in the next few days.

 

[MouseMeat]

WOW! Time has flown and I think this is the last place we have yet to update.

SORRY FOR THE DELAY! Things have been epically crazy falling back into real life after SDCC, as it usually is. I apologize that it has taken either of us a month to get up a final update.

Here are the finished looks for Harley and Ivy!


The two solo shots are courtesy of Cosplay Canada!

Kayla opted for comfortable shoes after the previous two days left our feet particularly unhappy; but they still fit the bill for style.
We plan on making some alterations before we bust these out again, but all in all, we were pretty happy with how everything turned out! I think my only big regret is not getting any good shots of Kayla's makeup because I was super proud of how that turned out.