SUPERHEROES & SUPERVILLAINS ON THE RUNWAYS

THE ANTI-HERO IN FASHION

With the Costume Institute’s upcoming, much-touted Superheroes: Fashion & Fantasy Show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on my brain, I am pondering the villain as inspiration. It turns out, Batman’s foes abound on the runways! On the left, please find film stills of our villainous DC Comics muses, and on the right, their modern-day couture embodiments. KA-POW!!


Two-Face, as played by Tommy Lee Jones in Batman Forever; it’s not only his face, but his outfit, that’s split down the middle (image courtesy www.images.allmoviephoto.com), much like Limi Feu’s half and half look for Fall 2008 (runway photo via style.com). WHAM!

Poison Ivy, as embodied by Uma Thurman in Batman and Robin (photo courtesy wikipedia), and as reflected on the Fall 2008 runway at Temperley. Impossibly shiny green outfit, decolletage, fiery red hair, undeniable allure – the whole poison package (albeit, to less dramatic effect than some of the other looks in this post)!



The Riddler – or Edward Nygma, played by Jim Carrey in Batman Forever, and channeled by designer Jeremy Scott, whose comic-book reference was undeniable (note not only the color of the dress but the painted-on mask worn by the model!). THWACK!



For more superhero madness, behold the spidey suit at Martin Margiela . . . it seems that our masked marvel has cast his web on this waify blonde model!! [Comic

book image from interior page of The Amazing Spider-Man #547

(March 2008)].


Fashion Credits: Runway photos courtesy style.com and nymag.com/fashion.


Museum Note: Met show opens May 6, 2008 - be there, preferably in costume!!