On this day in 1951, CBS first aired the hilarious classic, "I Love Lucy," and it’s never been off the air since. We must also honor the memory of Lucy for inspiring countless cosplayers across the country.
Where would they be without her? Forced into the likes of Barbra Streisand and Cher? Is that really the world we would want to live in? Thanks Lucy, we owe ya.
The thing about superhero costumes is, you can get away with a lot of cheating. Costumes appear to stay attached by magic (particularly to areas featuring naughty bits), usually contain no wrinkles or folds, pretty much be painted on what would otherwise be nude bodies, because the characters wearing them aren’t real people who actually move and have bodies which feature internal organs and such.
It’s much trickier designing a streamlined, stylish superhero outfit to be worn by a living, breathing human being in motion.
But the folks at the superhero fashion site Project Rooftop have announced their second annual costume contest, entitled Fights, Flights and Tights. All you have to do, say editors Dean Trippe and Chris Arrant, "is wow us with a cool, original costume that redesigns a classic superhero or villain. Take some photos and send them to us along with your name, age, and website (if any) by October 21st, 2007." Winning entries will, as always, be featured on the site, with the grand priize being an original sketch of the winning design drawn by Trippe.
Presumably, Trippe and Arrant are counting on entrants not violating the spirit of the contest via photo manipulation programs.
I’ve seen the Spirit of San Diego, and it’s wearing a costume.
Saturday sold out first at the San Diego Comic-Con and many dealers were wondering why the floor was more crowded on Friday. Well, that’s because Saturday night is the Masquerade. And if you’re wearing a nice costume you don’t want to, and quite often physically can’t, maneuver on a convention floor that’s even mildly crowded. So you wander the many acres of convention center space between the rooms.
And you pose for pictures.
Want to bring happiness to millions (or at least hundreds) in one day? Come to San Diego on Saturday and ask people in costumes to pose for a picture. They live for it, and I’m glad they do. They are brilliant posers, having worn out the mirrors in their houses.
You don’t have to buy a ticket, you can do it on the sidewalk. You don’t even have to have batteries in your camera, it’s the moment that counts, not the immortality.
Some of them are in this world; a sharp looking black haired guy in decent shape in a spot on Superman outfit. He was standing in the back of the room during the DC Panel.
Some are in their own world, in a costume that barely suits (or fits) them. And I wouldn’t be cruel enough to post their picture near this paragraph.
After a while you realize that no one human can know all these characters. After a longer while you start seeing costumes when all the person is is extremely stylish. I saw a guy in backwoods hippie gear and was thinking maybe Hillbilly Bears when I realized this is just how he walks the streets everyday. I asked a woman to pose, thinking her outfit was something from Sandman but she was just a very happening goth chick. And, like a true Shipoopi, she doesn’t get sore if you beg her pardon.
My favorite was the gathering of eight Doctors Who. They’re not only well into their costume and character, they’re clearly having the time of their lives. And when you take a picture or stop to smile back at them, you get a piece of it for free.
British auctioneer Bonhams is holding a massive auction of what is believed to be the UK’s largest collection of film and television costumes on March 6th. The collection comes from Angels The Costumiers, a fifth generation family firm that has been doing costumes since 1840 and worked on 26 movies that have won Oscars for Outstanding Achievement In Costume Design.
Items going under the hammer include costumes from Superman, Supergirl, six of the Doctors from Dr. Who, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Highlander, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, James Bond’s suits from Thunderball, The Spy Who Loved Me, and Tomorrow Never Dies, and Alec Guinness’s Obi Wan cloak, pictured here.
In recognition of the popular appeal of the items, Bonhams’ saleroom will be allowing interested customers the opportunity to try on selected costumes. So if you can’t afford to bid, you could just try flying to London — but you probably won’t be able to nip off somewhere and play with your significant other unless you win. (Hat tip to Craig for the story.)
Can a cult phenomenon be manufactured? In the case of Joss Whedon’s "Buffyverse," it helps to have a head start. The series has been off the air for almost three years, but it’s spawned legions of loyal fans salivating over, among other things, the Season 8 comic book debuting next month. And this coming Friday and Saturday, February 19-20, fans will gather at the IFC Center in NYC to celebrate the 26th birthday of their fictional heroine for two nights of trivia, games and a midnight showing of the Sing-A-Long episode of the TV show, led by IFC’s in-house live Buffy cast. Rumor has it tickets to the event go quickly, so can queuing up in costumes be far behind?
Columns / Glenn Hauman / News
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