Leeloo Costume Recipe

I really like the character Leeloo from the 5th Element and am making a go at at one of her costumes for Halloween this year. 2 parts flour, 1 part sugar, a dash of cinnamon, here is one recipe for the Leeloo Costume:

1 White Dance Shirt: White Dance T-Shirt, Harmonie Body Wear. This shirt has a futuristic-looking fabric and can be easily cut off and sewn to be shorter. I kept mine full length so I could pull it down on those cool walks between clubs ;), then tucked it up once inside.

1 Pair Semi-Shiny Leggings: American Apparel, Shiny Nylon Tricot Legging , in the color 'Chino'. Get black trim from a sewing shop and sew on the stripes.

1 'I Mean Business' Black Belt: Any 2" patent leather belt with a plain buckle

1 Pair of Cloddy-Looking Boots: Merona Black Winter Boots. I found them at Target.

1 Pair of Neon-Orange Suspenders: These are tough to make and authentic-looking materials aren't easy to find. I found one company that just started to make them here.

The Hair: Bought a human hair wig (blond) and dyed it using Manic Panic Hair Dye in the color of 'Tiger Lily'. It looks more in line with her hair than the synthetic hair orange wigs. Unless you like being bright orange, don't dye your own hair, even with temporary color!

Also see the latest costume recipe for Lara Croft from Tomb Raider.

Comments

[Elin]

Hi, I was wondering if you want to sell the orange suspender?

Thanks!

[Heida]

ah Elin - I think I'll be using them at least a couple of more times -- they were too much fun to let go of after just one Halloween ;)....

:) heida

[Heida]

ah Elin - I think I'll be using them at least a couple of more times -- they were too much fun to let go of after just one Halloween ;)....

:) heida

[Sam]

Hi. I really love your outfit! I was just wondering though, how expensive were the orange suspenders? I want to dress up as Leeloo and i have everything i need apart from the suspenders and i can't find any price for them anywhere. Hope you can help, thanks!

[Crystal]

I've seen someone online mention they were $300.. I'm not sure if that's the actual price but either way, I'm sure they're going to be expensive.

[Heida]

Hi Crystal - you're absolutely right. The suspender set is made by hand and thus is pretty pricey. You would want to use them for more than just one Halloween, if you made the investment, for sure :).

I didn't see really authentic looking alternatives in my search but if anyone finds any, please chime in!

Cheers,

Heida

[Andrew]

Hey Heida, really cool outfit! I was just wondering how long you left the dye on before washing? Thank you : )

[Heida]

Hi Andrew, and thanks!

My memory is a little fuzzy on that, but I think I left the dye in for about 45 minutes. I do recall I tested a small section, rinsing it of dye to ensure that the color change was significant enough. You'll want to do this regardless because the 'starting' hair color might vary somewhat. Do wear gloves! It makes a tremendous mess!

Cheers!

Heida

[Andrew]

Hi Heida, thank you for the reply! Might I add I really like you blog/journal, take care.

Andrew

[alix]

hi!
I want to dress me like the crazy leeloo but I dont know on wich web site I could buy the orange surrender......HELP.....

;-)

[Stephanie]

Hi,
I was wondering if it was difficult to sew the piping onto the leggings?
Thanks,

[Heida]

Hi Stephanie --

I did a basic whip stich and it took about 2-3 hours to sew on the stripes. I did it while watching a movie to pass the time ;). I found one tricky part was that the piping I used didn't stretch while the lycra leggings did, causing some bunching in the legging fabric. I'd recommend trying to get piping that is stretchy so it doesn't 'constrain' the lycra fabric quite so much! Have fun making your costume!

Heida

[Spira]

Hi Heida! Great article, really helpful!

I was wondering if you remember exactly how much you paid for the suspenders? I've been considering trying to make them myself, but the material's so hard to work with! :\

[jess]

hey really gud costume i have made the suspenders out of orange duct tape alot easier than i thot they wud b.. stuck on gettin the wig the same colour my own hair is bright red so might just let it grow as its very short the min.. thanks for all the great ideas X

[Alicia]

Instructions to make your own suspenders from silicone rubber. It'll still be about $100 and a bit of work, but much better than $300. I just made mine with this tutorial and they turned out great. Use the "IGNITE Neon Orange" pigment as well as silicone thinner. Otherwise, followed this exactly.

http://www.jiajem.com/suspenders.html

[heida]

Thanks for the tip on the suspenders, Alicia!

- Heida

[emma]

hi are you selling those suspenders anyone?