Catwoman
Catwoman is undeniably one of the sexiest comic-book vixens (and yes, we know she isn’t technically a superhero: she can be more of a supervillain!) To recreate Catwoman’s costume, you could pull a Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns, go crazy, and start sewing your own, or you can check out these elements in the suit.
Michelle Pfieffer’s Catwoman wears a skin-tight leather suit from head to toe, complete with pointy ears. This Catwoman costume you can see the grey stitching. The eye holes for Catwoman are larger than on most masks. Catwoman wears smouldering eye make-up, and dark blood-red lipstick. Her light complexion contrasts with the black plastic or leather costume (but note that a light complexion is not a must for Catwoman, like Eartha Kitt or Halle Berry).
Sometime Catwoman’s costume has a tail, other times her costume does not have a tail. Hardcore comic fans will tell you that the tail is not in the cannon, and should be omitted from any costume. Sometimes in the comic books her costume is a deep shade of purple, as well. When she wears a dark purple suit, she wears black gloves past her elbows, and thigh-high black boots.
In the 1960s Batman television series, Eartha Kitt played Catwoman. Her Catwoman costume was black, and fit tightly as well. The major difference was that her costume didn’t have a full mask. Her mask was very small, just to cover the area around her eyes. It had large eye holes and slanted upwards to mimic the shape of cat’s eyes.
Halle Berry most recently played Catwoman in the poorly-received movie. This is not the traditional Catwoman that we know, Selina Kyle, but a different Catwoman, Patience Phillips. Halle Berry’s Catwoman costume is the most revealing: she wears a fuller head mask, and then wears a black halter bra, black gloves past the elbow, and black leather pants. There is a criss-cross of leather around her bare midriff, to create a torn look. This costume would certainly not be appropriate for children or adolescents.
The modern comics Catwoman is much less scantily clad than some other versions. Her black hair is trimmed short, and she wears a black leather jumpsuit. She wears a smaller mask that is basically a pair of large goggles with a cat’s eye effect at the top.
Catwoman carries a black whip, regardless of her incarnation. See our safety tips for ideas on how to safely let children wear weapons.
