# X-Men Storm costume for my wife, need assistance.



## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

Edit: I have the items for my wife's costume already, but need assistance with the cape. Scroll down to post dated 10-4-15 for my most current post if you don't feel like reading about the whole project.


Hello all!

Last year y'all might remember that I put together a custom Maleficent costume for my wife for Halloween. Well I am at it again this year. 

This year my wife is going to be Storm from the X-men. I am mostly going for the X-men 3 movie look as I love the short hair style Halle Berry has in that movie:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jC2hORKLqBQ/UQpzQs4KmXI/AAAAAAAACRs/A9fi3UXD9_E/s1600/Storm_xmen3.jpg

Of course, being me, I am going to change things up a bit and got some ideas from other variants of Storm. For me (and my wife) the above look is very closed in. My wife prefers an open neckline and I of course like to have her arms bare.

In the comic book style, Storm has a cape that attaches from her back to special bracelets that attach to the ends of the cape. When she spreads her arms it looks like she has 'wings'. I like this look and would like to follow suit:

http://images-cdn.moviepilot.com/im...my-x-men-costume-designs-storm-jpeg-81437.jpg

See how the cape attaches to the bracelets?

Here is another example of an existing costume:

http://lgcdn.pinkbasis.com/media/ca...e95/c/o/costume-superhero-rub-820011storm.jpg

For the rest of the costume I have been thinking about going with something more comfortable than a leather or PVC outfit. I would like something a bit more revealing in the neckline / arms area. So for the top I was thinking of something along the lines of a cap sleeve / Queen Anne neckline top like this:

http://www.stuntgirls.com.au/galleryfiles/var/resizes/518447/13308.jpg

I love the flared hem on this and it certainly looks costume like with the abstract neckline. It also has just the right amount of exposure only showing off the neckline and arms.

For the pants I was thinking a pair of Pilazzos like this:

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/0497/products/Sure_Design_13_116_of_368.jpg?v=1426575692

I like this look as the pant legs are very flowing and it would make the entire outfit look like jumpsuit. 

Finish the look off with an X-men belt and other adornments and I am good to go.

Now I know I could go with something store bought, but the issue I have with that is:

1) Usability. A store bought costume pretty much can only be used as a Storm costume as I cannot mix and match looks later on as I could with separates. (With my wife's Maleficent costume, I could use the top and bottom for other costumes if I wanted to).
2) Comfort. Many of the store bought costumes are made of pleather or cheap poly blends and that would make the wearer VERY warm.
3) Overall look: Store bought Halloween costumes look...well...cheaply made because most of the time they are. Most barely hold up a season or two. Furthermore going the route of separates I can come up with a more original look as I mentioned above.

As of now I have already most of the items picked out and even tracked down the exact X-men 3 style Storm wig I am after. The thing is I am having a hard time tracking down the cape and bracelets so it can be attached to the wrists. I would prefer this point to have clasps so this this way my wife has the option to detach the cape from her wrists (i.e. her arms are free when eating). So this is where I need the most assistance.

So I am open to any ideas and suggestions. 

Thank You,

Diaval.


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## miles (Sep 18, 2013)

http://cosplaysky.com/x-men-storm-halle-berry-jumpsuit-costume-hand-made.html

Ive used this website before, it is from japan, look around first for coupons, I did as well and saved an extra $30 on one of my suits. paid for the shipping really on the savings. I know its a jumpsuit and will only give you the one costume and not give you the multiple looks for down the road.


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## ice456789 (Sep 10, 2013)

Diaval said:


> I would like something a bit more revealing in the neckline / arms area.


Every husband secretly thinks that when his wife is looking at costumes! Or at least you and I do. 

As far as attaching the wrists, how about a simple velcro band? I wouldn't think too hard on that issue. Get a velcro strip, sew or glue the part of the cape to the strip, and she can attach it to her wrists and detach at will.


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

miles said:


> http://cosplaysky.com/x-men-storm-halle-berry-jumpsuit-costume-hand-made.html
> 
> Ive used this website before, it is from japan, look around first for coupons, I did as well and saved an extra $30 on one of my suits. paid for the shipping really on the savings. I know its a jumpsuit and will only give you the one costume and not give you the multiple looks for down the road.


Thank you for the info, but even though it is a very nice and accurate representation of jumpsuit work by Halle Berry for Storm, it is like I said above, as It will probably be only worn once or twice. Also because it is a jumpsuit it probably will be very warm and for certain I don't want to inconvenience my wife every time she has to go to the restroom. So that is another reason I didn't want to go the jumpsuit route. I prefer something two pieces so this way there isn't that inconvenience. I can understand that if I was hosting a show with multiple viewings then it would be worth it. But as it is, it is really just for Halloween and possibly a costume party. It is really just fun for my kids, so something that is 100% accurate isn't absolutely necessary.

As it is I already have the palazzo pants, wig, and belt on the way. I just am on the fence about a top to go with the ensemble. But the beautiful thing is that down the road, I could mix and match to create other costumes.

Thank you for the input anyway.



ice456789 said:


> Every husband secretly thinks that when his wife is looking at costumes! Or at least you and I do.


Yeah, I am guilty as charged for that. I do purposely make up the costumes a bit on the pretty and/or sexy side. I am not going to lie, but last year my wife was pretty darn hot as Maleficent.

While I like Halle Berry's overall look for Storm, I just don't like how closed in the costume is. Her look for X-men 3 looks way too constricting, even though I love her hair and face in that movie the best. (That is the hair style I am going for with my wife).

http://media.aintitcool.com/media/uploads/2013/storm.jpg

I actually like her costume better in Days of Future Past:

http://pre07.deviantart.net/2b44/th...f_future_past___storm_by_miamsolo-d774vn3.jpg

At least some of her arms are exposed with this one, but I am not overly fond of this hairstyle. Here she uses the wrist attached cape as in the first movie. But she has them attached to gloves. My wife isn't going to wear gloves because she will be handing out candy, so it would be best for her hands to be free.

Going through some of her black tops I found this one I bought for her a while back:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PVB5RXI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00

She could use that for her top. For the lower part I have a pair of Palazzo pants on the way:

http://www.amazon.com/Pink-Queen-Wo...odeID=7141123011&keywords=black+Palazzo+pants



> As far as attaching the wrists, how about a simple velcro band? I wouldn't think too hard on that issue. Get a velcro strip, sew or glue the part of the cape to the strip, and she can attach it to her wrists and detach at will.


Perhaps. While I do like the idea of the bracelets, they could run a pretty penny. Black Velcro straps would appear as 'bands' and I might get away with it.

The strangest thing was that I was looking for a superhero cape that has the tie feature and unless you get it with an entire costume, finding a cape like that is harder than I thought. Also I am looking for one without a collar and that also proves to be difficult.

I will keep the Velcro idea in mind.

Thank You,

Diaval


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

Hello All,

Ok, so far things are progressing well with my wife's Storm costume. I pretty much have all the pieces to the costume and we did a dry run yesterday. I made some changes in the look of the costume, but pretty much followed what I said above with the exception of getting her a different top. Also instead of just a clasp that connects the cape to her wrists, I went with a gauntlet / arm bracer which gives her more the look of Storm in Days of Future Past. Now I ran into an issue with the cape. Her cape I recycled from her Maleficent costume from last year and it is a full length cape. It has a collar but I folded that over so it looks more like a superhero cape. The wing effect looks great but I didn't like how the cape attaches around her neck. The cape comes with a standard tie string and it doesn't look right around her neck. What I tried to do is use an extra clasp which my wife has on her wrists and I clipped that to the cape, so it looks like a proper cape clasp. The thing is that it presses up against her neck and it makes her feel uncomfortable. Having more of the cape over her shoulders stops that problem, but then when she spreads her arms, they are covered and that defeats the look I am achieving. I want the exposed part of arms to stay exposed when she spreads her arms.

So what I need is some type of clasp that: looks good, is comfortable around the neck or can be situated off the neck without destroying the look I am trying to achieve.

Please see attached photo for what I have done so far:

The first photo shows her arms spread and the look I am going for. While having the cape on the shoulders is OK, I don't want her upper arms to be covered. So I like the cape where it is sitting in that photo.

The second photo illustrates my problem with using the current clasp as you can see the metal part pressing heavily against her neck. Granted this isn't a proper clasp as it is a spare arm bracelet which I am using on her wrists to create the 'wing' effect of the cape.

Now I know I could probably put a chain in it's place and that would look good, but I am worried that would be pressing up against her neck too. So what I would need is a way to attach the cape so that any clasp or attachment isn't so snug around her neck. 

Tying the cape to her top really isn't an option as the top is made from Lyrca and stretches. I am worried the weight of the cape would pull it so far that it stretches it out of shape. And yes, it was an expensive top so I don't want to ruin it.

I would appreciate any assistance on this.

Thank You,

Diaval


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## Frankie's Girl (Aug 27, 2007)

What I would suggest is adjusting the cape the way you like it to fall with her arms down, then mark a 1-2 inch section (using chalk) across the tops of her shoulders where the cape overlaps the top seam of the shirt. Then I would sew the cape onto the shoulders through the top seam. If the shirt does not have a shoulder seam, I would still do some careful sewing around the neck and shoulder area using a fine needle to minimize damage... But if the cape is heavy, it still might pull. Better that than getting choked all night in my opinion tho!


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

Frankie's Girl said:


> What I would suggest is adjusting the cape the way you like it to fall with her arms down, then mark a 1-2 inch section (using chalk) across the tops of her shoulders where the cape overlaps the top seam of the shirt. Then I would sew the cape onto the shoulders through the top seam. If the shirt does not have a shoulder seam, I would still do some careful sewing around the neck and shoulder area using a fine needle to minimize damage... But if the cape is heavy, it still might pull. Better that than getting choked all night in my opinion tho!


It does have a shoulder seam but the material is not very heavy and it is stretchy. The top is expensive too so I don't really want to permanently alter it. As with most costumes I put together, I usually do so with clothes that my wife can use afterwards or for another costume. So sewing or permanently altering the top is out of the question. I would need to do something with clips or...perhaps even magnets.

What I thought of doing was putting a small disc magnet under her top just over the shoulder and then put the cape over that point on her top and then place another magnet on top of that. For the most part I think it will work and it save me from altering the top. The thing is that I would have to put the magnet further down than the clasps and I am worried that a good part of her upper arms might be covered.

It is an idea I have to play with, but I am welcome to other ideas that don't involve altering her top.

Another thing I thought of was some kind of suspender harness that could attach the cape to to her belt. As it is, Halle Berry's outfit in Days of Future Past has quite a bit going on there in the front:

http://ihdwallpapers.com/download/halle_berry_in_x_men_days_of_future_past_2014-2560x1600.jpg
http://wac.450f.edgecastcdn.net/804.../04/halle-berry-storm-days-of-future-past.jpg

But I don't want to overcomplicate things as I like the look so far. I just need a better way to attach the cape and without altering the top. Anyway, I am open to more ideas.

Thanx,
Diaval


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