Harley Quinn is one of the most iconic villains in the "Batman" series, so it's no wonder that many women want to dress up as her for Halloween parties or comic book conventions. It is said that you must be as crazy as Harley if you are willing to pay a lot of money for a Harley Quinn costume, when you can make one yourself. Here's a guide to what you need to do if you want to save money and make the costume yourself.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Making the top
Step 1. Mark a red and a black blouse in the middle
Wear two long-sleeved tops for the classic Harley Quinn look, or two tank tops for the "Arkham Asylum" version.
- Lay the plain black and red blouse on your work surface.
- Use a ruler or tape measure to mark exactly the middle of each shirt. Draw a line down the middle with chalk or a fabric pencil.
- Use your ruler to draw another line 2.5 cm outside of the center line. On the black blouse, draw the second line to the left of the center when they face off. For the red blouse, draw the second line to the right of the center line when they face each other.
Step 2. Divide the two tops in half
Use sharp scissors to cut along the second line on both tops.
- Don't cut on the center line. If you cut along the center line, you won't have enough material to hem.
- You may need to pin the front and back of the tops so that you can cut evenly on both sides. If not, redraw the center and second line on the back of the shirt, and cut them separately.
- Save any leftover fabric to make diamond embellishments for the sleeves.
Step 3. Sew the black half with the red half
Pin both parts along the center line, so that the extra fabric from each is hidden inside the costume, behind the hem. Flip the tops out and sew a straight line along this seam.
- Using a sewing machine, and red or black thread, sew a straight line across the seam to join the two blouses. Topstitch the ends to secure them.
- If you are sewing the costume by hand, use a backstitch to sew a straight line from the top to the bottom of the tops.
- Sew both sides before flipping the shirt to the correct side again.
Step 4. Attach the diamonds to the sleeves
If you are going to choose to do the classic Harley Quinn look, you will need to add three diamonds to the sleeves of your blouse.
- Trace and cut three diamonds from the leftover black fabric, and three diamonds from the excess red fabric. The diamonds should be about 5 cm high and 2.5 cm wide.
- Sew the three red diamonds into a partial diamond pattern on top of the black sleeve. Diamonds must be facing out.
- Sew the three black diamonds into a partial diamond pattern at the bottom of the red sleeve. These diamonds should be facing out as well.
Step 5. Wrap a corset around your waist
This option is for those who are more interested in imitating the version of Harley Quinn in "Arkham Asylum", instead of the original style.
Tie the black corset around your waist, over the red and black blouse that you made. If possible, tie the top with red threads or belts
Method 2 of 4: Do the bottom part
Step 1. Unthread the center seams of some red and black jeggings
The pants have a center seam that runs from the top of the waist, down between the legs, and back to the waist again. Use a thread extractor to remove all the thread that holds the two halves together.
- If you simply cut the jeggings, you will surely end up in a situation where you will not have extra fabric to tie the two halves together.
- You can also wear leggings, but jeggings are made of a thicker material, and these are easier to work with for this project.
- If possible, use jeggings that are made by the same manufacturer, so that both parts fit more easily.
- Save the halves that are opposite the colors you used for your blouse. Since the right sleeve of your shirt should be black, and the left sleeve should be red, the right leg of your pants should be red and the left leg black.
- Save the remaining material to make diamond shapes.
Step 2. Sew both parts in half
Flip the jeggings to the outside and pin both parts along the fabric without sewing hems. Sew a straight line from the waist, through the legs and back the other side towards the waist.
- Use red or black thread.
- If you're using a sewing machine, use a straight point and stitch the ends to hold them in place.
- If you're sewing by hand, use a topstitch to create a sturdy seam.
- Try on your pants. Before propping up the material, you should use your pants to make sure there are no holes, and that the seams hold up when you sit, walk, and bend over.
Step 3. Add the diamond shapes
Cut three black and three red diamonds from the leftover fabric. The diamonds should be twice as large as the ones you used for the blouse.
- Sew the three black diamonds into a partial diamond pattern at the top of your red leg.
- Sew the three red diamonds into a partial diamond pattern at the bottom of your black leg.
Method 3 of 4: Makeup
Step 1. Paint your face white
Rub white cream cosmetics or white face paint all over your face.
Make it as even as possible. The white cream should extend from your hairline, to the base of your head, where your head meets your neck. You don't need to include your ears, eyelids, or mouth
Step 2. Apply black makeup on your eyes
Eyeshadow, eyeliner, and mascara should all be black.
- Apply black shadow on your eyelids.
- Apply a thick line of black gel liner along your lids. Gel eyeliner spreads easier than pencil eyeliners, which is what you need for this look.
- Apply black mascara to your upper and lower lashes.
- Use a damp cotton swab to smudge your eye makeup. It should look messy, but still attractive.
- Use some black gel liner to create "tear" lines. Apply the black eyeliner in short, quick strokes that extend outward from your lower eyelid. Just create a few to look different. Blend them gently with a cotton swab.
Step 3. Use black lipstick
You can also use a blood red lipstick, but whatever your choice is, it must be a dark color.
Step 4. Put a small amount of blush on your cheeks
Quickly apply blush to your cheeks to give them some color.
Method 4 of 4: Accessories
Step 1. Wear black ankle boots
Leather flats work best, but you can also choose boots with a bit of a heel.
- Ankle-length boots work well for either version of the costume, but you can also wear knee-length boots if you plan to make the "Arkham Asylum" version costume.
- Technically, Harley Quinn wears a red and a black boot. If you have cheap boots, and are not worried about permanently altering them, then use a red paint spray to paint a boot. The red boot must go on the black leg of the pants.
Step 2. Wear red and black gloves
Both costume gloves and knits work well, but they should be made of a thin material.
- Invert the colors of your gloves. The red glove must go with the black sleeve of the blouse, while the black glove must go with the red sleeve.
- Add white ruffled bracelets. The easiest way to do this is to wear white garters, or white elastic hair bands with ruffles around your wrists.
Step 3. Wear a jester hat
This only applies if you plan to wear the original Harley Quinn costume.
Try to find a jester hat that is one half red and one half black. Otherwise it will not match your costume
Step 4. Put on a blonde wig
This applies if you are making the "Arkham Asylum" style costume, or if you couldn't find a jester hat.
- Find a long blonde wig. Tie the wig to make two ponytails, one on each side of your head.
- Tie red and black bows around the ponytails. You can wear both the red and black bows on both, or you can wear a red bow on the side that corresponds to the black half of your shirt, and a black bow on the side that corresponds to the red half.
Step 5. Add a black patch
Harley Quinn wears a black patch that barely covers her eye and part of her nose.
- A black mask you buy from a craft store should work, but if it covers a large part of your face, you can cut it out a bit so that it only lines your eyes.
- Make sure the elastic band goes under your wig or hat.