For reference: SS NC HQ = Suicide Squad NightClub Harley Quinn, ok? Ok.
Hey Skwad!
Right off the bat, it should be noted that the “Nightclub dress” (if you can call it that) worn by Margot Robbie in 2016’s Suicide Squad is completely impractical. It’s low-cut, it's backless and I don’t think the word “short” covers it (or my backside). Whilst you can minimise the likelihood of exposing yourself completely by wearing the correct undergarments and using adhesives to stick the dress to your body (more on that later), this is especially crucial when at conventions where one wrong move or a small child starts grabbing and pulling on things unknowingly can send the whole outfit crashing down. In essence, the dress is revealing by its very nature and there’s no getting around that. I state this, first and foremost, not to critique the dress I received from @highfashionjoker on Instagram, but to highlight that the dress in general, no matter who I got it from or if I had made it myself, is almost ludicrous in its design. The fact that it even exists is hilarious when you realise you are essentially wearing two rectangles of metal mesh (which is effectively chain-mail, y'know, the stuff worn by knights in the Middle Ages), a load of metal jewellery, most likely a wig which is quite heavy on the head and high heals. I honestly don’t know whether to thank the costume and wardrobe team of Suicide Squad or berate them! On the one hand, the costume is visually stunning and really “pops” on screen (Margot’s jewellery and dress reflecting in the nightclub lights), but on the other, it is an absolute pain in the neck to wear!
Underwear is an awkward one as you can’t really wear any, unless it’s like a nude-coloured thong but even then it has to be one that is especially low-waisted, as shown by these photos. I found that I could either position the dress so it either covered my chest well but then exposed my arse and nether regions or I could cover my lowered half well but leave little of my chest to the imagination. @ebbicosplay on Instagram has brought to my awareness that Margot wears gold underwear, but her version of the dress does not drape at the lower back as much as mine and Margot’s do.
Furthermore, @ebbicosplay and @littleminxcosplay both sew a nude underlining into their dresses making maintaining modesty and wearing the proper undergarments much easier. @littleminxcosplay also uses SHOO GOO to prevent the metal mesh from shedding as well as preventing the dress from falling apart as it's incredibly flimsy just due to the fabric choice. The “infamous” Laura Gilbert (see what I did there!) on the other hand sews ribbons on the inside of the metal-mesh dress and then uses Hollywood tape to attach the dress to her body for modesty reasons as the “metal mesh doesn’t stick exactly to Hollywood tape it needs something else to adhere to” as Laura states in her YouTube video “Clubbing Dress Vlog: Day 1 ft. Natasha Rose!”. But I suppose you could sew an underlining and then attach the Hollywood tape to the underlining as opposed to ribbons for
comfortability and
warmth (not all of us live in sunny Australia, Laura and believe it or not cold metal on bare skin is not fun!)
Alternatively, a sticky bra such as LIFTUP™’s Reusable Lift-Up Invisible Bra (Pair) could work as it’s designed for both backless and low-cut dresses, both of which apply to the nightclubbing dress.
With this in mind, let's get to reviewing my dress!
Firstly, the fabric is visually STUNNING and could not be more screen-accurate as Margot’s own dress is made out of metal mesh, although Margot’s has full black diamonds down the middle on both sides of the dress to protect her modesty, unlike mine which has the half gold diamonds down the middle giving me even more limited movement as personally I would not like to reveal EVERYTHING, thank you very much.
I'm really trying not to be overly critical here, but as stated previously due to the dress's inherent design and fabric it is not the most comfortable thing to wear. Metal, unlike most fabrics used for clothes, does not stretch and will break every time a limb moves more than an inch or two (which makes me wonder how many copies of Margot's dress they had to make for her to do all the cartwheels and dancing she does in this scene). As you can see from the photos, we had to attach a ribbon to temporarily fix one of the straps holding the dress together. Because of this breakability, it's so important to store and transport the dress in as much bubble wrap as you can feasibly conceive as well as get a buddy who you don't mind seeing you practically naked to help you get into the dress as it's absolutely a 2 person (minimum) job (cheers @gemmathowie! - also cheers for taking these pictures!)
My recommendation for getting into the dress depends on what the widest part of your body is. For example, if your hips are the widest part of your body I would advise that you pull on as opposed to stepping into the dress (or vice versa if your bust is your widest measurement). I would also suggest that you group the tassels and tie them into sections before putting the dress on and then untying them, to prevent them from catching on anything and getting slightly less tangled, although this is somewhat inevitable. Sequin fabric versions of this dress do exist for much cheaper on Amazon and the like, so at the end of the day it comes down to whether you want screen accuracy or practicality of multiple re-wears and movability.
My wig was unable to be used at this time, so I will either update this post or make a new post, should I go to a comic con or something, with complete cosplay photos! I always feel like I never quite encapture Harls without the wig, it just never feels quite right (mw)hahaha!
Commenti