How Can I Make a Superman Costume?

Superman's costume, with its bright red, yellow and blue colors, is one of the most familiar images in pop culture. Because of the simple, basic colors and design, constructing a Superman costume out of easy-to-find materials can be simple. The most important components of such a costume are the tights, the cape, the boots and the familiar "S" logo adorning the chest of the suit.

Things You'll Need

• Unitard or long underwear
• Red and yellow fabric
• Scissors
• Felt glue
• Underwear briefs
• Belt
• Boots
• Red and yellow paint
• Sewing kit or machine

Instructions

1. Obtain a shirt and a set of long, form-fitting leggings. A unitard can work, but so can a set of long underwear, provided the knit is smooth. These items should all be either royal blue or white.

2. If your unitard or long underwear starts out being white, dye it royal blue. It may take multiple dye applications to get the color to the correct depth and shade.

3. Cut a pentagon out of yellow felt or a similar material to make the chest logo. This pentagon will point downward and will not have sides that are equal in length. The two top sides should be shorter than the horizontal top line and the two bottom sides. The finished shape should look like an upside down pyramid with its top left and right corners snipped off.

4. Cut another version of this pentagon shape and the letter "S" out of your red material. Then remove the center portion of the red pentagon, leaving only an outline of the shape. This will become a border for your logo.

5. Glue the red outline and "S" onto the yellow pentagon and then glue or sew the completed logo onto the front of the blue shirt.

6. Add a pair of red or white underwear briefs; dye the briefs red if they are white. These will be worn over the blue leggings.

7. Take an old leather belt and paint it yellow with dye or spray paint. Color a pair of boots red in a similar fashion.

8. Add a red cape. A pre-made cape with a tied string can work, but if you want something closer to the actual costume, cut one out of red fabric and glue or sew it to the shoulders on the blue shirt.

References

• Superman Homepage: Making Your Own Superman Costume