Your Outfit Kind Of Sucks: The Costume Design of Daredevil

[Bec]

I actually liked the black pajamas even though Claire thought it sucked. It was a badass scary ninja look. And he would have been right at home in a horror movie. Kind of like those ghosts wearing face-shrouds that always seems to be a fixture in victorian ghost stories. Sometimes he just suddenly appears in the dark and it's terrifying as hell. Love that.

 

Someone put together a list of stuff for that outfit. Pantrygirl helpfully posted a link in the episode 10 thread:

http://www.tvstyleguide.com/daredevil/daredevils-black-season-1-costume/

 

Not crazy about the red suit as it is right now. He needs to look more terrifying and less silly to psych out his enemies. Unless he's trying to get them off guard by making them think he's one of those costumed characters from Times Square. But I would rather he look convincingly scary.

 

But I gotta give the costume design points for trying to make it practical. The skintight red suit thing is hard to pull off in live action so they have their work cut out for them. I've been thinking about how they can "make it work" (as Tim Gunn would say on Project Runway).

 

I do like that it's DARK red and not super shiny (it can still stand to be less shiny).

 

Someone pointed out that the black patches on his chest look like a face and now I can't unsee it. They need to get rid of that, otherwise I'd be laughing at that everytime I see the suit.

 

His movements look more restricted in the red suit. If the suit is causing that, they need to work on having it be easy to move around in.

 

Maybe they can give him actual pants instead of tights. Tights are not pants. I understand we are in the Marvelverse and it's a standard superhero thing to wear "long underwear", it's more true to the comics, and all that, but it looks super uncomfortable. The pants with the black outfit looked fine, why can't they do something like that, but in red? Give him some tactical pants!

 

As for the mask, maybe a more mesh-y and less helmet-y look would be less dorky (de-bulk, like people have been saying). On closer inspection, they do have the red eyes thing going on, but they need to make those red eyes bigger so it's more obvious and look less human. The seams over the eyes look like funny eyebrows, they need to get rid of those. Simpify! His mask would look scarier if it's all horns and demon eyes, nothing else.

 

On the fashion front, this show is actually pretty stylin'. I especially like the way they dress Matt and Karen. There's something kind of classic film noir about the way they dress.

[Danny Franks]

I think the black outfit was pretty cool. Minimalist and not exactly good for protection, but it looked like the sort of outfit a wouldbe vigilante might actually put together himself, before going out to fight crime. Black lycra (or mesh or whatever fancy term is used nowadays) that is unrestrictive and hugs the body. Nothing dangling or loose to catch onto anything. It's practical, and I agree that it does look pretty cool, in a ninja sort of way. It had strong overtones of Batman: Year One, which makes sense for a guy just starting out.

 

The new, Daredevil costume, I think looks pretty good. It's got the protection, thanks to Melvin, but it is a bit bulkier. Not too heavy, and it still looks like Matt can move freely. The dorky helmet is practical, as they showed when it deflected one of Fisk's attacks. Matt's biggest problem was that he kept getting pummelled, even in fights he won, and this costume addresses that. He had armour padding in the forearms, which allowed him to deflect Fisk's attacks, where before he'd have had his arms broken and then the rest of him smashed to bits. He should be blade proof, to an extent, which would have helped immeasurably in his fight against Nobu. I imagine the whole thing is made of whatever supposed damage resistant fibres Fisk's suits are made of.

 

I quite like the very dark red, and think it makes sense in a world where there's dirt and grime, and a lot of redbrick buildings. It's not going to show up any more than black at night. It looks like they've tried to avoid the 'underpants on the outside' look that so many costumed heroes have, but I'm not sure the black crotch and inner thighs quite work.

 

But Melvin did say it wasn't finished, so that gives them scope to play around with the design before season 2 starts filming.

[Bec]

They did set up the color red pretty well by having little Matt in a flashback scene mention that red is good because "they can't see how much you're bleeding". So it makes sense he'd choose red when he gets a costume custom-made.

 

If I can suspend disbelief enough to accept the super-tough fiber that can deflect blades, I can totally believe this outfit protecting him without bulky helmets and padding.

 

I'm not one to think they have to be very faithful to the source material, so I wouldn't complain if they come up with something new that looks better for live-action.

 

Just make it look badass and I'd be happy. Right now I wouldn't exactly call it badass.

 

Ooh, and check this out, somebody made a chart of all(?) of Daredevil's outfits from the first comic book to now in this series:

http://www.shirts.com/blog/p-691-the-evolution-of-daredevil-infographic.aspx

 

I should be glad they didn't go with the original yellow as the inspiration for the current design. Hee!

[starri]

Well, they could have gone with the putrid 90s X-TREME! outfit with armor, pouches, and just about everything else that was wrong with comics in the 90s.

[solea]

Bec, I agree with you (and pretty much everyone).  Here's hoping the red outfit is still a work in progress.  (I personally loved the black.)

 

At the very end DD is standing on a roof and listening.  He does this thing where he turns his head and shoulders as one unit which certainly looks like the suit is not very flexible.  My other complaint is how the hood thing covers his jaw.  That may sound funny, but Charlie Cox's acting in the black hood relied a lot on subtle movements of head, neck, jaw and he was very successful at that.  The new hood may restrict this, or make it undetectable even if he can do it. And the dorky "devil horns" are just completely silly.  *sigh*  Please work on this costumers.

 

Another thing I noticed sometimes was how Karen's clothes don't fit as well as they could.  I guess it's mostly the skirts that I noticed.  They kind of bunch up at the waist sometimes.  Was this a choice for that character or just lazy fitting?  Matt's suits and dress shirts fit perfectly!  Yum.

[Danny Franks]

Bec, I agree with you (and pretty much everyone).  Here's hoping the red outfit is still a work in progress.  (I personally loved the black.)

 

At the very end DD is standing on a roof and listening.  He does this thing where he turns his head and shoulders as one unit which certainly looks like the suit is not very flexible.  My other complaint is how the hood thing covers his jaw.  That may sound funny, but Charlie Cox's acting in the black hood relied a lot on subtle movements of head, neck, jaw and he was very successful at that.  The new hood may restrict this, or make it undetectable even if he can do it. And the dorky "devil horns" are just completely silly.  *sigh*  Please work on this costumers.

 

Another thing I noticed sometimes was how Karen's clothes don't fit as well as they could.  I guess it's mostly the skirts that I noticed.  They kind of bunch up at the waist sometimes.  Was this a choice for that character or just lazy fitting?  Matt's suits and dress shirts fit perfectly!  Yum.

 

The stiff neck thing has long been a problem for superhero costumes. Hopefully it will be addressed, because one of the key aspects of Daredevil is how graceful and agile he is, in combat and movement.

 

As for Karen's clothing, I'd like to say that it's deliberate, because she's a girl without much in the way of income, and probably doesn't spend much on clothes. But who knows, I rarely notice something like an ill-fitting skirt, to be honest. Not really in my wheelhouse. And with Deborah Ann Woll, most of the time I just found myself looking at her face anyway.

[Carrie Ann]

Actually, I thought a lot of Matt's clothes fit poorly too, or at least his overcoat did, and since he was wearing that a lot, it was noticeable. It looked a size too big, and I thought it actually might have been intentional. Just to have things not be too perfect on the show; to show that he and Foggy were struggling financially and couldn't afford to have things tailored or buy new clothes all the time.

[Ottis]

looks like they've tried to avoid the 'underpants on the outside' look that so many costumed heroes have, but I'm not sure the black crotch and inner thighs quite work.

 

 

This made me laugh more than it should.

[Dandesun]

Well, they could have gone with the putrid 90s X-TREME! outfit with armor, pouches, and just about everything else that was wrong with comics in the 90s.

 

Pouches! So many pouches! Superheroes need pouches! Lots and lots of pouches!

 

You know, I would have bought into the whole pouch overkill if anyone ever drew/wrote a hero using one of those things. As it was... you had stuff like 'Scott Summers wears bright yellow underpants on the outside held up by a belt with pouches he never uses. Really, Jim Lee?'

 

Comic book costumes are hard to bring into the real world. At least the new costume doesn't have the giant interlocking DD right smack dab in the middle of the chest. As if the red costume and the horns didn't already paint a picture... you need a monogram, too? Okay.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I know this is the Daredevil forum, but if I may....?

 

At least my guy*, who wears a utility belt, which actually has shit that he uses to thwart the bad guys, so I don't mind the whole "undervear" outside of tights thing.

 

*See my avatar. Hee.

 

As for Matt, well, the last shot, I didn't notice any trouble craning his neck to hear--that's what he's always done to concentrate/focus on who it is that needs his help.

 

And that last flying shot? Oh my, I'm flailing again. It.Was.EVERYTHING!

[Dandesun]

Yeah, that last shot of Daredevil made all the attempts to convert the comic outfit to 'real world' totally worth it to me. Just... that shot gave me life... killed me... and then resurrected me again.

 

Loved it.

 

And at least red is better than that yellow/red original mess. Jinkies that's a hideous look. (Although I can totally buy a blind guy putting that together.)

[Bec]

At least the new costume doesn't have the giant interlocking DD right smack dab in the middle of the chest. As if the red costume and the horns didn't already paint a picture... you need a monogram, too? Okay.

 

Oh yeah, I'm also glad there's no monogram. That's one of those things that would up the silliness quotient by a lot.

 

I didn't notice the ill-fitting clothes at all! I did notice Matt's tie was crooked when Claire was in his apartment and he was about to head to the office. I was hoping she would fix his tie. Ah, missed opportunity. Hee!

[Danny Franks]

Oh yeah, I'm also glad there's no monogram. That's one of those things that would up the silliness quotient by a lot.

 

I didn't notice the ill-fitting clothes at all! I did notice Matt's tie was crooked when Claire was in his apartment and he was about to head to the office. I was hoping she would fix his tie. Ah, missed opportunity. Hee!

 

He probably tugged it out of place, just to try and get her to fix it. She was too smart for him!

 

I suppose it would make sense for Matt's clothes to be less than perfect, given that he can't see them. Sure, he's got his whole 'world on fire' thing, but it doesn't seem like he can pick out the details of clothing. Especially when he's the one wearing it.

[The Crazed Spruce]

The costume actually strikes me as something that a MCU version of a real-life superhero would wear.  (Because that's basically what Matt is, an in-universe version of a RLSH.)  Not quite the same as the one in the comics, but it works in context.

[Eneya]

They are not very rich people... I find them ridiculously well-dressed already.
 

In regards to the underwear on the outside, it has come from wrestling it is aesthetic which was to create association betwen superheroes and badass fighters... but the times have moved and know people have no idea why the pants are on the outside... but we still see those costumes around. Talk about influenced by the past because of no other reason but repeating something ad nasuem because those before you did it as well. :)

 

The horns made me laugh, to be honest.

Though I was mainly thinking about the fact that his costume looks a bit like what I'd make. :) Aagain... good, bad-ass hero costume? Skitter... now THAT is a good costume. :)

[Kel Varnsen]

I think the black outfit was pretty cool. Minimalist and not exactly good for protection, but it looked like the sort of outfit a wouldbe vigilante might actually put together himself, before going out to fight crime. 

Only think I didn't like about the black outfit was in the mask/hood part there was that extra cloth at the back (I guess what he used to tie it up?). Seems like in a fist fight that loose cloth tied to your head would be a great thing for an enemy to grab onto.

[Bec]

Yeah, I'm surprised no one managed to grab his mask off with those handy handles right there.

[Menrva]

I really liked the black outfit; the simplicity of it, practical and looked like something someone would put together themselves. And the menace of that masked face was very effective to me. There is something quite unsettling about not being able to look into his eyes. But, yes, Matt needed an upgrade desperately, after nearly being killed numerous times, especially after fighting Nobu and Fisk.

 

That being said, wow, the new outfit, while it definitely looks like it can offer much more protection, just is so unnecessarily fussy, with all those patches and straps. Almost as bad as Buckle Canary over on Arrow. Few superhero outfits are as bad as that. I guess I prefer understated over flashy when it comes to superhero outfits. It's the helmet that's the worst for me; the eyes look small and beady, and yes, I know that Matt doesn't need eyeholes, but it makes him look insect like. I don't need them to copy the comic book look exactly, but they really made a mess of that costume.

[Bec]

It's kind of hard for head-to-toe red to be not flashy. Therein lies the challenge of getting it to look good on screen. They might have been trying to tone it down and make it more understated by adding black bits to it. Sadly, all those extra patches and lines just made it look fussier.

 

The eyes looked so small and sunken on that helmet thing I thought they were eyeholes like the ones on Batman's cowl at first, until I got a closer look and saw that you can't actually see his eyes.

 

I've heard some people call the black outfit the "Dread Pirate Roberts" costume. As if that's a bad thing! Just makes it that much more awesome in my book. Looking back at some of the stuff written on the interwebs before the show came out, wow, some people thought the show was going to suck because Daredevil isn't wearing a red suit. Hee, I guess the joke's on all of us that the black turned out to work much, much better than the red. At least so far.

 

That black mask is a bit extra bulky around the eyes, though. Did anyone else notice? It's like there's extra fabric wound around the eyes or he's wearing goggles under that mask. It's all well and good that Matt doesn't have to see, but the stunt guy and Charlie Cox do have to be able to see, right? I wonder how they managed that?

[The Crazed Spruce]

That black mask is a bit extra bulky around the eyes, though. Did anyone else notice? It's like there's extra fabric wound around the eyes or he's wearing goggles under that mask. It's all well and good that Matt doesn't have to see, but the stunt guy and Charlie Cox do have to be able to see, right? I wonder how they managed that?

Easy. They used a fake blindfold. Some kind of vinyl mesh that looks opaque on camera, but you can see through easily. The scene was probably brighter on-set and darkened in post-production, so that probably helped.

[Menrva]

It's kind of hard for head-to-toe red to be not flashy. Therein lies the challenge of getting it to look good on screen. They might have been trying to tone it down and make it more understated by adding black bits to it. Sadly, all those extra patches and lines just made it look fussier.

 

The eyes looked so small and sunken on that helmet thing I thought they were eyeholes like the ones on Batman's cowl at first, until I got a closer look and saw that you can't actually see his eyes.

 

I've heard some people call the black outfit the "Dread Pirate Roberts" costume. As if that's a bad thing! Just makes it that much more awesome in my book. Looking back at some of the stuff written on the interwebs before the show came out, wow, some people thought the show was going to suck because Daredevil isn't wearing a red suit. Hee, I guess the joke's on all of us that the black turned out to work much, much better than the red. At least so far.

 

The Dread Pirate Roberts is the best. Ever. I think I've seen the Princess Bride about 100 times. At least. Ok, the first step is admitting you have a problem…

 

I'm not sure how they can improve the suit for season 2 but Melvin Potter did say it was a work in progress, IIRC. But definitely fewer seams and straps. I don't mind the red, but all the components need to be better integrated. I would like to see it work together as a whole, and I kept getting distracted by all the pieces of the suit. The black outfit worked because it presented a cohesive image that projected menace and mystery. With the red suit, I kept noticing things, like oh! There's a shiny belt buckle! And what do those shoulder straps do? And Charlie Cox's lovely jawline was covered up by some black spandex-y stuff. He really does have such an attractive lower half of his face. 

[Bec]

You're in good company here. I haven't quite watched this show (or The Princess Bride) 100 times, but I sure am working up to it. Hee!

 

On the shallow side, that black outfit really showed off his physique. The red suit covers that up way too much with all that padding. What a waste. *shaking my head*

 

The Crazed Spruce, I heard people talk about trick blindfolds, but I wondered if their vision would still be limited in those since all their scenes take place in the dark. But you're probably right that they had things brighter on set and darkened the scenes in post.

[Capricasix]

Bec, agreed!

[WendyCR72]

Yeah....maybe the red suit goes more with the comics (of which I'm not too familiar with), but I much preferred the minimalist black outfit. Besides, that seemed to be more like something a vigilante would wear, to me!

[FurryFury]

So I've seen this photo and wondered what exactly it reminds me of...

 

[Menrva]

Bwahhahaha!!!! That is so perfect.