What can I wear to make myself feel like a super-hero?

 

 

Kath wrote to me this morning with this question, and I have been pondering it all day. Obviously, you will look a little odd if you don a Wonder Woman costume and head off to work, but there are loads of little tweaks that you can make to your wardrobe for some super-humanness. Give these tips a whirl, and you will feel as though you can leap tall buildings in no time flat.

 

 

You should keep your outfit clean and slightly futuristic. Leave any soft floral prints and lacy fabrics in the closet today. Select block colours, and choose just two or three colours and keep them running throughout your whole outfit. It’s all about extreme coordination. Everything you put on should have a slightly cartoon-ish feel to it.

 

 

Select a ‘totem’ symbol and mix this symbol into your outfit. Think about it: Spiderman has spiders on all his costumes, The Flash loves lightening bolts and Wonder Woman is mad about stars. You can choose anything you like, just make sure that it reflects your personality (or your super-powers) and weave this into your outfit. For example, if you are feeling a little bit romantic you could wear stockings or leggings with hearts printed on them, a hear-shaped necklace and heart-shaped sunglasses.

 

 

Play around with proportion. Wear huge shoulder pads, a criminally short skirt, a pair of pointy boots or a billowing cape. Choose at least one garment that looks ‘exaggerated’ and build the rest of your outfit around it.

 

 

Go nuts with accessories. Don’t overdo your jewellery, but pick a couple of statement pieces (preferably that feature your totem) and add them to your outfit. Choose jewellery that is oversized and dramatic. Chrome, lucite and plastic jewellery work best with a super-hero look. Leave your delicate chains, bohemian bangles and gypsy rings in your jewellery box for today. Belts, cuff bracelets, oversized rings, arm warmers and crazy hats work well.

 

Amazing legwear is a must. Good options include skinny jeans in bright colours, crazy leggings, metallic tights and short shorts.

 

 

Your hair should be sculptural and head-turning. Sweep it all up into a huge beehive, iron it poker-straight or spike it all on end. Use enough product to bust your own personal hole in the ozone layer, to keep your coif in place when you are leaping tall buildings, doing kung-fu on top of a moving train or flying your invisible jet.

 

Super hero makeup is extreme. Choose one feature and focus all your attention on it. I tend to think that it’s best to focus on your eyes when going for that super-human look, but if you want to play up your lips, go for it. Subtlety be damned. Wear the brightest eye shadow you can find, in a colour that matches the rest of your outfit. Blend it with a chrome gold or silver shadow. Add frosted lip gloss and strong blusher applied under your cheekbones for extra contour. Apply black liquid eyeliner and pull it out at the corners of your eyes for a cats’ eye flick. If you are feeling especially brave, you could use facepaint or liquid eye shadow to draw a shape on your face, such as a star over one eye or a lightening bolt down your cheek. Use this as another way to incorporate your totem into your outfit. It’s like Ziggy Stardust meets Jem and the Holograms. You can also add an amazing pair of false eyelashes or a sprinkling of glitter on your cheekbones or eyelids.

 

 

It’s also a good idea to mix in a bit of glitz, so add sequins, glitter and lurex with gay abandon.

Choose an amazing pair of shoes, whether it’s a pair of sky-high stilettos, or some fabulous boots. Your shoes don’t need to be practical, and a spike heel really does lend itself to this look.

 

 

A super-hero also needs an amazing pair of underpants. I suggest that you wear yours on the inside though, to avoid any awkward incidents.