Skintight Superhero Suits Are This Year's Geeky Costume Craze

In recent months, a number of officially licensed superhero suits have come to market that are not like the traditional variety often seen at college and Halloween parties. You know, the kind that usually look too baggy, sport fake muscle-chests and generally just don’t look as though they fit very well.

The trouble is, transporting a costume from the movie or illustrated world (comic books) to the everyday consumer environment is difficult for manufacturers to do successfully without a large budget to work with on a cost per unit basis. Since many superhero suits are used by their owners just once or twice in their lifetimes, prices have to be low (around £35/$50), and this inevitably translates into limitations in terms of what materials can be used.

For example, it is possible to purchase an authentic looking Darth Vader or Batman ‘The Dark Knight’ costume that fits really well, but it will set you back in the region of £650/$1,000. But now things have changed because the superhero costume landscape has been shaken-up by the introduction of comic-book character ‘Second Skin’ costumes; and it’s not hard to see why. Their cartoon-like design makes them very visually appealing, their skintight fit means they actually fit properly, and as a bonus they’re a tad cheaper than their traditional counterparts.

One of my favorite superhero suits available in the Second Skin range is this The Flash costume (below). It really brings to life the dynamic of the character and gives off a classic superhero look. After all, running extremely fast in an outfit that’s baggy and not skintight would just result in a whole lot of nasty rashes. One aspect that should be taken into consideration is that to get the full effect of the costume, the head-piece must be worn at all times (which could pose a problem over a period of an entire evening).

There is a way to overcome this, although I wouldn’t recommend it. Since the material is porous, a lot of people have claimed it’s possible to wear the mask while drinking. What effect that has on the taste of the particular beverage in question I don’t know, which leads me onto another point. If the individual wearing one of these has a beer belly, the overall look really wouldn’t be quite as flattering. There’s nothing that quite defines ‘costume fail’ like superhero suits that are a few sizes too small. Nevertheless, they’re still pretty good fun. Check out some other designs in the range below.