They say a story is as good as its villain. After all, no matter how many ways we find to tailor old, traditional storytelling, there’s no denying that a good antagonist is what stirs up the drama necessary to create a compelling plot. But, wait! They’re not only memorable through actions and personality. In fact, many of them cling to our memories with the incredible design of their outfits. Some of them are very difficult to replicate, but human creativity managed to conquer all odds and gave us some ingenious villain costumes.
Image Courtesy of Disney Studios
When worn in the context of their universe, these villain costumes don’t necessarily stand out. But bring them into our world and it will become clear just how catwalk-worthy they are. Here are 10 Villain Costumes that Would Win Fashion Shows.
#1 Maleficent
It would have to be a serious case of haute-couture for it to work, but Maleficent’s apparel is as intimidating as it is gorgeous and memorable. In case you’re ever in need to feel like a true dark queen while sipping at your evening tea and watching Netflix, parade in this outfit to get out your evil villain laugh.
#2 Cruella de Vil
Cruella doesn’t exactly have one particular trademark look, but she’s managed to make her black and white chromatic compelling enough for it to be turned into several villain costumes. She stays true to her bicolored aesthetic and she makes evil look even classier with her thin cigarette and the high heels.
#3 Poison Ivy
Not all villain costumes need to scream at the top of their lungs that they’re being worn by the bad guys. Poison Ivy managed to become a renowned antagonist for Batman from the comfort of her ultra-sexy and brightly green apparel. Who knew even flowers could be so dangerous? Green isn’t a creative color.
#4 Ravenna
A costume very similar to the one worn by Maleficent, Ravenna manages to stand out with a pinch of appropriate personalization. Given her name and all, it only made sense that the finishing touch would be a gorgeous raven feather collar and some sparkles to the dress.
#5 Prince Nuada
Presented as an antagonist in Hell Boy 2: The Golden Army, Prince Nuada is the son of elf king Balor. Also, he is the one wearing one of the classiest and most eye-catching outfits seen on male villains. It was so impressive that the comic adapted the look, not the other way around.
#6 Two Face Costume
He didn’t wear any particular outfits in The Dark Knight, but Two Face has worn some villain costumes with variations. One of the most fashionable of them all was the one from his portrayal in the DC Animated Universe – a stylish suit colored one half in white, one half in black.
#7 Emma Frost
All of Emma Frost’s villain costumes have in common the scanty and unapologetic look that most comic book female antagonists have going on for them. However, there is a certain alluring class to her outfit choices, really well represented by January Jones in X-Men: First Class.
#8 Doctor Facilier
Disney villains are where it’s at. In the case of the antagonist of The Princess and the Frog, it wasn’t just his voodoo-inspired apparel that was stylish. The man managed to carry himself and behave with true menacing class as well.
#9 Ursula
An odd choice, perhaps, but wouldn’t it be really something if you saw a model parade a menacing black dress that ended in details resembling tentacles? A villain must inspire terror through appearance alone and this dress would certainly do it.
#10 Vidal
You might recognize him off Pan’s Labyrinth. He’s a man very fond of strictness and rules, which is why his fashion choices go hand in hand. Luckily for him, the military style is unlikely to ever go out of fashion and the fact that he tweaked his clothes a bit is definitely a bonus.
