This costume idea had been brewing in my head, but it wasn’t until a combo of pandemic lockdown and an excellent cosplayer opening up for commissions that it came to fruition. I’d been dreaming of David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane image (which I have a huge poster of) and his Ziggy Stardust persona, but done as an 18th-century suit for Leonard. It was ambitious and while I could imagine how to do the Bowie parts, tailoring the suit was daunting (even though I’ve made, what, four of them so far?).
So why not go to someone who could do it better? Thus, I sent my inspiration pix and some crappy Photoshop sketches to @rosehippscosplay, and we did fittings by mail and video, which worked great.
David Bowie suits, c. 1972, design by Freddie Burretti. Photo by Getty Images.
OMG did she deliver! The fit of the suit is excellent, but more importantly, the design is even better than I’d imagined.
To complete the look, I found some retro ’80s bridal shoes on eBay that I painted and glittered.
I used two spiky orange “rocker” wigs to make a Bowie wig with 18th-century rolls.
I cut one wig apart, using the wefts to roll into “buckles” using the how-to steps in Kendra’s 18th-c. hair book.
For extra effect, I painted a mask with the Aladdin Sane lightning bolt, as well as used Kryolan makeup on my face.
I was inspired by how David Bowie used masks in his performances in the ’70s.
While the suit was finished in 2021, I didn’t get to wear the outfit until the Labyrinth Masquerade Ball in 2022.
