IS IT SILK? IS IT PLASTIC?
A Study of the 'Superman' Movie Costumes 1978-1987

By Martin Lakin

Footnotes from Yvonne Blake’s original costume design sketch (dated 1976);

"Leotard in shimmering blue two way stretch fabric worn over fake muscles and harness for flying. Capes to be made in various flowing fashion for resting. Boots in glove leather or elastic with small heel. ‘S’ motif in red and gold on breast and again in all gold on back of cape. Gold metal belt with ‘S’ buckle."

As initiated by Siegel and Shuster in the pages of Action Comics in 1938, the uniform of the original Superhero has endured and become a landmark in popular culture. For such a deceptively simple blueprint, however, there is much more to the outfit than meets the eye - and its dissection here serves both as a thorough analysis and to honour the talents involved in its evolution.

Having won an Academy Award for best costume design in 1972 for Nicholas and Alexandra, then gaining further nominations in 1976 for The Three Musketeers - her first collaboration with producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind – talented young Yvonne Blake was no stranger to forging elaborate collections, and was, therefore, an obvious choice to tailor the Man of Tomorrow for modern cinema.

Faced with the considerable task of adapting pulp iconography to the silver screen, the producers and designer had looked closely at the character's forty-year, four-colour history and live-action incarnations before referring back to the source material of the era - the DC Comics comic books of the late 1970s themselves.

With conceptual artwork underway, and the costume department in its infancy, there was little in the way of wardrobe available for the audition process. This accounts for the appearance of early would-be Supermen in hastily-assembled outfits comprised of ‘underoos’, elastic stockings and metal belt. This garb would be used for the first instance of footage showing Christopher Reeve winning the title role - utilizing his ability to make you focus on the man rather than the suit, a blessing in this instance.

As eloquently showcased in the February 1977 screen test footage in the 2001/2006 Superman-The Movie DVDs, the key details of the costume, such as the cut of the briefs, the refinement of the belt, and crucially, and the chest motif, would steadily evolve into the screen-used final version during the remainder of the casting, and the elimination of the fake muscles was confirmed once Reeve’s insistence that it was “them or me” favoured the grueling workout regime to follow.

Later sketches submitted by Yvonne Blake clearly depict Marlon Brando as Jor-el wearing the chest motif on director Richard Donner’s insistence of the crest being given some relevance in the story. For decades, the symbol had simply denoted an ‘S’ standing for ‘Superman’, but that whimsy was at odds with Donner’s vision; and so the mythical emphasis was reinforced by the declaration that the ‘S’ was, instead, a family crest and all Kryptonian society would be bestowed with similar icons. The fact that the one representing the ‘House of El’ looked like a diamond-encased letter ‘S’ would be a ‘human’ observation and, therefore, acceptable to audiences and puritans alike.

There is some conjecture about how the final design of the motif exhibited in the film was reached. While unmistakably a sleek interpretation of the etching seen in the comics, its new purpose as a futuristic crest meant the official DC Comics ‘Superman’ logo (as shown in the movie’s opening credits) would be eschewed, and variations of the new design would adorn both Kal-el and Jor-el’s outfits. The artwork and patterns for these revisions are inconsistent, as the crest adorning the front of Superman’s costume differs from the shield outline embroidered on his cape, and both tunics worn by Jor-El have alternate versions of the rendering.

With artwork approved, Blake’s next step would be sourcing the materials. There are clearly more details showcasing how the Kryptonian suits were realised (using the 3M Front Projection highly-reflective material) than exactly what fabrics and techniques were used to peel Kal-el’s outfit from the page. One name banded about repeatedly was ‘Bridal weight spandex’, though to date there is no clear definition of what that actually was. It is possible that the term was invented by the wardrobe department to adequately describe the magical quality only a Kryptonian three-piece outfit would possess.

In fact, the ‘Bridal weight spandex’ fabric was sourced by costumier Noel Howard, then production manager at Bermans and Nathans costumiers of London, based on the fact it had all the required properties, but was markedly dissimilar to either common lycra or nylon. In Howard’s own words, however, it was still a hard sell, as Blake, and even Christopher Reeve himself, needed convincing that this fabric was appropriately ‘Super’. Once experimentation with dyes to achieve the right colours proved Howard correct, the fabric was manufactured in bulk by a single machine in Europe (allegedly Germany) and sent back to the UK to be finished in-house. Along with the ‘hero’ and ‘effects’ versions, Howard testifies that there was one specially produced to remain the right colour when wet, as well as sets of degradation in colour for the ‘evil’ Superman under Gus Gorman’s kryptonite influence in Superman III.

Tragically, the machine used to manufacture the ‘Bridal weight spandex’ fabric was retired in 2005, and to this day no other method of duplicating the same weave has been found. This fabric may have become extinct along with its maker, but not before it was put to similar good use in Supergirl, season one of the Superboy television series, and later, surprisingly, Stallone’s Judge Dredd, where the fabric was dyed midnight blue and employed as the Street Judge uniforms. Noel Howard went on to assist in the development of the equally memorable costume worn by Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones In Raiders of the Lost Ark, and was active in the industry for many years until his sad passing only months ago. Without Howard, the Superman movie costume we all know and love would have been quite different - its longevity is a fitting testimony to his career.

Production sources have it that over thirty suits were compiled by Bermans and Nathans for Superman-The Movie. These suits were constructed in an effort to convince the audience, among other things, that it was seamless. While there is truth in this statement, more emphasis was placed on the technical aspects of the costume to adapt it for use in the plethora of special effects sequences. Among these would be the addition of slits in both the suits and the capes to accommodate the flying harnesses, dying the bodysuit in various shades of turquoise to separate it from the confines of blue screen photography, and multiple versions of the cape for flight and/or walking.

All of the Superman costumes were labeled in type by Bermans and Nathans with colour numbers and actor's names (often misspelled in the case of Mr. ‘Reeves’), and more often than not, scene-specific, handwritten notes would also be added in marker pen or randomly in biro.

If one were to try to authenticate an item from the production-used Superman wardrobe, there are many intricacies to inspect, but ultimately, the fundamental basics are that there shouldn’t be any costume pieces that are less than 21 years old and exhibit signs of appropriate wear. Secondly, the costumes will be much less polished than you may think. This means, as with many screen-used props and wardrobe, that the details and stitching can look haphazard up close. There will also very likely be some fading/and or soiling from use, including make-up residue, dirt and water damage – even mothballs if stored incorrectly.

Obviously, a Superman costume with its unique brand of spandex made in the late 1970s would not resemble modern fabrics such as nylon, lycra, or polyester. The cape would similarly not be lightweight material, and the boots would not be stiff leather, nor bear any similarity to a regular boot. And remember – these outfits were custom-made for an individual actor who was 6’4” tall and weighed over 200 pounds. Best examples should even bear the actor's name inside.

Once you have experienced firsthand the idiosyncrasies of a genuine production-used Superman costume, the shortcomings of reproductions are easily identified. As not everybody is fortunate enough to behold a real suit, the photographs that accompany this overview (from the current Movieum of London display) should clearly help to highlight the differences.

  The Tunic/Shorts

To specify the texture of an authentic costume’s construction, the closest metaphor for the grain of ‘Bridal Weight Spandex’ is that of a ‘waffle weave’ appearance. Up close, the small, individual squares are clearly defined. The knit is thick in texture and is much heavier than an average lycra. It is also, interestingly enough, not a regular ‘Navy’ blue. In reality, the colour is more of a steely shade of teal – there are grey hues mixed in with the blue palette. The ‘magic’ aspect of this particular fabric is that it is comprised of a metallic element that photographs in a variety of blue tones and retains that colour on film, dependant entirely on how a scene is lit. This accounts for the reason why casual movie viewers simply interprets the outfit as ‘blue’ and ‘shiny’, as reflected in most reproductions. In fact, the colours in the tunics were painstakingly treated with dye to achieve ‘steel teal’, and are prone to fading, leaving only the silvery base behind. This colour discipline was also applied to the red of the shorts, which were deep blood scarlet, and the yellow featured on the crest, exhibiting a deeper mustard shade – more a golden hue than yellow. It should also be noted that the shorts, tights and chest motif are all identical fabric with NO exception.

The blue tunic has a central zipper in the back, and, in some instances, eye-hooks for closure at the neck. The appliquéd Berman’s label should be to the right side of the collar. There are seams in the back either side of the zipper rather than on the sides – this was to avoid having an ugly seam visible whilst Superman was in flight. The collar has a rounded appearance when worn, but a squared off line at rest. Two fine lines of stitching finish the brim of the collar, and two matching sets of oversized press studs should break the seam line on the shoulder. The shoulder seams are pitched at slight angles off the arch of the shoulder, and the sleeve is finished by a generous width of cuff.

The 'S' chest shield is arguably the most crucial aspect of the costume. You will have no doubt heard the statement, ‘It is sewn into, not onto, the tunic", with no clear explanation of what that entails. An interesting parallel is that, as a result of the nature of the fabric of the authentic, screen-used costume’s construction, the shield is as inconsistent on screen as it is on paper. This is a direct result of the shield not being a patch, a screen print, or solid attachment. As all of the costumes were handmade, variations are present in all shields, meaning no two are exactly the same. The traditional black outline, as seen in the comic books and numerous other drawings/paintings, is also absent, and the symbol moves freely to contort with the mass or shapes beneath it – in this case Christopher Reeve’s considerable torso.

The 'S' chest shield construction is as follows: A template of the design is used to cut out the diamond section from the front of the blue tunic. This same template is used to cut the negative shapes (the yellow portions) using the guidelines, and similarly, leaving a red ‘frame’ to insert the yellow shapes to form the ‘S’. The ‘flash’ on the excess of all the shapes is used to tack the shield together (an incredibly intricate process!!), while the larger stitching visible on the smaller yellow portions is due to having been stitched in from behind (as they are too small to make individual pieces from). This complete frame has an excess of border to ‘fill the gap’ in the tunic shirt and is finished. From the inside, it looks unsightly, but is, nonetheless, the defining factor of the Superman costumes. The distinctive and unique curve (and often the size) of the ‘S’ shield is invariably the stumbling block of all reproductions.

There are early versions of the red shorts that are separates (resembling 'speedos' with belt loops and an attached belt), but the majority of shorts were made integral to the blue tunic to avoid gathering and loss of shape. The belt loops, of which there were four, were sewn halfway above the waistline to prevent any 'bleed' of fabric beyond the beltline. The loops are characterized by an apparent pleat in the centre. This is a consequence of the seam beneath showing through from the pressure of the belt, rather than a purposeful addition. The cut of the short's leg hole/arch is fairly narrow. They are not huge briefs with a wide crotch, but are, instead, tapered and finished with an elasticised rim on each leg to keep them taut.

 The Belt

Another source of conjecture - many belts were constructed for the movies and most bear tell-tale signs. As evidenced once again by the Superman-The Movie DVD documentaries, the belt was made from fabric-backed patent vinyl. Some belts may have been painted leather, but, there were no authentic, screen-worn Superman belts made with a dull or matt exterior finish. Other examples of belts show that they were lined with electrical/duct tape (presumably for preservation, or ease of movement) and ,were tethered at the rear by either hooks or elastic thread through punctured holes. In any case, genuine Superman belts do not stand the test of time very well. They tended to warp, crack and contort due the fragility of the vinyl/leather. Some retain their wardrobe labeling, and/or handwritten notes, but often those will have worn off through use. The belt should also be at least 2” wide to accommodate the buckle. A notable fact about Superman’s belt buckle is that it was held on by common paper fasteners. The ‘heads’ of the fasteners were fillered into bored holes on the back of the buckle, and the 'legs' of the fasteners punctured the surface to be secured from behind. The oval bordered buckle/pod (sculptor unknown), in contrast to Blake’s original conception, was a flawless copy of the comic incarnation of the time, and made from painted resin to match the belt which, again, was a mustard shade of yellow.

 The Tights

Made in corresponding fabric and colour, the blue tights (waist and leggings) were somewhat basic in their construction with a central seam buried deep beyond the inside leg. Impressions from the thick waistband would be cunningly disguised under the finishing touch of the belt, along with the any visible impressions left by the dance belt containing the metal codpiece that so amused leading lady Margot Kidder, as shown in her DVD documentary interview. The costumier’s label on the inside waistband of the tights was intended to match with a corresponding top (tunic) of the same batch, but presumably this effort became muddled during production. The tights also were all full footed, and there is no evidence to suggest that there were any cut off at the ankles with foot straps, so any costume that does may be discounted as a reproduction.

 The Boots

Arguably as complex in their assembly as the chest shield, Superman's red boots are controversial for being another difficult aspect of the costume to replicate accurately, and the fact that director Richard Donner loathed them. Interestingly, the boots in the context of the movies were generic Kryptonian boots worn by many in the populace, as represented in Yvonne Blake’s portfolio.

Another survivor of the original conception, the boxing-type boots were over 20” tall, and realised in crimson glove leather with the comic-accurate notch below the knee, but sporting a thicker cuff. Although skin tight, they were soft and floppy, as there is footage of Reeve repeatedly yanking his up, as they evidently wrinkle at the ankles. Efforts to combat this problem were usually solved with the addition of elastic bands around the neck of the boot and stitched-in ‘stiffeners’ to strengthen the peaks of the \/. A central seam runs down the length of the boot until its bisection by a toe section that is reminiscent of a ballet shoe. Indeed, this rounded shape houses the foot (Christopher Reeve was a shoe size 11) and is uninterrupted by the sole.

There is a slim internal heel on a standard boot, but evidence of thicker bases on some (possibly to lessen the impact of a stunt ‘landing’) exist, while the surviving soles themselves are usually in dreadful shape, as they were either taped up to prevent wear or not, resulting in extensive damage. On the backs of the boots were silver zippers from mid-heel to top, with an accompanying line of Velcro tape to correspond with a wide flap of excess leather to close over to both seal the boot and hide the zip.

Age has also not been kind to these Superman boots, and due of the nature of the thin leather, they become tatty and shapeless. Conversely, many have been discovered with interesting details scrawled inside for continuity purposes (flying/walking/waterproof, etc.), also revealing that there were special versions where the zippers was cunningly relocated to the front of the boots for certain scenes, including bridging the railroad and retrieving Lois’ car in Superman-The Movie.

 The Cape

Look no further than The Making of Superman II to see just a sampling of Superman capes made for the production. Of all the pieces of Superman’s attire, the capes possibly had the most extended life. They were often repaired and ‘remade’ for the sequels, sacrilegiously hacked short to accommodate Supergirl Helen Slater’s waif-like frame, and later hung from John Haymes Newton’s shoulders as Superboy. The capes were also the most duplicated piece of the costume, as many scenes were dependant on a cape doing a particular job, so they were made in differing configurations besides being adapted for effects shots. There were two basic styles – ‘flying' and ‘walking’. The flying capes are much wider and exhibit slits in the sides so the wires from the flying harness could pass through and attach to the crane above the actor. The walking capes are slimmer and trimmer. The ingenious ‘cape flapping’ device was a special effect, rather than wadrobe, so it will only get an honourable mention here.

In order to capture the look popularised by the comics, it became necessary to rethink the cape's neckline and shoulder construction in order to avoid a limp drape look. Therefore, the clever addition of a long flap to tuck into the back of the tunic was employed, while some padding was added to the shoulders to enhance their shape. This covered the seam lines of the tunic from the inside and added a rounded shape across the top. Tension to marry the cape to the nape of the neck was achieved by passing two wide straps beneath both of the actor's armpits and tied around against the actor's back – forcing the cape up and forwards comfortably into position. Two sets of male press studs on the inside of the cape at the shoulders would lock the cape into place by marrying up with the female press studs sewn into the shoulders of the blue tunic. The look was finished by sewing two neat fixed reverse pleats into both shoulders of the cape, while the straps were buried in the pit of the shoulder leaving no impression on the outside. The capes were predominantly fashioned from heavy wool gabardine in crimson red. They have a characteristic thick diagonal weave and, in most cases, were ‘finished’ with a jagged edge at the bottom. This results in fraying in most capes that have survived, or at least a substantial amount of loose threads.

Approximately eight inches down from the neckline of the cape's exterior resides the yellow ‘S’ shield. This is made from the same fabric used in the bodysuit and is the matching mustard yellow. The difference is that the details are embroidered in black cotton to echo the chest shield in outline. As this shield is, in fact, a sewn-on patch this time, yellow flashing is visible outside of the border all the way around the perimeter of the shield. As this is a rather crude adornment on real capes, it is a dead giveaway for identifying a reproduction. Not all capes exhibit the yellow shield, as some were never intended to be seen from behind and did not warrant the detail. Incidentally, a yellow shield was the only thing Reeve kept as a souvenir from the entire production.

 In Conclusion

The information above pertains to the three Salkind Superman productions made between 1976 and 1982. Once the Salkinds had sold the rights to the Superman motion picture property to Menachem Golan and Yoram Globus at Cannon Films in 1986 after the disappointing box office performance of Supergirl, the new owners were not only denied rights to certain special effects equipment, but also to any of the previous costumes, meaning Cannon Films' hired wardrobe department for Superman IV: The Quest For Peace had to start from scratch.

Although it would appear from watching the fourth Superman movie that Christopher Reeve's costume was indeed made by Bermans from the same pattern and using the same methods, the costume, in reality, looks distinctively bleached out in daylight scenes. Ironically, this colour blue on film more closely represents the ‘true’ colour of the costume having been photographed virtually ‘flat’ and not bathed in the glow of Geoffrey Unsworth’s light.

As in previous installments, Superman IV duplicates were made for effects shots, but as the production was a far quicker and cheaper affair, no effort was made to colour correct the costume against blue screen, and visibly less care was taken to hone details, which explains the alarming appearance of the bulky flying harness very visible through the material in many flying scenes, and the lack of padding in the shoulders of the cape.

In the years since the quartet of Superman movies ended, the fate of many of the costumes that weren’t forwarded to future productions remains unknown. The Salkinds retained the rights to Superman in the late 80s, and although Superman V was announced by Cannon, and then virtually in pre-production back in the hands of the original producers, the fifth film sadly never materialised. Curiously, the final appearance on-screen of a Reeve costume was as fancy dress in an episode of Superboy – the very same costume used by John Haymes Newton to audition for the leading role. This costume can be clearly seen in the Superboy first season DVD release.

The fact is, however, that some complete Reeve Superman costumes have survived in various grades of condition but there are far, far fewer genuine pieces on exhibition, or in the collector's marketplace, than you may think. Many of these genuine costumes reside in private collections, and/or are in storage as certain lucrative investments. Indeed, rare items becoming available at auction historically have commanded escalating five figure sums, and as a result of Reeve’s definitive and unparalleled portrayal of The Man of Steel, the value of these costumes will only go up, up and away. This hole in the market for people clamouring for a piece of this cinematic milestone is currently being plugged by certain individuals passing replicas of wildly varying quality off as the 'genuine article'. These duplicates/copies are sold under the pretense that they are screen-used wardrobe with ‘provenance’, including everything from certificates of authenticity (COAs), to convincing recreations of the Bermans & Nathans labels.

While not a new practice by any means, these fake costumes have sporadically invaded the market, and money is still changing hands on the basis that not enough is known about these costumes to verify their authenticity. Hopefully, the information presented in this article, and the constant vigil kept by the Original Prop Blog with its incomparable archive, will go some way to rectify this seriously damaging matter. In the meantime, those fortunate enough to own a screen-used Superman costume piece, or to have seen one exhibited, should feel privileged, and appreciate the efforts of the talented and gifted individuals who contributed to the Superman costume’s lasting legacy.

My sincere thanks to Superfans Chris King for his tireless research, to Jason De Bord for his persistence, and to CapedWonder™.com's Jim Bowers for hosting this article.




MOVIEUM OF LONDON SUPERMAN GALLERY

Special Note: The colour of the costume leotards in the photos below is deceptively various shades of blue. As you know, the real costume fabric is much more "teal" in reality and, in most instances, only appears to be at its most blue when being photographed (using both still film/digital "film" and motion picture film stock); thus, the variations in blue seen throughout all four Superman films.

Click here to see one example of how two digital still cameras models render the blue colour differently. The blue colour in the right photo is more representative of the actual teal look in an authentic, screen-worn costume.

Please refer to the 'Tunic/shorts' section in the article above for more explanation about this blue/teal subject.

Please note that the Movieum of London is now the London Film Museum, and that this costume has been returned to the Prop Store of London.

                   

                 

Article and Movieum photos are © Copyright 2009 by Martin Lakin, and are not to be reproduced or excerpted without prior written permission. All Rights Reserved. Additional photos are © Copyright 2009 by Jim Bowers and Chris King. Every effort has been made by the author, photographers and CapedWonder™.com to make the above information as accurate and organized as possible.

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