Harley Quinn, jester

Harley Quinn's classic red-and-black jester suit with two-pointed hood, ruff and domino mask, for makers ready to sew stretch fabric and use face makeup.

Harley Quinn's classic jester look, best known from the animated series, is a close-fitting bodysuit split down the centre into red and black, with the colours swapped between the upper and lower body. It is worn with a two-pointed jester hood in the same split colours, a white ruffled collar, a black domino mask and white face makeup. In the animated version the hood points end in white pom-poms; some comics versions use bells instead. Four-way stretch fabric in matching red and black is the usual choice. Plan the split carefully on paper before cutting, so each colour lands on the right side of each panel, and sew with a stretch stitch or overlocker and a ballpoint needle. The hood is sewn from the same fabric with two long, lightly stuffed points. The ruff can be gathered from a strip of white fabric or tulle. The domino mask can be bought, or cut from thin craft foam and painted. Use skin-safe face paint or makeup for the white face, never craft paint, and hold the mask on with elastic or a skin adhesive made for costume use. Patch-test any face paint or skin adhesive on a small area a day before you wear it, keep products away from your eyes, and take adhesive off with the remover made for it. Younger makers should have an adult help with skin adhesives and sharp tools.