Clark Kent - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Mike J.

Master Member
"Kent? Where the hell is Kent? Where did he go? Where does he go?"

Got it into my head to put together a Clark Kent BvS DoJ costume, for some reason I can't really remember. I suppose he's the fictional character I could most easily pass for on any given day.

The particular Clark outfit I'll be going for is this one (below). Let's break it down:

Dark brown frame glasses
Dark red & blue plaid shirt
Navy blue necktie
Daily Planet staff ID card
Metropolis press pass
Brown pants


The components I don't have good references for are:

Belt
Shoes


Arguably pretty minor.

Additionally, my intent (since Clark Kent is virtually indistinguishable from a normal person) is to do the 'shirt pull' gag, so I'll have a Superman top on underneath all that.

My deadline for this is July 28, so I've got just under a month. Luckily for me, I've been working on it a while, most of it is off-the-rack (at least to start with) and it's only the details that remain to be polished.

Join us, won't you?


-MJ
 

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From the top:

Eyeglasses

Thanks to a little internet sleuthing, we know the glasses Clark wears are a customized pair of high-end, made-to-order British brand called Tom Davies.

For those of you who do wish to acquire a pair, TD has a store locator on their site here: http://www.tdtomdavies.com/storelocator.aspx

Since I'm not made of money, I'll just be wearing my current frames.
 

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Thanks for the photos – I appreciate it.

Plaid Shirt

I covered this in my other thread, but I'll repost it here as well:

https://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=277949

This appears to be a Tasso Elba brand shirt, originally made for & sold by Macy's.

Style code 37107PORTC. Material 100% cotton. Color scheme "Port Combo."

As seen on screen, however, Clark's shirt appears to differ from the off-the-rack shirts by having a button-down collar and a matched chest pocket.

As far as I know, these are out of production and will have to be found on the secondary market. Approximate retail price on the secondary market is $25 US.
 
Necktie

No big deal here (at least, not in my case): Clark seems to wear a navy blue necktie, pretty matte and plain in appearance.

I ordered one off Amazon for about $6, which is one of the cheapest parts of my costume so far.
 
Experimenting, Part 1

Because I want to do the 'shirt pull' gag, I had to acquire a Superman suit top of some kind. I settled on a MOS / BVS style compression tee, sold by Amazon.

Appearance and workmanship appear decent. But because I don't know when to leave well enough alone, I decided to 'enhance' the shirt with some fabric paint.

I decided on some pearlescent acrylic paints made by Angelus. What you see below is a photo of my test swatches on the back of the shirt.

I want to strike a balance between zero paint and too much paint obscuring the printed pattern. Looks like two light, thinned coats will do it.

The real trick will be minimizing the bleeding of the wet paint where the shield is. As you can see, it likes to seep under the masking tape.


-MJ
 

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Pants

Clark appears to wear a pair of 'heather' / speckled / whatever brown pants / trousers; though I think he has a very similar suit (these may or may not be those pants).

Earlier, cruising the Goodwill, I found a pair of pants that close enough for my needs, and fit me perfectly.

Mine are a Perry Ellis "Portfolio" pair, style 5FSB0112, color # 242.
 

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Press Pass & Employee ID

Been recreating these in AI & PS, off and on, for a few weeks. Still have yet to replicate the Metropolis seal.

Bought myself Amazon's branded laminator, a slot punch, and a matching lanyard.

I think I'll get these laser printed at the Office Depot, then I'll do the 'finishing' myself.
 

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Progress Report

Took my pants in to the seamstress to get the hem fixed.

I've been painting the front of the suit shirt. Applied the yellow first, as it was the smallest in area. Then great swaths of blue, and earlier today, the red. I'd like to add a second, careful coat of red, to make it 'pop' a bit and hopefully cover up some minor bleeding around the edges.

Took some middling selfies to use for the employee ID and press pass, which I need to finish soon and send to the print shop. Still gotta make the Metropolis seal : (


-MJ
 

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Status Update

Still waiting on pants (Thursday).

Second coat of red added to "S," may touch up the blue.

Photoshopped the selfie, made the Metropolis seal (not super accurate (ha ha) but it will do), got my 'identification' printed.

Took a pair of scissors to my lanyard, to shorten it's length so it hung higher & closer to the middle of my chest.

Still waffling over whether or not to get a new pair of dress shoes and / or belt for this.

Watched Superman (1978) last night, for 'reference purposes.' ;)


-MJ / CK
 

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Both IDs done.

Pants back from the seamstress.

Been experimenting with styling my hair in a sort of hybrid between Henry Cavill's Clark & Kal.

Gonna be carpooling with a friend over there and back, and gonna try to get over there by about 8:30 am, so wish us luck!

Full pics most likely sometime after this Saturday.


-MJ
 

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OK, some quick con & ex post facto pix.

Lessons Learned:

1. Practice the 'shirt pull gag' in a mirror. I think I ended up grabbing the shirt too close to the middle, when it should have been done closer to the top, due to the size and position of the "S."

2. I did consider carrying a small reporter's notebook, which would be permissible, I think, as would a small-to-medium sized SLR camera... You'd have to have a way to hang the camera on your belt, because running a strap across your chest would interfere with the gag. A backpack might work, and would be somewhat low-profile from the front. In B v S, Clark carries a sort of messenger bag.

3. Additionally, this is an exceptionally subtle costume. The only subtler superhero would be Bruce Wayne, I think. He doesn't even have an ID tag ;) I think the only way around that would be to have your shirt pulled open or half-open all the time.

4. My painting of the "S" shirt is extremely subtle as well (even in bright light), and probably not worth the effort. That being said, the printing on the garment originally wasn't quite as nice as I hoped it would be; the blacks seemed a little light / off register to me, and the blues a little warm, so maybe a different mfr. or a DIY approach with plotter-cut hot transfer stretchy vinyl would be better.


-MJ
 

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Over a year later, I dusted off this ensemble, and took it to a local comic book shop for a pre-Halloween event. No necktie this time, and used my Henry Cavill press pass & ID.
 

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