A leather catsuit for an unusual superhero….
Jillian Hite as Off Girl
As a kid, I was obsessed with costumes. From about 11 on I spent a lot of time as a kid making costumes for my sister. These were for the early Star Trek Conventions, Comic Cons and Red Sonja Cons. Usually we’d crash them – we were broke. We’d bring an entourage: photographer, another actor or two, me and my sister. Then we’d get into our pre-arranged room share – do a quick change and a major appearance. Which always included a mini performance that my sister and the other actor worked out. Sword fights, some sort of conflict, and usually some smoke! We’d win whatever the prize was and clear out back to Jersey!
I got to meet some amazing people along the way. Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Issac Asimov, Barry Windsor Smith & Frank Thorne (RIP) and my Idol, William Ware Theiss, the costume designer from the original Star Trek Series. Plus Early NYC Scenester Animal X (who was my biggest competition at the cons!) It was a fun time.
Since then I’ve gotten to do stage wear from time to time, but not so much full on costume.
So, it was a real thrill to be asked to bring Off Girl to life!
Especially for her World debut, at NYC’s ComicCon.
Here’s a brief rundown on the creation of Off Girl’s Hooded Leather Catsuit:
There were 2 main fittings, one where the fit of the body was nailed down and the 2nd where the slashing on the legs and sleeves was cut & tested to make sure they’d be good in movement. The trickiest element of the costume to fit was the hood/mask. We wanted it to be made of the same stretch leather as the catsuit rather than worbla or another molded material. We wanted it comfortable and light – it took quite a few mock ups to get right. Those were separate fittings as Jillian and I could schedule them.
For the heck of it, we decided to make 2 sets of Leather Bras and Gloves so Off Girl could go with her mood during the 4-5 days of ComicCon… a girl’s gotta have options, right?
The matching Bras and Gloves
Off Girl, is the creation of writer/producer Tina Fine and the books are illustrated by Mark Reihill. We first meet Off Girl as she discovers she’s developed an unusual Super Power. (Frank Thorne after reading the first 2 issues, seemed just a teeny bit jealous…”Onerous Orgasms! Now why didn’t I think of that!!!”)
The finished costume, includes a custom made belt buckle and an accessory pack (aka-phone case)
You can check out the first 3 issues of Off Girl online. But it’s worth buying the books, because they are gorgeous. Beyond the incredible artwork, the paper is fantastic – absolutely sensual. Keep an eye out – plans are in the works to go far beyond paper…
Finally, Off Girl herself, is perfectly embodied by Actor/Singer Jillian Hite and we could not have completed her look so perfectly without the help of @WingWeftGloves.
Tina Fine, Jillian Hite and Mark Reihill
