Now I have almost finished all components to my droog (from A Clockwork Orange) costume for Halloween. As I was researching on the topic I found that it was a very popular costume to have on Halloween. Although I could not find many pictures of good outfits. I am trying to make my costume look as close to Alex DeLarge's outfit as possible so that is what this post will be about. Remember that all droogs have different outfits so you should look more closely into the matter if you want to be somebody else!
I won't say that my outfit is perfect, far from, but I did what I could with my assets and thought I could give you some tips! This is at least what I've found;
The bowler
The bowler is an essential piece of the costume! I already had one in my closet but you can usually find it second hand, sometimes at goodwill. Try to find one with a small bow on the side like Alex. A new hat costs around $20 and can be found at for example Amazon or hat makers.
Alex's hair sticks out from underneath the hat. It is middle length, slightly curly and has a light brown colour to it.
The eyelashes
The eyelashes are also a trademark for Alex DeLarge. In most pictures I have seen people have put the eyelashes upside down. This is not accurate; they should be placed like normal lashes on one eye, both on the top and bottom. The eyelashes can be found in any regular store. Some are shaped like Alex's but if they are not you can cut them on your own. They are usually very cheap.
The shirt
The shirt is not pure white. It is also not just a button up shirt. It has no collar and two pockets of the front. The shirt has some texture to it as well. It seems to be some kind of grandad shirt but I am not entirely sure where to find one. In Sweden you can probably find one at goodwill but I didn't have that luck and had to settle with a regular oxford shirt. I tucked the collar in and taped it to make it stay in place.
If you are a girl and want an authentic costume I recommend to put a sports bra on or put bandage on your boobs.
This is a quite good picture to know that to look for;
Codpiece/jockstrap
The droogs are all using codpieces. Many don't have this in their outfits but I think it is one of the most important pieces. From what I have found out they are using cricket codpieces in the movie. These are hard to find as they are using old models. With some creativity you can however make your own!
- Use a fabric that has a beige colour to it
- Make two pieces for the backpart and two for the front part (look at the picture above for inspiration for templates, I am sorry that I can't provide you with that) and make sure that they are not too small!
- Find something thin to stuff the codpiece with and find padding for the front, preferably a big jockstrap
The eyeballs
Something that many misses out on are the eyeballs on the wrist cuffs. I say you
could skip them if you don't have time but they are still a symbol for what Alex stand for and a grotesque piece of the costume that should be taken into account. I have not constructed mine yet but this is what I'm planning to do;
- buy a pair of fake eyes from a costume shop
- glue them onto the shirt with a glue gun,
- use acrylic paint and red tissue to make the flesh affect and glue this on as well
If you don't want to ruin your shirt i recommend doing this on a piece of fabric and then use a wristband to make it fit. Be creative!
Suspenders
The suspenders are white or a light shade of beige. They are thick and has a v-shape where you attach them. These you are probably able to find at a tailor or a store for menswear for 10-20 dollars. I bought mine at goodwill for 1 dollar and are going to spray paint them.
Pants
From what I have read the pants are white cricket pants. These can be hard to find outside England and I myself had to settle with a pair of loose fitting white pants. If you use that you should try to find some without pockets and preferably not in denim.
Cane
Alex uses a cane with a built-in knife. Since weapons are illegal in most countries i recommend not using that, if you dont find a replica and glue the opening. A cane looking similar to an Irish walking stick should be fine. If you can't find a cane at all you could use a baseball bat as Georgie is using that. Here is a good picture on the cane, eyeballs, shoes and the back of the codpiece:
Boots
The boots are combat/army boots with a vintage-split sole. These could be hard to find. I settle with regular boots because of lack of time and money. Boots are always fashionable so if you are not picky with the model it should not be a hard task. You can find it at goodwill for $15 or at a regular shoe store, price is varying.
Maskie
The "maskie" is the mask Alex uses when he is doing some "ultra violence" and is an optional thing. I think it adds an extra touch to the costume and make it more authentic but you probably have to make it on your own. You will have to be creative and/or research on this part because I didn't make one or found an easy way to do so, good luck!
If you have questions about this feel free to ask! There might be some mistakes, this is what I have found on the internet after some research and after watching the movie.
http://clockworkcostume.wordpress.com/2009/10/24/costume/
http://clockworkorangecostume.blogspot.se/
