Since her introduction in Batman: The Animated Collection – later transferring to DC Comics – Harley Quinn has undergone an unbelievable evolution. Shifting from being a sidekick to a villain in her own right to a burgeoning crime-fighter has been a protracted street, however all alongside the way in which, the previous Dr. Harleen Quinzel has been modern.
Harley has moved from a standard harlequin in a one-piece jumpsuit to a versatile, impartial style icon. Over time, her costume has modified to replicate her place, skills, and character in TV exhibits, function movies, and comics, in addition to reflecting the society by which her tales are printed. So, let’s check out Harley’s costumed historical past, in addition to the adjustments to her character her outfits have signified alongside the way in which.
Click on the button under to start out this text in fast view.
Harlequin Beginnings
Each comedian character has a starting, however Harley’s was not in comics in any respect. As a substitute, she debuted as Joker’s sidekick in Batman: The Animated Series in 1992, within the episode “Joker’s Favor”. A yr later, she made her comedian debut in Batman Adventures #12. Her origin story was revealed in 1994, in The Batman Adventures: Mad Love. At this level, Harley was in her conventional and iconic court docket jester jumpsuit, full with jester hood, black eye masks, and diamond accents. Lots of her adventures in comics function this identical outfit or a variation on it.
This go well with made up the predominant search for Harley as a personality up till round 2011. It’s utilized in Batman: Harley Quinn (1999) and different comics impressed by the animated sequence, together with The Batman Adventures and Batman: The Adventures Continue. She additionally wore it in Harley Quinn (2000-2004) and Gotham Ladies (2002). The jester jumpsuit is iconic and usually makes comebacks. Nevertheless, Harley is much too modern to comply with the cartoon precept of getting just one outfit.
Gamer Harley
2011 noticed the beginning of the Batman: Arkham online game sequence, starting with Batman: Arkham Metropolis, which was tailored into a comic book sequence written by Paul Dini with artwork by Carlos D’Anda. Harley underwent a design change that naturally carried over into the comics tied into the video games. Her jester outfit was changed with a black and pink bodice and pants, reflecting Harley’s more dangerous nature. The jester hood was eliminated, revealing Harley’s blonde pigtails – a staple that future comics would preserve.
In between these sequence was the discharge of Injustice: Gods Among Us, which acquired a 2013 mini-series written by Tom Taylor with artwork by Jheremy Raapack. It first places Harley right into a nurse outfit, however has her dyed pigtails in pink and blue wraps. Additional into the sequence her hair is in low pigtails, totally blonde with pink bows, however she wears a black eye masks. Harley has a pink tunic with shoulder spikes, paired with leggings and black fingerless gloves. Later her hair is split-dyed black and pink and although she saved the bows, her tunic is pink and purple with matching leggings. This number of seems is critical, speaking the concept that Harley had adopted a recognizable aesthetic theme over anybody fastened costume.
The New 52 Period
From 2013 till 2016, Harley Quinn by Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner revamped Harley’s look, reflecting her independence from Joker and permitting her to debut as her personal star. They eliminated her jester hood, however saved her pink and black signature shade palette. Additionally they modified her hair to cross-dyed pigtails in black and pink. This sequence would later shift up Harley’s fashion in 2016 to maintain the black and pink outfits, whereas matching the hair coloration seen within the visually dominant cinematic iteration that adopted. She went again to being blonde, however with pink and blue tipped pigtails. This period maintains the colourful pigtail variations, whereas providing Harley with a wide-ranging wardrobe.
Harley Quinn (2013) options an assortment of outfits for Harley aside from her commonplace put on. In #0, she displays on having a comic book e book and goes by way of totally different settings and artwork kinds – which include a ton of outfits. Harley has a wild go well with with ninja stars and an intense jester cap on one web page then a blue and pink corset with a ruff on one other. Finally, the principle look is a pink and black leather-based prime, matching shorts, lengthy black and pink socks, and a jacket. Including in protecting padding, with a helmet, a bell collar round her neck, and skates creates Harley’s curler derby outfit.
All through the sequence she has swimsuits, pajamas, and a elaborate coat with a feathered bicorne to match the ensemble in her typical colours. This sense of selection highlights Harley’s unpredictability, breaking the mould of conventional limits and acknowledging her new position as DC’s equivalent to Deadpool; a personality whose job is to repeatedly subvert expectations.
The Suicide Squad/Margot Robbie Period
In 2016, Suicide Squad created a brand new default fashion for Harley Quinn within the comics, because of Margot Robbie’s portrayal. This fashion is outlined by two blonde pigtails with pink and blue suggestions, a graphic prime, quick shorts (in variations of pink, white, black, pink, and blue), and a lettered choker. A hybrid of this fashion is getting used within the Harley Quinn animated series, as she rocks her dyed pigtails, with shorts, however within the extra conventional black and pink patterning with diamonds like Harley beforehand had.
Palmiotti and Conner maintained the fashion that was introduced at the end of Harley Quinn (2013-2016) all through DC Rebirth’s Harley Quinn sequence. The look continued by way of the 2017 Frank Tieri run and the 2018 Sam Humphries run. Humphries started with a futuristic rock variation earlier than going again to the normal look, including a jacket. In the meantime, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) and trailers for James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad present that Harley’s cinematic seems have caught as much as the comedian idea of her fixed experimentation and reinvention, in addition to giving Harley extra company as a personality distinct from Joker.
One and Carried out Vogue
Harley has appeared in a number of totally different comedian sequence and DC initiatives outdoors her personal titles. Inside a few of these, she has new or variant outfits separate from the beforehand talked about costumes. A variant of Harley’s jester go well with – full with checkered gloves and a ruffled wrist cuff – was used in Ame-Comi III: Duela Dent. It was extra revealing than the normal go well with and the jester hood doubled as a masks.
One other variant appeared within the 2017 sequence, Gotham City Garage, which revamped the seems of quite a few basic DC characters. Matching the theme of the story, Harley appeared with leather-based pants, a jacket with one cut-off sleeve over a pink crop prime with black trim, a tattoo on her sternum, and a helmet. Her hair was saved comparatively quick and he or she wore white powder on her face, much like the unique make-up from her first look. Harley had a biker fashion and even a punk look – full with mohawk – in 2016’s Harley Quinn #6. These variations had been impermanent, however they nonetheless play right into a rising sense of Harley’s fashion and the perspective her costume decisions convey.
DC Tremendous Hero Ladies additionally has its personal model of Harley, offering a child-friendly vibe. She nonetheless rocks blonde pigtails with blue and pink streaks. Harley wears a button-up shirt with black sleeves that’s checkered in black, pink, and white. She has blue shorts and a black belt over pink and black leggings. The outfit is full with blue sneakers and a black eye masks. This look is just found in the DC Super Hero Girls present, video games, and comics, however indicators how totally the character has now transitioned into mainstream fame.
The Harley of the Future & Upcoming Appears
Current occasions have seen Harley embrace much more various costumes. Future State: Harley Quinn takes place throughout the Justice of the Peace’s future takeover of Gotham. Harley is held captive by the Scarecrow so as to assist catch dangerous guys. She has cotton-candy dyed hair that’s minimize very quick aside from her bangs. She is steadily seen in an orange jail outfit, however she does have one other outfit in pink and black. She has a crop prime with a yellow star and a pair of shorts over the commonplace pant fashion Harley wears, that includes card fits as ornamental accents. She additionally sports activities a pair of goggles, a spiked choker, belts with pouches, and mismatched gloves.
A brand new self-titled sequence in DC’s Infinite Frontier period options Harley with blue and pink tipped pigtails once more, with massive pink and black bows. Written by Stephanie Phillips with artwork by Riley Rossmo, the sequence has Harley in a spaghetti-strap jumpsuit with a gold belt, which flippantly resembles her previous jester outfit. It is extra open in some methods, having no sleeves with capri-length bottoms. This model of Harley has a club tattoo on her proper shoulder and a diamond on her left. Whereas the membership tattoo’s persistently black and visual, the diamond adjustments shade in some panels, fully disappearing in others.
The most recent and most attention-grabbing outfit is the one Harley rocks in Batman: White Knight Presents: Harley Quinn #6 – written by Sean Murphy and Katana Collins. Harley’s again in a one-piece practically an identical to her unique jester go well with, however in black, gray, and yellow. This suit matches Batman’s color palette, reflecting her new position on this Black Label, alternate-universe story. As a substitute of getting a jester’s hood, she has an connected commonplace hood. She has a free utility belt and in honor of her pet, Lou, she wears his collar. Lacking from her look is her commonplace pigtails, which this sequence has chosen to forego, changing them with a shorter coiffure than followers are used to seeing.
Harley Quinn has had quite a few outfits through the years, however primarily three signature seems: conventional harlequin, New 52 change up, and the more casual Suicide Squad style outfit. New variations are nonetheless coming, and Harley’s newer costumes counsel a development for much less chaotic designs as DC positions the character as a crime-fighting hero. Harley Quinn might change her outfits, and even her alliances, however her fashion is at all times playful and versatile, and has helped a as soon as obscure character discover a huge following of followers who cannot wait to see what she’ll do (and put on) subsequent.
About The Writer
