How to Dress Like a Supervillain and Choose the Best Joker Suit

There’s no denying the fact that “Joker” is one of the hottest movies of 2019. Apart from some brilliant acting, one of the most talked-about aspect of the movie is the Joker suit. Released Oct. 4, 2019, it stars Academy Award-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix as the DC Comics character the Joker. While other movies in the past have featured the Joker, including “The Dark Knight” and “Suicide Squad”, critics have praised Phoenix’s role for being one of the best if not the best iteration of the iconic criminal mastermind. If you’re a diehard fan of the 2019 film “Joker,” you’ll be pleased to hear that you can now dress like Phoenix by sporting a Joker suit.  

What Type of Suit Does Phoenix Wear in 'Joker?'

In “Joker,” Phoenix doesn’t wear an ordinary black or gray-colored suit, nor the signature purple joker suit we’ve all seen in the Batman movies throughout the years. Being an unstable criminal with a dark history, the Joker has a unique sense of fashion. So what suit does the Joker wear? Phoenix’s suit in the blockbuster movie consists of a red jacket with matching trousers, a yellow or gold-colored waistcoat, and a green button-up dress shirt with a popped collar. As shown in the image below, it’s a truly new one-of-a-kind look that’s not found in other DC Comics movies, shows, or media.

Who Designed the Joker Suit?

So, who was responsible for designing Phoenix’s bright and bold outfit for “Joker?” The outfit was designed by professional costume artist Mark Bridges, who is also known for his costume designs in “Inherent Vice” and “Jason Bourne”. With plenty of experience working in the film industry, Bridges managed to deliver a new and unforgettable joker outfit and look.

So, Why is Joker’s Suit Red?

When speaking about Phoenix’s Joker suit, Bridges explained that it reflects Arthur Fleck’s background. Fleck, of course, is the fictional character in the DC Comics universe who becomes the Joker. He grew up during the 1980s, during which bright and bold colors were in style. While many people today still wear bright and bold colors, they were particularly popular during the 1980s. As a result, Bridges designed the Joker suit to feature a red jacket with matching red trousers as well as a yellow waistcoat. It’s a bold, colorful combination that’s symbolic of the 1980s.

And The Rest of The Outfit?

To further complete Phoenix’s look, Bridges selected a green button-up dress shirt to be worn under the waistcoat. As per Bridges’ own words, the intention here was to make the Joker look authentic. What would a person in Arthur Fleck’s position wear? Certainly not a classic dress shirt, right? After combing through various combinations, Bridges found that green naturally complemented red and yellow and contributed to the idea of a colorful Joker outfit. This prompted Bridges to include a green button-up dress shirt in Phoenix’s Joker outfit. Worn underneath the yellow waistcoat, it was a perfect choice. Phoenix’s outfit looks amazing while maintaining a genuine 1980’s vibe.

How to Buy a 'Joker' Suit

Now that you know a little bit about the story behind the suit Phoenix wore when shooting “Joker,” you might be wondering how to get your hands on a Joker suit yourself. Most brick and mortar suit stores don’t sell movie-inspired outfits such as this one, and there is little hope of finding a Joker suit in a shopping mall. So, what are your options? You can always try to piece together your own Joker suit from several different stores and joker colors clothing you may already have, but why go through all the trouble when you can order the complete outfit from StudioSuits? The Joker 2019 Joaquin Phoenix Movie Suit consists of the same three-piece suit as worn by Phoenix in “Joker.” It features a red tweed suit jacket with matching trousers as well as a yellow tweed waistcoat. The suit jacket itself has peaked lapels, which reflects the same style worn by Phoenix in the movie. It also has three cuff buttons for a truly Jokerish appearance that cannot be mistaken.

How and When Do You Cosplay The Joker?

There’s no better time to wear the Joker suit than on Halloween. It is a day when millions of people dress up to go trick-or-treating or socialize at costume parties. Rather than wearing a generic costume that few or no people will recognize, you can make a bold statement by wearing a Joker suit. You’ll stand out — in a good way, of course — while wearing a Joker suit. Whether you’re planning on going to a themed party, a costume party, or just fancy dressing up for the occasion, you can’t go wrong with a Joker suit this Halloween. Of course, you don’t have to limit yourself to only wearing your Joker suit on Halloween. It’s perfectly fine to wear it at other times of the year. In fact, any costume party is the perfect opportunity to get into your Joker suit. Since he is one of the most iconic villains in the DC Comics universe, people will immediately recognize you as the Joker.

Don't Forget the Makeup

For the most authentic portrayal of Phoenix’s riveting supervillain character, you should wear makeup with your Joker suit, if you are going for the best joker costume. In “Joker”, Phoenix is seen wearing clown-like makeup consisting of the white, red, and blue colors. Phoenix wears white makeup on the majority of his face, with red accent makeup around his mouth and above his eyebrows. He also wears a small amount of blue makeup directly above and under his eyes. If you need help creating a similar look with your makeup, check out the picture above. It may take a little trial and error to get it right, but you can’t expect to look like the Joker without wearing his signature facial makeup. Even if you don’t get it just right, you shouldn’t really worry. After all, it’s the Joker you are cosplaying, so chaotic and wild is completely in character.

Wear the Green Dress Shirt

You’ll also need to wear the right shirt with your Joker suit. While going for a dress shirt of a different color may be tempting, you won’t be able to recreate the true Joker appearance without the green dress shirt. When going as his alter ego in the 2019 blockbuster film “Joker,” Fleck wears the green dress shirt underneath the yellow waistcoat at all times.

What About the Hair?

If you are planning on going to a cosplay event or a costume party, you can add the final touch to your Joker costume with the green hair. Since you probably don’t want to dye your hair green permanently, you can either go for a green wig (or paint any wig green) or use a hair color spray since they are temporary and the color is washed off easily.

In Conclusion

After its release in 2019, “Joker” has absolutely topped the charts at the box office, despite many mixed reviews. The movie offers a fresh, though dark, take on one of the most iconic supervillains in the DC Comics universe and arguably the best backstory of all DC villains. Obviously, the Joker suit and the rest of the outfit and makeup played an important role in the portrayal of the dark and twisted character acted by Phoenix. If you like cosplay and costumes, or just love Joker’s outfit, you can now sport the same look as Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker by investing in a Joker suit from StudioSuits. Pair it with a green button-up dress shirt and the right makeup, and you will be ready to rock the instantly recognizable look anywhere.