Catwoman’s Complete 80 Year Costume History in DC Comics

When it comes to comic fashion, Catwoman is an iconic inspiration for comic fans and cosplayers. This Batman antihero has had a highly recognizable look for several decades, with a few variations. However, the feline fatale took a little while to settle into her best looks. Her costume debut in the 1940s was certainly a far cry from the attire that she is wearing in her current adventures. Although her cat motif has stayed with her since the beginning, she needed some time to figure out what outfits would best suit her operations.

Selina Kyle has long been recognized as Batman’s main love interest, contrasting his heroism with her thieving ways. Her earliest looks emphasized her villainy, but later outfits have played on her shift into more ambiguous territory. This villain turned hero often finds herself walking a gray line, and has had a lengthy journey which has manifested in different adventures, earning her own titles, and changes in her wardrobe reflecting her different roles within Gotham. Here is the progression of Catwoman’s fashion over the past eighty years.

Catwoman’s Pre-Crisis Costume Exploration

Selina Kyle debuted in Batman #1 back in 1940. During this Golden Age, she went by “the Cat” and did not have a costume, simply wearing a green dress. That same year in Batman #3, she received her first costume, wearing a replica cat head as a mask. This costume would also go through a couple colors, since she had yet to establish a specific palette. Catwoman also began her experimentation with accessories, as this outfit included a cape and mask. Catwoman’s official codename was also somewhat undecided at this time, reflecting the identity exploration she was undergoing. She went from “the Cat” to spelling variations of her current moniker, including “the Cat-Woman” and “the Catwoman,” settling on the latter.

Next, Selina would change up her headwear, settling on a cowl similar to Batman’s and forgoing the cat mask. Her cowl maintained cat features, including cat ears and hiding her upper face. This would carry on in different variations, particularly after the masquerade mask was added to Julie Newmar and Lee Meriwether’s television and film portrayals in the 1960s. Catwoman now varies between masks, cowls, and goggles in her most iconic looks. Throughout the Silver Age, Selina was still trying to figure out her core colors and several were used in various combinations. Green was a common choice, paired with white or yellow, then purple in the Bronze Age. However she also tried out orange and white as well as black, blue, and red. This last combo from 1969 was also her first to feature a bob hairstyle, though her shorter hair wouldn’t become consistent until the 2000s. Her main consistency was her belt and heeled boots, though the colors and lengths varied.

Catwoman’s Iconic Costumes: Post-Crisis

In the 1980s and 1990s, Catwoman finally hit her stride. Following Crisis on Infinite Earths, she was brought back into continuity with a fresh start and fresh look in Batman: Year One. She received another suit change after Michelle Pfeiffer’s portrayal in Batman Returns as well as in some comic issues that had basis in animated series variations, such as Batman: The Animated Series (1992) and The New Batman Adventures (1997). However, each of these outfits were full bodysuits and they began using more consistent solid colors. She shifted between gray, black, and purple. Purple is not her main color of choice now, but in the ’80s and ’90s it was definitely one Catwoman took to.

While this era included some variations in style, most of these costumes finally started to look like they belonged to a single character. There were fewer major changes compared to her old costumes. However, she still had some variations to keep things fresh and different throughout these two decades. Some of her cowls included whiskers, while others featured cuts that framed her face differently. Sometimes, her suits also included a tail – though her recent suits have largely eliminated this element. One suit was even white during the ’90s in an adventure with Azrael. This era skipped out on the cape that was so common with Catwoman’s earlier styles, leaving it in the past where it has stayed ever since. Her hair also varied – at times it was tucked in and other times it was left flowing free, up until her shorter hair became more fashionable in her next major era.

Where Catwoman is Now: 2000s to Infinite Frontier

In the 2000s, Catwoman established her modern looks, which have continued through recent releases. Selina sports a black bodysuit, which she pairs with either goggles and a cat-eared head piece or a cat-shaped cowl similar to the one that debuted in 1946. On occasion, this particular Catwoman suit has a large-ringed zipper. Her current suits tend to be modeled after this one. This look, without the ring, appeared in the Batman: Arkham game series as well as Injustice, both of which carried into comics. This suit was also used during her recent appearance in the Batman/Fortnite crossover series and in Batman/Catwoman. This will likely continue to be her go-to outfit for the foreseeable future, with her past suits making occasional appearances in special series or flashback issues. It is certainly her most practical and is highly recognizable. These suits are also some of the most commonly adapted for cosplays of Catwoman.

Catwoman’s style has gone through a lot of iterations, though fans are most likely to be familiar with her film looks, which have lasted the longest within comics since their Post-Crisis and 1960s television inspirations. Her early fashion marked a major identity crisis that finally settled down once DC went through its first real Crisis. While her current look is her most modern and widely used, it definitely succeeds in channeling the classic tones of her Post-Crisis period. Catwoman is one of DC’s style icons and she rarely disappoints when it comes to strutting on the catwalk that is Gotham’s rooftops. She doesn’t simply steal jewels – or hearts! Catwoman is a show stealer with just about everything she wears, though she is a woman who loves to have a few different options available at any given time.

About The Author

Samantha King
(827 Articles Published)

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Samantha King is a Comic News Writer for Screen Rant. She has a B.A. in English & American Literature with a concentration in Shakespeare and a minor in Creative Writing from UTEP. She also has a M.S. in Library Science from the University of North Texas.

Samantha used to get in trouble for reading comics in class back in high school, but she gets the last laugh. She took a graphic novel course in college and now gets paid to write about comics. She runs her own blog at: www.therealworldaccordingtosam.blogspot.com

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