Wonder Woman: 10 Details You Missed In Lynda Carter’s Costume

Lynda Carter is the original Wonder Woman for many, and her cameo in Wonder Woman 1984 was one of the biggest revelations in the sequel. A lot has changed between the original network television show in the ’70s and the DCEU movies, but Wonder Woman’s costume is more or less a constant. Lynda Carter’s outfit had some very particular details though.

The television series didn’t have the budget of the big-screen movies, but a lot of creativity and work went into the costume and all of the costumes Lynda Carter wore in the role. Some of them are iconic, while others are very much dated to the show.

10 Feminum

Wonder Woman’s bracelets are a feature in any adaptation featuring the DC heroine, but the Wonder Woman television series added an extra wrinkle. In the continuity of the TV series, the Bracelets of Submission were made of a metal known as Feminum. This metal was never mentioned in the comics and has never been referenced again. In the two-part episode “The Feminum Mystique,” Nazis attempt to harvest the rare metal from Paradise Island, or Themiscyra.

9 The Costumes Won An Emmy

The Wonder Woman television series is generally considered campy and not that great quality-wise, but it was recognized in one major way. The series won for Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for a Drama or Comedy Series in 1978. Costume designer Donfeld, the stage name of Los Angeles native Donald Lee Feld, won for his excellent interpretation of the Wonder Woman costume. Feld was later nominated for Academy Awards for Costume Design a total of four times.

8 Cowgirl Variant

Diana has always been a fashion icon, especially with her outfits in Wonder Woman 1984, and in one episode of the television series, she went for Western chic. Lynda Carter wore a ‘cowgirl’ variant of the costume when she went horseback riding with Roy Rogers in the 1977 episode “The Bush Whackers.” Carte made the action in the episode look authentic, even if the outfit wasn’t the best. Still, she made it look great as always.

7 Diving Suit

In the movies, Wonder Woman doesn’t change costumes for particular missions, but in the television series, she often did. One of the most unusual outfits Lynda Carter wore was the all-blue diving suit. This one-piece head-to-toe blue suit is one of the most distinctive looks on the show,

Wonder Woman’s core costume would be counted among the best superhero looks of all-time, but this one is very dated and probably best left in the ’70s. She sometimes wore this suit with a motorcycle helmet.

6 The Costume Changed

Wonder Woman wears her classic outfit through the best episodes of the television series, but eagle-eyed viewers will notice some major changes. The show was originally set in World War II, but once the series moved into the present, the costume changed. The solid gold eagle emblem was replaced by golden stripes, and the number of white stars on her trunks were reduced by quite a bit.

5 The Spin Effect Was Carter’s Idea

Besides Lynda Carter herself, the ‘spin effect’ where Diana twirls around and changes into Wonder Woman is probably the most iconic thing about the series. In 2005 she told Entertainment Weekly that the producers of the show were working on different plans for the costume-change scenes, similar to how Clark Kent changed into Superman, but she came up with something better. “I was a dancer, so I said, ‘I can do a pirouette or a spin.’ The star effect was added later in post-production.

4 Stunt Suit

Unlike Batman, Wonder Woman in the comics has never really had a wardrobe of different costumes for different missions. That wasn’t the case with Lynda Carter. One of her many variations was the ‘stunt suit.’ Wonder Woman donned a helmet and elbow pads when she went roller skating or biking, which was often enough, finally giving Batman’s live-action costumes a run for his money. She first wore the costume in “Skateboard Whiz” from 1978, where she befriends a young skateboarder in California.

3 Pyrotechnic Bracelets

One of the coolest things about Wonder woman’s bracelets in any iteration is the ability to block bullets. In the modern movies, this has led to some inspired Wonder Woman memes, but in the original ’70s television show, the effect kind of a laughing matter also.

The bracelets had pyrotechnic charges in them that created sparks. They were activated by a remote obscured by Lynda Carter in her hand, but the remote is often visible, especially in the pilot episode (so are boom mics and other gaffs).

2 Paradise Island

In the premiere episode of the series, the story plays out much as it usually does for Wonder Woman. Pilot Steve Trevor crash lands on Paradise Island. This early episode gave Wonder Woman one of her most unique costumes. Diana wears a blonde wig to get into a tournament to accompany Steve back to the mainland. She wears a light white and red outfit that wouldn’t be out of place on a tennis court. She wears a black domino mask and silver bracelets as part of the costume, before donning the classic Wonder Woman look.

1 Carter Kept Her Costumes

Lynda Carter is most associated with the iconic role of Wonder Woman, so it’s no surprise to learn that she kept some of her classic costumes. In an interview several years ago, Carter admitted she still had them. “I happen to have one of the costumes from the [first season’s] ’40s [era] and one of them from the updated version, and they’re falling apart in a closet somewhere.” They may eventually end up in a museum or collection somewhere, but for now, they reside in Wonder Woman’s closet like the Asteria armor did.

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