Quick Cosplay: Alex DeLarge (A Clockwork Orange)

Hello, hello, hello my little chellovecks and devotchkas! Your Humble Narrator here, and bringing you a very quick and easy tutorial on how to piece together a quick cosplay.
Today's theme is Alex DeLarge from A Clockwork Orange: first a novel written by Anthony Burgess in 1963, then adapted into a major film by director Stanley Kubrick in 1971.

Over the years, Alex Delarge (portrayed by Malcom McDowell) has become a signature icon for pop culture, and even as a Halloween costume, with no surprise. It's very simple to put together a simple Droog outfit, and can be worn well with either gender.
 
 


Malcom McDowell as Alex Delarge in A Clockwork Orange

What you will need to put this together:

- A white shirt with/without a collar (a fitted one looks better, but there are some that you can get which are soft but appear as a fitted garment)

- White pants

- A black bowler hat (Most costume shops will be able to sell you one)

-Black Boots (Lace-up are more accurate, but heels or work boots will work just fine)

- Fake eyelashes

-White suspenders

Optional accessories:

- Codpiece (A cricketer's codpiece was worn in the film, but purchasing one for the sake of a costume can be pricey. A friend of yours might play cricket, so you could ask to borrow theirs if you don't want to shell out the money for it)

- Cane

- Eyeballs on the cuff of the shirt (Alex has bloody eyeballs on the cuffs of his shirt, which, for accuracy, should be added, however this is a detail that can be overlooked without too much drama)

- Glass of milk (Milk or "moloko" is a famous icon from the story, so being seen with one of these in your hands will not be unpleasant. It's a nice touch, especially if you want to be very accurate and use a high-ball glass)

- Adopt a nadsat attitude and vocabulary (nadsat is the official language used in both the novel and the film. It's not too difficult to learn, but be prepared for some odd looks!)


Alright! Let's put this together!
 



Snazzy white pants are important!

Shirt and suspenders? Check!

Well, first things first, slip into those white pants that you have. Just be wary of what kind of under garments you're wearing, because darker ones will probably show through the material, and that could be quite embarrassing...

Now, pop on the shirt, and make sure that you can move about freely in it. If you're wearing a fitted shirt, then it's important that it is long enough to be able to tuck into your pants as well, and you can lift your arms above your head comfortably!


Your white suspenders come next, and these are definitely important! A pair of Y-back suspenders are the preferred set, and you can find these normally in discount stores or costume shops. However, if you can't find them, try your local menswear store. Suspenders are an important part of suits and tailoring, but these can be a lot more expensive, but they will be quality ones that you can keep for years.




Make sure they're clipped on securely!




These boots ARE made for walking!

If your feet are getting a tad cold, then you can always put on your boots! After all, what kind of malchick goes about without any real horrorshow boots on their noogas? (Translation, who goes around town without any good boots on their feet?)

Here's about the time where you would put on your codpiece, or if you're a girl and want to make it a little bit more feminine, you could always put a small beige sash around your waist to compensate for the codpiece. Even flesh-tone underwear would work, or heck, wear that codpiece! Go for it!


Now here's the fun part. We move onto the face and makeup. Luckily, Alex DeLarge doesn't have any extravagant makeup that you need to spend hours on getting right. However, there is one important aspect on the face that is especially important: the eyelashes.

These are definitely the signature of any DeLarge cosplay, and getting it right is necessary to pull off the outfit entirely. You can purchase fake eyelashes from any cosmetic store, or any store that sells makeup and accessories, such as a variety or department store. If you can't find any that have large spaces between each group of eyelashes, then an easy way to make them is to pick thick, fluffy ones and then cut every second group of eyelashes off to get that crazy, gapped look.

A very feminine Alex (Or Alexis, even).

So if you want to tidy up your face, prepare any foundation/concealer as you would on any normal day; nothing too heavy, just to look natural. Fellas (chellovecks), this doesn't exclude you! Anyone can wear makeup if they want to! Just give yourself a very natural coverage, or forget this step altogether. For added effect, use a white eye shadow on your eye lids, and a white eye liner on the lower lash of your RIGHT eye. It'll make your eye stand out a lot more.

Then, using tweezers or a steady hand, place one of your eyelashes underneath your lower lash line. You'll notice that, naturally, your eye lid will move the lash to a cozy curve that feels easy to wear. Take your time with this step: it's important that you get the eyelash to sit comfortably on your eye so you won't be too distracted from it as you wear it. To finish it off, use a beige or nude lipstick to help accentuate those lovely lips of yours. Then just slip the bowler hat on your head and get ready to work your nadast attitude!

Voila! Now just grab a cane if you want, or a glass of moloko, and show off your quick and easy DeLarge costume. As you have read, this is definitely an easy cosplay to put together that is effective and comfortable to wear. Just don't let the millicents catch you out in play, my little droogies!



If you want to make the eyeball cufflinks, craftster.org has a wonderful tutorial on how to make them using plush cat eyeballs and fake blood. Follow this link to make them super quick and easily:
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=276774.0#axzz355RzjFsU

Want to learn nadsat? This link here is a dictionary of the language:
http://soomka.com/nadsat.html

Curious to see more Clockwork Orange cosplays? Here is a link that will show you some of the best that have been uploaded:
http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/08/07/the-best-clockwork-orange-costumes-weve-ever-seen/