10 Best Rocky Horror Picture Show Costumes

The Rocky Horror Picture Show the costumes are almost as iconic as the film itself. Released in 1975 as an independent musical horror comedy Rocky horror It was one of the biggest flops in cinema history when it hit theaters. However, that all changed over the years as it went from a failed theatrical release to a beloved midnight showing. It has since become the longest-running theatrical film in history, marking 50 years of limited theatrical release, with that anniversary coming in 2025. It’s been a glorious path for the film, as it has even entered the National Film Registry. at the Library of Congress in 2005.

Now considered a cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show There are plenty of costumes for fans to choose from when dressing up for the popular live shows that take place year-round. It’s easy to choose Tim Curry’s sequin corset and fishnet garters when he introduced the world to Dr. Frank-N-Furter. However, it’s remiss to forget the maid and butler costumes, the alien costumes, and even the tiny speedos worn by the muscular Rocky. As there are many fans who love to dress up with the iconic Rocky Horror Picture Show costumes, there is always plenty to choose from for a very diverse audience.

10

Columbia, Magenta and Riff Raff at the wedding

American Gothic themed clothing

Avid observers of Rocky horror will know that Magenta, Columbia and Riff Raff can be seen in the background during the musical number “Damn, Janet!” At the beginning of the song, Magenta and Riff Raff are seen wearing clothes reminiscent of the work of art “American Gothic” complete with a pitchfork. Then they enter the chapel and Columbia joins them.

The outfits are almost pilgrim-like, and it’s a fun and unexpected departure from the trio’s more boisterous looks in relation to the rest of the film. It is this juxtaposition to their usual appearance that makes these Rocky Horror Picture Show costumes so iconic as they are a clear, hyperbolic representation of the normality that Richard O’Brien’s musical is a thematic rejection of. It’s also an Easter egg from the film that Magenta, Columbia, and Riff Raff are in the scene, and even their makeup makes them almost completely unrecognizable.

9

Brad and Janet at their wedding

Brad and Janet’s Wedding Outfits

Brad’s plaid tie and cummerbund combined with Janet’s lilac pantsuit and white sun hat flapping in the wind make this one of the most iconic and recognizable looks from the film. Although it’s not the most fun thing the duo uses Rocky horrorand the first outfit viewers think of when they hear “Brad and Janet.“It’s also the first official glimpse viewers get of the story’s main characters, which gives the costumes special meaning to the viewing public.

Brad and Janet’s wedding outfits are also iconic in the context of Rocky Horror Picture Show for similar reasons to Magenta, Columbia, and Riff Raff’s wedding attire, though not to the same over-the-top level. Yet, Brad and Janet’s outfits when the audience first meets them represent normality and a conservative, restrained lifestyle, all things that the 1975 film and the musical it is based on represent a defiant rejection of.

8

Rocky’s gold speedo

Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s greatest creation

Rocky’s gold swim trunks are perhaps the simplest costume ever. The Rocky Horror Picture Show, but that doesn’t mean the outfit is any less iconic. As the film’s equivalent of “Frankenstein’s Monster,” viewers might think that Rocky would look more like a monster. Instead, he’s the tan god that Dr. Frank-N-Furter created for himself, so he’s tan, bleach blonde, and metallic gold, all this while wearing a swim trunks.

Rocky, who famously doesn’t sing his song in Rocky horrorHe even has matching metallic gold boxing boots to complete his look. Rocky is the film’s titular character, and when he makes his first appearance in his flashy and memorable costume, he attracts a lot of attention. His skimpy costume, being entirely gold, also has thematic importance, as it represents his status as a “perfect man” in Frank-N-Furter’s eyes.

7

Eddie’s leather jacket and head wound

Meat Loaf’s tribute to Elvis

Meat Loaf may only have a small appearance in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, but the rock legend still manages to make his character iconic, and biker Eddie has an incredibly memorable costume to match his larger-than-life personality. In one of the film’s most iconic looks, Meat Loaf appears channeling Elvis. When Eddie flies out of the freezer on a motorcycle to sing “Hot Patootie! (Bless My Soul)”, he couldn’t look scarier, but cool.

He’s wearing a hand-cut motorcycle jacket shaped like a vest. It has an animal print, chains and a sun design painted in red on the back. Eddie’s use of accessories makes this costume incredible as he walks around, sings, and dances, all with a saxophone on his shoulder. One of the things that make this look truly unique is Eddie’s very prominent wound on his foreheadinflicted some time ago by Dr. Frank-N-Furter.

6

Riff Raff and Magenta as aliens

The real appearances of the aliens

The Rocky Horror Picture Show may be primarily a statement against the hyper-conservative attitudes of mainstream culture in the 1970s when it came to sexuality, but it is also a science fiction tale, and this becomes evident when Magenta and Riff Raff first appear in costume as their real extras. – earthly selves. In a bizarre twist, Riff Raff and Magenta reveal themselves not only as aliensbut they are also plotting against Dr. Frank-N-Furter.

It turns out they are also incestuous brothers, part of Rocky horror what It hasn’t aged well, although it was also strange at the time. Incest aside, they detail their plan while wearing insulated silver minidresses with spiky black details on the shoulders and garters. Magenta has a Bride of Frankenstein hairstyle and Riff Raff has a tiny bun on top of her head. It’s exactly what you’d expect from aliens from the Transylvanian galaxy.

5

Magenta Maid and Riff Raff Butler Costumes

Rock Horror alien costumes

While Riff Raff and Magenta in their alien costumes are certainly a memorable look, the outfits they wear in most of The Rocky Horror Picture Show remain the most iconic when it comes to the odd pair. Magenta and Riff Raff’s most iconic costumes are their disguises before they were revealed to be aliens, and it’s these costumes that are synonymous with the characters.

Riff Raff had a giant fake hump that was a tribute to Dr. Frankenstein’s assistant, Igor. He also wears a tuxedo vest as a shirt, all splattered with blood. For Magenta, her costume plays on the classic maid costume, which is equal parts scary and sensual. She still has an old-fashioned apron and French maid hat, but spices up the look with garters and her heavy black eyeliner and dark red lip gloss. The two were just pretending to be a maid and a butler, but they seemed fine.

4

Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s Lab Appearance

The Mad Scientist from Rocky Horror

Tim Curry’s performance as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show It was a career-defining role for the actor, and his myriad outlandish outfits are one of the main reasons why. Dr. Frank-N-Furter has some amazing costume changes throughout Rocky horrorand one of the best is his mad scientist outfit in the lab while showing off Rocky to the party guests. He wears a dirty green surgical gown with hot pink rubber gloves over fishnet stockings and high heel shoes.

Paired with her earrings and pearl necklace, Dr. Frank-N-Furter reveals her creation. If fans look closely, there is a some blood stains on the surgical gown that’s probably from Eddie. One theory about the pink triangle on her dress is that it is a reference to the symbol given to gay prisoners in Nazi concentration camps and claimed as a symbol of gay pride (via Reddit).

3

Columbia “Time Warp” Ensemble

Sparkling showgirl costume pairs well with classic musical number

There are many great musical numbers in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, but “Time Warp” is arguably the most memorable. When the song appears in the 1975 film, the sequence also contains one of the most iconic costumes – the sparkling Columbia dancer costume. Columbia sports one of the most complex and colorful costumes in the film for most of her screen time. She wears a multicolored sequin corset with shorts with multicolored ribbons sewn onto it.

However, during the “Time Warp” number, she pairs it with tap shoes, a gold sequin jacket, and a top hat for her dance solo and puts a pink mask over it in the lab. Columbia has fewer costume changes than other characters in The Rocky Horror Picture Showbut it could be because her look is perfect. The sequins and sparkles reflect the light at the camera and the bright, sparkly costume perfectly reflects her cheerful countenance and high-pitched voice. She has a childlike excitement, and her look reflects that.

2

The floor show

The cabaret dancers

The cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show everyone has many notable costumes and costumes, although it is during the Floor Show sequence that most of them don their most iconic costumes. The Floor Show features some of the most extravagant and over-the-top outfits in the THE Rocky Horror Picture Showespecially when it comes to the costumes worn by Brad and Janet.

Each character has exaggerated clown makeupand a can-can style corset with feather boas, fishnet garters and long fingerless gloves. The dancing that accompanies this scene in these costumes is unforgettable, with the shaking of Brad’s legs adding to it. The entirety of Rocky horror reverses gender roles, making it one of the most influential musical films of all time. This scene does a wonderful job especially because all the characters are wearing the same thing regardless of gender and they all look amazing.

1

Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s “Sweet Transvestite” Premieres

Tim Curry’s Ultimate Rocky Horror Picture Show Look

Dr. Frank-N-Furter is the heart of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and while this is mainly due to Tim Curry’s phenomenal performance, the costume he wears for most of the film definitely helps. Curry based her voice and mannerisms on her mother when she spoke on the phone, mixed with Queen Elizabeth II. His costume when he first appears in The Rocky Horror Picture Show combines lingerie and makeup, but is completed with a full cape with Dracula-style collar that hides the film’s most famous outfit.

It was when this cover was removed that the film introduced Tim Curry to the world of cinema for the first time and revealed the costume that many consider to be the best in THE Rocky Horror Picture Show. Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s black sequin corset, fishnet garters, black glitter gloves, and pearl jewelry are perfectly complemented by her makeup and “mommy” tattoo. He also spends the entire film in high heels, making it the most iconic look in the entire film.