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Adam Ant Then and Now, Adam Ant impersonation cosplay costume

Darrell GreenDarrell Green ✭✭✭
edited January 23 in Costumes & Cosplay
In progress, apologies for partial post, draft feature seems to not be working on my phone.

I have spent quite a bit of research time on Adam Ant's decades of style, in costumes and everyday attire. I am attempting to recreate some of the innumerable looks he has cast over his 40 plus years of fashion design. Oh ya, same guy, ultra famous pop/punk singer, song writer, choreograoher, set designer.......ya......actor, father, mentor, and coming to my own home state this May on his 2024 world music tour.

I had started with the intent of one 80's costume and one 2020's music tour costume but iit has devolved into an endless list of possibilities.

Along the way I am creating costume clothing, hats, jewelry, makeup and aging/de-aging techniques and props. This first batch is what I had earlier listed in "What's on your workbench", here on Stan Winston School.

  • This season finds me losing weight to finally get my pose pictures for my Will Turner cosplay.... still. However, I am touching up my Bard the Bowman for a skinny me attempt at a passable likeness. I was about 30 pounds overweight on my original pics. Since both outfits were very nearly complete, I took on the insane task of an Adam Ant cosplay both Then and Now. 80s, 2012 and 2020. So I get to really use my Stan Winston aging tricks, up and down the ages. My current work is mostly props, rings, clothing, hats, etc. but will get into facial hair and aging nearer to pose time. Here are a few of my hand made or customized items (some still in progress):





    This replica is 30 dollars in lieu of Adam's 20,000 version.
  • My apologies. I forgot to mention that I did not make the silver skull ring nor the belt buckle ring. The red skull ring I made from a base skull ring reshaped and then painted. All other rings are made from blank base stock rings by me. The watch was modified only on the face. The bracelet was modified by the addition of center catch and side clasp. All chrome items were repainted to have a more classic silver look. The heart pendant was repainted only and I added the extra silver band. The glasses started as a larger lens version and were dismantled, shaved considerably and rebonded then painted. The tricorn was started on a base felt tricorn and had only the matching edging upgraded. The bicorn, not yet complete, is completely from scratch. The Indian head nickel ring was the most difficult and has two mini coins and one main coin bonded to it. The small black pinky ring was made without a starting blank. It is complete scratch built from aluminum window trim, cut, shaped and painted.

    Clipping this post here for length - continued...

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    Darrell GreenDarrell Green ✭✭✭
    edited March 4
    Further progress has, thank goodness, occurred. I have a full step by step blog running on therpf (Replica Prop Forum) at:

    Thread 'Adam Ant, Then and now' https://www.therpf.com/forums/threads/adam-ant-then-and-now.352898/

    But here are some of my finished poses, props, and comparison pictures (many months still to go):


    Post edited by Darrell Green on
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    Darrell GreenDarrell Green ✭✭✭
    edited January 26
    I was ecstatic when I completed Adam's insanely famous tricorn, pirate, highwayman hat but then I took on the challenge of a from scratch build of his comeback tour bicorn. This hat is epic Adam Ant, designed and hand crafted by Phillipino Milliner, Mich Dulce. According to news posts, only two were ever made..... so mine is the third (insert maniacal grin here). Adam wore this hat on many world tours and embellished it further on each go around. The hat originally was decorated only with the single leather badge with Adam and Mich's names. Since then it has been enhanced with a playing card, a Scottish clan clasp, a piece of clan tartan, an 80's Adam Ant band pin and the final addition of feathers (possibly not in that order).

    So far, I have fashioned a hat from scratch, fashioned the leather badge from scratch, printed the playing card, printed and crafted the clan pin, created a small portion of tartan and purchased the appropriate band pin. Here is one of my demo pictures showing the current state of this build:



    And here is a far more recent picture (stylized) of Adam and his bicorn:


    Post edited by Darrell Green on
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    Darrell GreenDarrell Green ✭✭✭
    My highest current likeness value was in the leather jacket photo session at 79 percent. Of course, my hope is to break the 80 percent range with some facial prosthetics and further hair work.


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    Darrell GreenDarrell Green ✭✭✭
    edited March 1
    A bit more progress and some comparison poses. The featherwork was a lot more intense than I had guessed. The feathers were a combination of fly tying and decor. Several were bleached, several stained, many were steamed and shaped, while others were trimmed.



    So far, the only part of this hat that is not handmade is the pinback button of Adam.
    Post edited by Darrell Green on
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    Darrell GreenDarrell Green ✭✭✭
    edited March 4
    Here are some poses very near completion. Only a few facial tweaks and one costume upgrade to go before it is final.


    Post edited by Darrell Green on
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    Darrell GreenDarrell Green ✭✭✭
    edited March 4

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    Darrell GreenDarrell Green ✭✭✭
    edited March 4

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    Darrell GreenDarrell Green ✭✭✭
    edited March 4

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    Chris EllerbyChris Ellerby Admin
    Looking good!
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    Darrell GreenDarrell Green ✭✭✭
    edited March 18
    a few changes, side burns, shading on the nose, heavier eye liner, @Chris Ellerby  's suggested plexiderm on the eyebags BIG  AAAAND I set up my self portrait studio again where I project the live camera feed alongside a picture of my target pose while using the remote to trigger the camera. I can get very close to the original pose. In this picture I hit 86% likeness to Adam. It is a repeat of an earlier pose but the facial enhancements bumped up the likeness.


    Post edited by Darrell Green on
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    Darrell GreenDarrell Green ✭✭✭
    I retook all the poses after the improvements to the hair and effects but out of respect for sheer boredom am posting new poses. Many do not match any known Adam Ant pose but the intent is there. After this I try to finish Will Turner, will revisit Bard the Bowman and in May will be going to the Adam Ant concert tour in my home state in full regalia.


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    Darrell GreenDarrell Green ✭✭✭
    The local stop for Adam's USA tour schedule is this Friday, the 3rd of May, 2024, in Salem, Oregon. I am healing up a bit from a quick Bard the Bowman appearance. I still need to treat myself to the same level of care expected for clients. Since I am my only client, I am too impatient on clean up and end up with rough, dry skin.

    All costume parts are accounted for and I will do a fully suited test pose prior to Friday but I am still nervous. The modifications to the boots, belt and pants were the final hurrah.



    I don't have any real hopes for pics with Adam because this tour is day after day after day location hopping. My goal is to suit up, make the drive, enjoy the concert with my family and get some pictures while there. It is actually a really great excuse to wear this elaborate costume for the entire day AND to see Adam Ant, live perfoming, for the first time in my life.
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    Chris EllerbyChris Ellerby Admin
    Awesome, enjoy the concert!

    /Chris

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    Darrell GreenDarrell Green ✭✭✭
    The Adam "Now" costume was a complete success. I arrived late, on purpose, to avoid the line. We had purchased tickets in advance. We waited in the car until the line no longer wrapped around the building. I had to pray for a dry spell as the rain had stayed steady all day and as an Oregonian, I don't habitually keep an umbrella in the car. When the dry patch came, we started our trek. As we rounded the corner, I said "Perfect timing, there are only like 3 people left in the ticket line." but no one responded. I turned and my family was on the other side of a group of people. A lady who was talking with my wife came over and asked for a group picture and complemented my costume. I later found out she had already asked my wife if I was Adam and had been informed it was a cosplay. Soon, it turned into a line of people awaiting photo ops which then blossomed into a crowd. Then a large rush of people was coming back out of the building.  I still had no clue, quietly taking group pics with other Adam Ant fans, having a great time. 

    Then, three things happened at once, the lady on my right says "We have 15 friends that drove a long way to see you, they will all want a picture with you.", a lady at the back of the crowd yells "We love you Adam" and one of the gentleman taking pictures starts chanting "Prince Charming, Prince Charming" and the light bulb in my brain finally turned on and I figured out what was happening. I immediately announced it was just a costume. I turned to the lady on my arm and said "My name is Darrell.", in my best Russian tech support accent, channeling the famous "My name is Peggy" vibe. That shattered the ice and everyone laughed at once. They were all very kind and several thanked me for not leaving them hanging to still think I was Adam. Two people hugged me and said they would have been so embarrassed to have left thinking I was him and they would be bragging to their friends only to find out it wasn't. The gentleman who had started the chant said, "well if you aren't him then I need to tip you for the performance", and I received my first ever tip for a street performance, two dollars. The photos continued throughout the night with other diehard fans that had dressed up. The number of mouth open, blank stares was enough to make the whole costume worth it. As for the concert, it was worth many times more than ticket price. English Beat opened, playing decades of their hits, mirror in the bathroom being a true favorite for me, and then Adam did what Adam does.... dominate the party with his permanently high energy, open invitation to join him in what was, moments earlier, a concert but is now a free for all party.


    My daughter got this perfectly timed picture of these ladies beckoning to their friends to join.

    Stan Winston School has ruined me for living a normal life. The ability to become someone else, so convincingly, is just too much fun to stop. I don't wish to be anyone else. I like being me just fine. But being me, the guy that took classes from SWSCA and can crush that cosplay....that is a better form of me to be. 
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    Darrell GreenDarrell Green ✭✭✭

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    Darrell GreenDarrell Green ✭✭✭
    Far later in the evening after the rush to leave had passed us up, my wife was taking pictures of the theatre. My daughter took this picture of me waiting for the wife. I post this one to show the pants and boots additions.with the full costume.




    This is the Elsinore theatre in Salem Oregon, a beautiful location.
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    Matt WinstonMatt Winston Admin
    @Darrell Green Thank you for sharing your experience seeing and BECOMING Adam Ant. How fun that so many fans at the show thought you were him. It's a testament to your dedication to and talent for painstakingly transforming into your favorite pop cultural icons. Keep up the great work! We can't wait to see who you become next. :) 
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    Darrell GreenDarrell Green ✭✭✭
    Much appreciated @Matt Winston, you and crew make it so attainable.
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