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Line 1: {{trope}} [[File:bat nipples.jpg\|link=Batman and Robin (film)\|frame\|[[Punctuated! For! Emphasis!\|What. The. Hell.]]]] So you're watching a movie, and, hey, maybe it's pretty good. The writing is snappy, the actors really seem to have settled into their roles, and all in all it's shaping up to be an enjoyable experience. And then the hero walks in wearing a [[Everything's Better with Monkeys\|gorilla suit]], a [[Badass Mustache\|Fu Manchu moustache]], and [[Wholesome Crossdresser\|high heels]]. Line 7 ⟶ 6: And the thing is, ''it's not for the sake of a joke.'' The costuming department thought—mistakenly! -- that this combination would make the character look [[Badass]], and somehow managed to persuade the director. No, they're not being sarcastic, comical or parodic ([[Parody Retcon\|at least not at the time]]): it's an entire team of costume designers being totally, completely 100% damn serious about it. The audience, however, remains unconvinced. That is the essence of '''What the Hell, [[Costuming Department]]?'''. Maybe it's an [[Derivative Works\|adaptation of another work]] where the costumers decided, for no apparent reason, to make the character look entirely unlike he or she does in the source material. Maybe it's an original work where [[What Do You Mean It Wasn't Made on Drugs?\|the costumers were evidently insane]]. Either way, confusion and dismay ensue. Related tropes include: [[Rummage Sale Rejects]], where the characters at least have the excuse that maybe they got dressed in the dark; [[Costume Porn]], which provides a possible explanation for some examples; [[Fashion Victim Villain]], a bad guy whose costumes attract WTH moments; and [[What the Hell, Casting Agency?]], where the confusion arises over who's ''in'' the costumes. Compare [[Impossibly Tacky Clothes]], which is when the work treats the costumes as bad. {{examples}} == [[Comic Books]] == Line 24: * Mike Grell's [http://www.comicartcommunity.com/gallery/details.php?image_id=33361 rather infamous] [[Legion of Super-Heroes (comics)\|Cosmic Boy]] costume from [[The Seventies]]. [http://www.majorspoilers.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/001Tyroc/Tyroc27.jpg Tyroc] was pretty [[Stripperific]] too. == Fan ~~Fic~~Works == * ''[[My Immortal]]'' gives [[Harry Potter (novel)\|Voldemort]] [[Sissy Villain\|high heels]] in one scene. [[~~Big~~Non ~~Lipped~~Sequitur ~~Alligator Moment~~Scene\|These only appear once and are never mentioned again.]] That's just one example. The whole thing is filled to the brim with fashion failure. == [[Film]] == * ''[[Batman and Robin (film)\|Batman and Robin]]'''s Batnipples became so infamous that they received a nod in Ozymandias' costume design in the ''[[Watchmen (film)\|Watchmen]]'' movie, and Spartan 3000's costume in ''[[Empowered]]''. It could have been worse, they could have gone with the Batgirl [https://web.archive.org/web/20130526024225/http://www.milesteves.com/gallery/v/ILLUSTRATION/batman+and+robin/Batgirl.jpg.html bat-cleavage window] and the [[Spikes of Villainy]], [[Absolute Cleavage]], [[Anime Hair]] [https://web.archive.org/web/20121125044339/http://www.milesteves.com/gallery/v/ILLUSTRATION/batman+and+robin/Poison+Ivy.jpg.html Poison Ivy]. ''[[Psych]]'' parodied this in one episode when "The Green Spirit" movie was ruined because all anyone remembers were the nipples. * Yes, most of the costumes were gorgeous. Yes, the film won the Oscar for costuming. But the genius who translated "stylized suit of armor" in the opening scene of ''[[Bram Stoker's Dracula\|Bram Stokers Dracula]]'' to mean "big, shiny red lobster suit" is either a madman or a comic mastermind. ** The armor was actually designed to look like human muscle; whether or not you find that badass is individual but during the time period when the opening is set people probably did wear armory based on that idea. Doesn't explain the red lacquered look, though. * [[Tim Burton]]'s take on ''[[Superman Returns]]'' would have featured Superman in a black, [[Star Trek\|Borg-inspired]] suit, designed by Jon Peters. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110917161256/http://www.bamkapow.com/gallery_photo.phtml?gk=9&gpk=66 Check it out.] ** This was probably inspired by the similar costume he wore in the comics during ''Reign of the Supermen''. Still, when they got then-lead actor Nicholas Cage into their concept suit for a photo shoot, the results...[https://web.archive.org/web/20120216104711/http://www.stuffwelike.com/stuffwelike/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Nicolas-Cage-superman.jpg were not pretty]. * In the words of Jay Pinkerton, the ''[[Catwoman (film)\|Catwoman]]'' film "boldly [reinterpreted] the heroine as some sort of crime-fighting badger." With shredded pants and [[Too Many Belts]]. * Damodar, [[The Dragon]] from the execrable ''[[Dungeons ~~and~~& Dragons (film)\|Dungeons and Dragons]]'' movie. He was rocking a pretty reasonable villainous look, but man, what was up with the blue lipstick? * Neal McDonough in the also execrable ''[[Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li\|Street Fighter the Legend of Chun Li]]''. McDonough really does resemble M. Bison from the games, except for the beard and business suit. And even if the pseudo-Nazi uniform was deemed too silly for the movie—and that'd take some doing—there's no real excuse for the beard. ** The usual comment on McDonough-Bison is that the costumers appear to have gotten him mixed up with [[Fatal Fury\|Geese Howard]]. Line 64: * The [[John Wayne]] version of ''[[True Grit]]''. Not only does she have an obviously 1960's hairstyle, Mattie also wears black nylon tights at the end of the movie. * [["Weird Al" Yankovic]] mocks the Green Goblin's design from ''[[Spider-Man (film)\|Spider Man]]'' in "Ode to a Superhero" thus: {{quote\|''And he's ridin' around on that glider thing'' ''And he's throwin' that weird pumpkin bomb'' ''Yes, he's wearin' that dumb ''[[Power Rangers]]'' mask'' ''But he's scarier without it on'' }} * Averted in the first ''[[X-Men 1]]'' movie, where the team wears black outfits. Cyclops [[~~Lampshades~~lampshade]]s the change by saying could be wearing "yellow spandex" as seen in the comics. Played straight in ''[[X-Men: ~~First Class\|X Men~~ First Class]]'', with the costume Erik wears in the last scene of the film. He has a bright purple cape and modified the helmet so that it's magenta ''and has little horns''. Fanfic has not missed out on mocking this. * The little horns are straight out of the comics, as seen [http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-liQr7Sgxobs/TegAbsQSrnI/AAAAAAAAHFc/xNE3MTD0Vr8/s1600/75575-178432-magneto.jpg here], but the costume department ''did'' make them more prominent. * In ''[[Harry Potter and ~~The~~the Half-Blood Prince (film)\|Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]'' the twins at Slughorn's Christmas party can be seen wearing two ghastly green outfits that appear to be pear costumes. * For some reason, somebody thought it would be a good idea to the have the villain of ''Killer Party'', which occurs during a college frat party, dress as a deep sea diver. And no, it wasn't a costume party. * ''[[Dune]]''. Behold the majesty of [http://www.imdb.com/media/rm159094784/tt0087182 Sting's bronze speedos!] (The miniseries is below in the Live Action TV category.) Line 77: ** [http://www.pulpconnection.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Edward-Bella-running.jpg Here's a screenshot of the narmful scene.] == [[Live -Action TV]] == * ''[[Ugly Betty]]'' is supposed to be a fashion victim, but Season 3 took it way too far when Patricia Fields took over as costume designer. Betty went from frumpy to looking like a deranged clown. And though she's supposed to be poor, the pieces of these monstrosities were obviously expensive designer items, which she never wore more than once. Also, the people on the show who are supposed to be fashionable didn't look much better. ** Pat Fields is notorious for putting the stars of the shows she costumes in bizarre clothes. Before ''[[Ugly Betty]]'' she did ''[[Sex and the City]]''—it was even worse. Line 118: * The [[National Hockey League]] has seen its share of uniforms that teams would like to forget. One of the most notorious examples is the New York Islanders 1995 uniform change from [http://www.nhluniforms.com/Islanders/Images/Islanders11.png this] to ''[http://www.nhluniforms.com/Islanders/Images/Islanders16.png this]''. * The St. Louis Blues would have worn [http://bp1.blogger.com/_r8tWGVHrjGI/RtMc_JXYK9I/AAAAAAAABfk/rwuJreFa2fQ/s1600-h/bluesunused.jpg THIS] during a game in 1996 if it weren't for their head coach stepping in and refusing to let his players wear that. Score one for good taste. * The Vancouver Canuck's [https://web.archive.org/web/20140712015557/http://www.canadiandesignresource.ca/officialgallery/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/canucks_jersey_1983.jpg V Jersey] * Coventry City FC's 1970's away [http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/premiership/from-celtic-to-manchester-united-the-worst-football-kits-ever-14882432.html?action=Popup&ino=15 strip]. Liverpool FC's late '80's home strip wasn't much [http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FhusC2a2cyg/TMk2-cioQmI/AAAAAAAABnM/MWKp0W1bSO4/s1600/candy.1.jpg better]. * The 1994 [[FIFA World Cup]] uniforms for some national teams. Particularly for Brazil, Spain, and the hosts themselves, the USA. * Because many baseball fans and owners are so stuck in the past, teams think it's a good idea to hold "Turn Back the Clock Day" and make the players dress in baggy, oversized old-fashioned uniforms for one game. Most fans born after 1950 can only roll their eyes at them. * The late 1970s and into the early 1980s was not a good time for cricket uniforms, specifically the one-day format where coloured uniforms are the norm. [~~http~~https://~~www~~web.archive.org/web/20130208050235/http://retrocricket.com/nz1-big.jpg New Zealand's beige and brown] (image link if a modern recreation) and the [~~http~~https://~~www~~web.archive.org/web/20130208050141/http://retrocricket.com/wi3.jpg West Indies] grey pajamas (with the maroon fading to pink fairly quickly) are considered the low points. * Because the University of Oregon football team has the support of alum and Nike founder Phil Knight, it has become infamous for breaking out new, outlandish designer uniforms every single ''game." Listing the number of ridiculous combinations they have worn may require its own page. * The Fremantle Football Club entered the Australian Football League in 1995, and for the next 15 years had the team colours of purple, green, red and white, with their uniforms having a huge anchor on the front. In 2010, the club thankfully changed to a more conservative purple and white chevron design. * The Houston Astros' infamous [https://web.archive.org/web/20120320060218/http://content.fathead.com/blog/nl_1980_houston.gif "Rainbow Guts"] uniforms. which they wore for almost two decades. * The San Diego Padres, since 2008, have trotted out on the field every Sunday home game in ''camouflage''. ** Most likely [[Pandering to the Base]], as San Diego has a significant Naval base just across the harbor from Petco Park, with a large Marine Corps presence just up the road at Miramar and Camp Pendleton. Line 134: == [[Video Games]] == * In ''[[Plumbers Don't Wear Ties]]'', the narrator suddenly dons a chicken mask for no reason. * ''[[Grand Theft Auto]]: [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas\|San Andreas]]''. The player can take over this role. Utterly serious cut scenes can have the protagonist standing around in any number of insane outfits. The possibilities are in the hundreds such as; boxers only, a Groucho Marx face mask and tuxedo pants or even a gimp suit. This last, in a business meeting with his sister. * The [[Soul Series\|Soul Calibur]] series has been getting worse and worse in this topic with each new entry. It reached its lowest in ''Soul Calibur IV'', specially with Ivy's ridiculous strip-bra. In ''Soul Calibur V'' they seemed to recover from it, although there are still some characters with ludicrous outfits. * Similarly, the ''[[Saints Row]]'' series, with its insane degree of [[Character Customization]], features equally insane wardrobe choices depending on the player's whim. Including hot dog suits and gladiator helmets. Line 141: * Who sends a bunch of mercenaries to fight, probably to the death, with paper bags or rubber gloves on their heads? Team Fortress 2 in a nutshell. * Save very few exceptions, most of the armors from ''[[Xenoblade Chronicles]]'' are so ridiculously ornamented that a lot of players prefer to stick with the standard outfits, even if it means to have lower stats. * ''[[Mortal Kombat 9]]'' has a few of these. Specifically, [http://images.wikia.com/mk/images/6/64/Rendersonyawildboyz.png Sonya Blade's primary costume]{{Dead link}}. Does Special Forces not require their female operatives to at least wear bras or something? Ok, ok, ok, maybe I'm missing the [[Ms. Fanservice\|bigger picture here]]. But HIGH HEELS too? Seriously? * Similarly, in ''[[~~Blaz Blue~~BlazBlue]]'', we have [[Little Bit Beastly\|squirrel girl]] Makoto Nanaya. Her [[Stripperiffic]] battle outfit is ''ridiculously'' impractical. Example: [http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111208125231/blazblue/images/e/e2/Makoto_Nanaya_%28Story_Mode_Artwork%2C_Normal%2C_School_Uniform%29.png here]{{Dead link}} is her costume in ''Calamity Trigger'', [http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100623160749/blazblue/images/0/08/Makoto_Nanaya_%28Story_Mode_Artwork%2C_Normal%2C_Coat%29.png here] is her NPC costume in ''Continuum Shift'', and [http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120215213123/blazblue/images/a/a8/Makoto_Nanaya_%28Story_Mode_Artwork%2C_Normal%29.png here] is her playable character costume. The impracticality of it is even [[Lampshaded Trope\|lampshaded]] in one episode of ''[[Fourth Wall Mail Slot\|Help Me, Professor Kokonoe!]]'' {{quote\|'''Kokonoe''': Who the hell goes around dressed like that!? How do you live knowing you're always one slight breeze or sudden cough away from a massive [[Wardrobe Malfunction]]!?}} Line 155: [[Category:YMMV Trope]] [[Category:Costume Tropes]] [[Category:~~WTH Costuming Department~~{{PAGENAME}}]]