Gene Simmons KISS Halloween Costume Ideas

Gene Simmons from KISS is one of the most iconic rock stars of the 1970s. His outrageous clothing and makeup are a fun but challenging choice for a Halloween costume. Of all the costumes that Gene Simmons wore when he was performing on tour, the Alive costume and the Love Gun costume will probably be the easiest to make. Before you get started, make sure you have lots of detailed pictures of Gene Simmons KISS costumes to refer to. You'll need plenty of time, quality materials and some basic sewing, crafting and sculpting skills to pull off this Halloween costume. These Halloween costumes will work either for grown men or for boys. Here are a few tips on how to make your Gene Simmons KISS costume from scratch.

Gene Simmons KISS Alive Halloween Costume

To get started making a Gene Simmons KISS Alive costume, find a tight-fitting black Spandex or Lycra sleeveless long-legged leotard. Also buy some some black vinyl or PVC fabric, metallic silver fabric, some craft foam and some black rip-stop nylon fabric. Also get some fabric fray stop or a needle and black thread and a stud setter with plenty of large silver-colored dome and eyelet studs. You'll also need a pair of plain black knee-high platform boots to create a Gene Simmons KISS costume. If you can't find platform boots, get some wood and woodworking tools to create platform extensions for a regular pair of boots. Cut a large ovular hole on each leg on the outer thigh and cut a deep V shape at the chest area of the leotard. Apply the fray stop to the areas you cut on the jumpsuit or hem the edges so they don't fray.

Measure yourself around the waist and chest and measure your arms and inseam. Use a pair of underwear to make a pattern for the Gene Simmons KISS Alive costume codpiece. Fold a piece of paper in half, then place the underwear over it so that one side edge is in line with the fold. Trace around the underwear over the piece of paper, then add a bit of length to the top of the pattern. Give the front of the codpiece pattern a slightly curved edge. Pin the pattern over a piece of black vinyl fabric and cut around it. Sew and hem the codpiece and place large silver dome studs on the front.

Then fashion some vinyl fabric into two large straps to go over your shoulders. Place dome studs on the outside edge and eyelet studs on the inside edge and make the straps into a V shape that fits your upper body. Then make separate vinyl sleeves for the Gene Simmons KISS Alive costume. The sleeves should extend from the shoulder to the knuckles. It should be open at the armpit and should have two additional holes on the inner arm. Sew the sleeves on the Halloween costume at the shoulder. Cut some conical pieces of foam to make spikes for the arm. Cut and sew some metallic silver fabric such as silver lame or satin to fit over the foam spikes. Turn the fabric inside out to sew the seam, then turn it right side out to fit it over the foam spikes. If you make a mistake, you can alter the seam in the fabric or cut the foam down slightly so the pieces fit together.

Use the black nylon fabric to create the bat wings for the Gene Simmons KISS Alive costume. Hold your arms up in the air to get a general idea of how much fabric you need. Use safety pins to pin one end of the fabric to the back of the sleeve and the other end to the outer edge of the back of the Halloween costume. Try on the costume bodice and raise your arms up again to ensure that you have enough fabric. Then cut bat wings with four segments. Cut a concave curve at the edge between each segment and set dome studs on the inside of the bat wing along the edge between each segment. Hem the bat wings or use fray stop along the edge. Sew the bat wings to the back of the sleeve and the back of the leather strap bodice.

Sew the conical silver spikes onto the sleeves. Get a large piece of plastic or cardboard. Measure it over the tops of the platform boots to ensure that it will fit, and cut it into a slightly elongated diamond shape. Paint the plastic or cardboard black, then use the stud setter to cover it with dome studs. Attach this piece to the top edge of the front of the platform boots. If you've used wooden extensions for your boots, attach them to the bottom of the boots with strong adhesive and paint them black. Paint silver spike designs on the front of the platform section of the boot, near the toe.

Make an axe blade from hard plastic sheeting and paint it silver. Attach the axe piece to the back of an electric guitar or prop guitar to make your Gene Simmons KISS Alive costume complete.

Gene Simmons KISS Love Gun Halloween Costume

Get a long sleeved black sleeveless Spandex or Lycra leotard with long pant legs. Ideally, the leotard for this Halloween costume should have a deep crew neckline that dips all the way to the abdomen. If you can't find this type of leotard, cut the neckline of your leotard and hem the cut edge. Get a silver-colored ring and some large chains. Also find some metallic plastic or aluminum sheet material. You can use this material to cut small tiles to go on the Gene Simmons KISS Love Gun costume. If you can find the tiles already cut in the right shape and size, buy them instead. Also find or make tall black platform boots as in the Gene Simmons Alive costume mentioned above. Then hunt down plenty of black PVC or vinyl fabric and black nylon fabric. Either make or find some long black Spandex or Lycra gloves that extend to the upper arm, or attach gloves to the end of a pair of cut-off sleeves in elastic material.

Make a separate bodice that covers the groin, body and shoulders. You can make this from any black material such as vinyl or nylon. Make sure that the neckline is circular and that it aligns with the neckline of the leotard. Also attach some separate fabric extensions at the shoulder to make the pauldrons. Use strong adhesive to attach the tiles to the front of the bodice and the pauldrons.

Make the bat wings using the same method as the Gene Simmons KISS Alive costume. Attach them to the back of the long sleeves or gloves and to the back of the bodice. Attach some of the metallic tiles to the forearm area of the sleeves or gloves. Cut out the thumb and pinky areas of the gloves and hem them.

Make two long plastic or cardboard extensions to the platform shoes so that the boots extend above the knees. Paint them black, and attach the metallic tiles to the front in a row. Attach the extensions to the boots at the front. Cut some three-sided pyramid foam pieces to make spikes for the boots. Cut some covers for the spikes using metallic silver fabric. Sew them inside out, then turn them right side out and use them to cover the foam spikes. Hot glue or super glue the silver pyramid spikes to the outer edge of the platform boots. Cut the basic shape for the Gene Simmons KISS Love Gun dragon boot covers using Styrofoam. Then use modeling clay to sculpt the dragon heads over the Styrofoam. Paint the dragons in black and silver acrylic craft paint. When the paint has dried, apply shellac or varnish to protect the finish. Apply red sequins over the eyes. Place the dragon boot covers over the boots after putting them on. Make a Gene Simmons axe guitar as in the Alive Halloween costume above.

For more creative and interesting costume ideas, read Cheap Movie-Themed Halloween Costumes for Men and Cool Kids' Halloween Costumes You Can Make Yourself.