For a detailed description of Rocky's wraps and how to make them, go to the Rocky Props & Details Page.
Creation Scene:
- Blond wig.
Sort of a shag Beatle haircut. Bangs cover most of forehead; hair covers half of ears and comes halfway down nape of neck. - White bandages
6 pieces: 2 arm pieces, 2 leg pieces, chest wraps, and head cover. The front part of the chest wrap comes down so just a little of the wrappings on his briefs show. The leg wraps should cover the boots (Rocky's feet are covered). The arm wraps cover the back of the hands and the palms and wrap around the thumb, leaving the thumb and fingers free. An authentic set of Rocky wraps are fastened with string run through loops down the arms and legs. Try cut-off sleeves and legs from a white sweatsuit with sewn-on bandages, split and velcroed, or Ace bandages (hard to take off in time). - Gold leather briefs.
Rockys, PLEASE pad your shorts. Sue Blane padded Peter Hinwood's (he confirmed this in an interview). You can't see Rocky's equipment through the shorts on screen, and as a costume judge, I have seen far too many Rocky shorts with every detail visible right through the fabric.
To see a (black and white) image of the shorts with a description from the Sotheby's catalog in 1994 (many thanks to Larry Viezel for the photo). The waist appears to be lightly elasticized, and Sotheby's concurs. I believe this pair is the pair displayed at the Myrtle Beach Hard Rock Cafe. Sue Blane said at the Orlando Rocky Horror Family Vacation convention in October 2001 that there were several pairs of shorts (5 or 6). Did all of them have identical rhinestones? Who knows.
Click to enlarge I recommend you go here: loads of color photos of the shorts on display at the Myrtle Beach, SC Hard Rock Cafe! Thanks to Dawn Henline. The site even includes a diagram for proper rhinestone placement. (I think I saw a few more violet rhinestones than this site notes, but it is darn hard to tell the pink and purple ones apart even when you are looking right at them.)
Note for female Rockys: Alicia "Quad" Wallace suggests that if you plan to wear a bra top, use an unpadded underwire and or you may fall out. Tube tops tend to slip and aren't recommended.
- Front:
- The top of the briefs is at mid-hip and just covers the pubic hair (the entire "Treasure Trail" is visible) and (most of) the crack of the butt. There is a row of stitching maybe half an inch from the edge of the waist and around the legs, but it's nearly covered with a narrow strip of leather with the edges sewn under (think of bias tape) to cover the raw edges. I suspect these strips functions as casing for elastic, as it is gathered. It's difficult to get the shorts tight enough if they're not elasticized, but if you want to try it, you could skip the edging and just put in a row of stitching if you like. There is a cursive "R" in red/purple/pink rhinestones, set with metal prongs, on the front left hip.
If you just want your shorts to look like they do in the film, note the photos above for rhinestone placement. You can see some of the darker rhinestones in with the red ones - see what the "R" looks like in the one shot the camera gets close enough to see them. Beautiful things, rhinestones--but they can look just about any color when they catch the light. On the print, they look sort of blue, but the Hard Rock shorts show the dark rhinestones as violet.
If you want to include the darker rhinestones, see the placement in the Myrtle Beach photos up above. In the on-screen shot, the darker rhinestones look to be:- second from the left in the leading "tail" to the left of the "R"in the top of the loop
- the top stone in the trailing leg, just below the loop
- in the trailing leg to the right of the "R" (one of the bottom two stones).
- Back:
- In back the briefs are cut to cover the seat. The back of the shorts is made up of 4 pieces: there are two seams that go from the top center diagonally across his ass to the leghole (at about the center of each cheek). There is a a 1" strip of material which runs (presumably over the ass-crack seam) all the way from the waistband between the buttocks, all the way to the crotch of the shorts, where it meets the two inner leg seams. This strip is tight and close to the ass but it moves like it isn't sewed down in the center. Given what's said in the Sotheby's catalog, chances are very good it's another strap. There is also a seam from the crotch of the shorts which finishes in front over Rocky's bulge, shaping the shorts so they'll fit over it.
- Sides:
- The legholes are not high-cut on the sides (which are nearly as wide as the front). On both sides of Rocky's shorts here is a wide vertical strip (about 1" wide) between the stitching at the waist and at the leg. (Yes, they are sewn into the stitching and not into the bias-tape like edging. I checked on the shorts at the Hard Rock.) This strip is attached to the shorts only at its top and bottom lines of stitching, nowhere in the middle, like an epaulet.
In a pinch, buy gold boxers and wear them over your Floor Show underwear, tucking in the legs, buy a gold swimsuit (about $50), or search lingerie catalogs. Spraypainted underwear looks awful, though I've seen some spraypainted swimsuits that look OK. Be careful if you make your own shorts--gold lamé is fragile and may not survive even one show. Many people have had good luck with gold swimsuit material.
- Black underwear (for Floor Show). Wear under briefs. There is no excuse for wearing your gold shorts for Floor Show. C'mon, can't you afford a pair of black briefs?
- 2 white rags (one lace-edged) as bandages (if Janet doesn't provide them).
One is tied lace side up on Rocky's right arm above the elbow; there is also a bandage on his left hand. - Gold boxing boots with white laces.
Should be mid-calf, almost no heel. 13 eyelets. Note: these are old-style boxing boots with thin soles. Tongues are higher than the tops of the boots; the toe caps are a separate piece of material. A thin reinforcing strip (also gold) runs up the back of the boots over the back seam. You can spraypaint army boots or high tops (don't forget to touch it up - it starts flaking quickly), or buy gold Doc Martens (pricey). If you're willing to spend money, check out our Links page; we bought some gorgeous authentic gold boxing boots from Boxing Classics. Wear your fishnets, rolled down, in your boots to save time changing later.If you're a real do-it-yourselfer, a friend of mine used her Chuck Taylor high-tops as a pattern and made boxing boots using footie pajama fabric for the soles. She used a grommet setter to set grommets, lined lamé with sturdy fabric, and stitched it all together. She cut two layers of padding for cushioning. (One could also use one layer and put in the insoles from an old pair of shoes.) I don't know how they'll hold up, but they've made it through several months already and they look really good.
You can make weights out of white doweling, styrofoam, plastic wrap, and red ribbon. Or use real weights, but be sure they don't roll on the stage or get dropped on anyone.
Floorshow:
- Red, black and yellow netting boa (mostly red and black).
Photos of an original boa, supposedly Columbia's, are here.
I don't know what the fabric is; Sue Blane notes it was "cheap, synthetic fabric, overlocked on the edges." Sparkle tulle works well and it's cheap. Jaimie Froemming recommends organza, and Gene Chiovari favors organdy. The material is shiny and stiff, with sharp pleats. Edged with black overcast stitch; Jen Hoffman and Jaimie Froemming recommend "woolly nylon serger thread," which looks great, though after examining an original floor show boa, I'm sure that it's not what Sue used. There is a black tassel or two on each end and the ends have obviously been weighted.
- Sequined black front-lace corset
16 eyelets per side. For photos of Rocky's corset, look here (front view), here (right side), and here (left side). More photos can be found here. - Fingerless over-the-elbow seamed fishnet sleeve (left arm).
- Red sequined over-the-elbow gauntlet edged around the top with faded red/pink feather trim (right arm)
The gauntlet covers the top of the hand, coming to a point which is hooks over the middle finger with a white thread loop. You'll need to use elastic to keep it from sliding down your arm. Cut up a cheap boa for the feathers. (Please don't use marabou.) Some band supply stores actually sell sequined gauntlets. - Black satin undies, seamed fishnet stockings, black satin garter belt with crinkly metallic red straps (3 per side) and black findings
Wear black underwear under your gold shorts and fishnets rolled down in your boots to save time. - Black patent high heeled pumps.
They wore 4" or 5" heels. 2 1/2" look good, are less dangerous and cheaper. Rocky does not wear shoes when he picks up Frank to climb the RKO radio tower.
Note that the Floor Show men wear the same corsets as the women, but upside-down--the top of the men's corsets is straight, while the top of the women's is pointed.