DIY Herb Overkill Costume from the Minion Movie
Herb Overkill is the quiet, laid-back husband of Scarlet Overkill, the female super villain being introduced in the Minion Movie. Putting together Herb’s costume is like taking a trip back to the late 60’s, 1968 when the movie takes place.
Herb could be regarded as a “cartoon heart-throb.” At the very least he is likely to be a popular costume idea with Mad Men, Ricky Martin and Minion Fans because of the actors lending their voices to his character. He is voiced by at least three international hunks and hotties, with more to follow. Jon Hamm is the U.S. voice, Ricky Martin is the Latin American voice and Guillaume Canet is the French voice.*
Herb’s costume with a Scarlet Costume make for a fun, sinister couple’s costume. Add in any of the three minions—Stuart, Kevin or Bob from the movie and you have a imaginative, creative and fun group or family costume for Halloween or minion movie party.
Minion Movie Trivia:
* Gullaume Canet’s partner, Marion Cotillard, is the voice of Scarlet Overkill for the French version of the Minion Movie.
Meet Herb Overkill
Some of the preview reports describe him as “Herb is so in awe of Scarlet that he took her last name.” At this point, what we know about him is that he appears to be the supportive spouse and even an accomplice in crime behind his super villain wife. He is also being described as an inventor and fellow villain. (We’ll have to see what that means one the movie comes out).
Herb makes his first appearance with Scarlet ~ 1:47 and has a single line in the trailer. (It is going to be funny hearing a more subdued Ricky Martin).
DIY Herb Overkill Costume
The Minion Movie takes place in 1968 so the atmosphere, clothes and hairstyle are those popularized in the late 60’s.
Women had the big bouffant hair, winged eyeliner and big full skirts. For the men it was the late 60’s hair of the Beatles or the Who or the Stones. Even pictures of David Bowie from 1968 show him with a similar hairstyle. Men were wearing mod jackets, brighter colors and even some tie-dyed tees (one of the earlier work clothes rejected by the Minions).
From top to bottom is a list of the items needed to make your own Herb Overkill Costume include:
- 60’s longer flipped-up wig
- Green, Blue, Teal Striped blazer jacket
- Lavender, light purple men’s shirt
- Thin black tie
- Black gloves
- Skinny blue jeans
- Large gold belt buckle
Fortunately the basis of Herb’s look is a pair of skinny blue jeans and a belt with a huge gold belt buckle which many guys have already, so you just need to get the teal green striped jacket, light purple shirt, the hair and the accessories.
Look in thrift and second-hand stores for an old retro 60’s style striped suit jacket since this is the basis of Herb Overkill’s costume.
Herb’s Mod Hair
Herb Overkill’s hair is a look that was very popular late 1960’s which was worn by the rockers of the time, especially the Beatles and the Who (see photos of Ringo Starr and Pete Townshend above).
Herb’s hair is more of a hair cut, than a hairstyle. If you want to get it cut, make sure you get the following features:
- Short on top
- Longer in back
- Flip in back
- Prominent, mid cheek sideburns
It may be easier to recreate Herb’s Mod Hair using a men’s wig than styling. Two options that would work, one styled with the mod look from the 60’s and another one from the 70’s that would also work.
Cut the extra wig hair out from around the ears so they are visible:
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History of the Men 60’s Hairstyles
For those interested in the history of fashion, I’ve included this interview with Beatles’ hairdresser, Leslie Cavendish from 1965 to 1972 by RockintheSeams. In the video we get to see pictures and learn about the evolution of their hairstyles and how their changing styles influenced the pop culture of the time (like potentially Herb Overkill).
Herb’s Striped Suit Jacket & Purple Shirt
Herb’s striped suit jacket is a teal green in some images and a teal blue (turquoise) in others. Ideally it would be great to be able to find an old retro 60’s style striped suit jacket in a green or teal like Herb’s costume. Look for a slim-fit or trim-fit blazer in green, blue or teal with one or two buttons.
If you can’t find a jacket, I found a few teal and green blazers that would help recreate his look.
Light Purple Shirt
Under his retro styling 60’s striped teal jacket, Herb wears a light purple, or lavender colored men shirt with a very narrow black tie (the style of the time).
It turns out that light purple shirts are way easier to find than striped teal jackets. Here are just a few of the many different ones on Amazon. (You can even get darker purple dress shirts if you prefer)
One of the questions that I had in figuring out Herb’s costume is, “Why does Herb Overkill wear gloves? We’ll have to watch the movie to see it they tell us why he wears gloves. So far, he is wearing gloves in every image show. Perhaps to keep from leaving fingerprints?
Accessories – Tie, Gloves, Large Belt Buckle and Boots
To turn a jacket and pair of blue jeans into Herb Overkill add:
- Thin black tie
- Black gloves
- Large gold belt buckle
- Shoes or Boots
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Thrift and second-hand stores can also be good places to find a large belt buckle belt, if you don’t have one or can’t borrow one.
I am predicting he will be wearing Mod black leather boots like the ones to the right.
Surprisingly, these low cut leather boots, popular in the late 60’s are still popular and available today.
Sigh…it would be nice if women’s fashions didn’t change as much as men’s fashions.
Related Pages
Scarlet Overkill
To help you complete your Scarlet Overkill makeup and hair or a younger version of Scarlet Overkill take a look at the related pages:
- DIY Scarlet Overkill Costume from the Minion Movie
- DIY Scarlet Overkill Hair and Makeup
- DIY Scarlet Overkill Costumes for Teens & Tweens
Yellow Minions
To help put together a yellow minion costume from the Minion Movie or from Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2 or make a pair of minion goggles take a look at our pages on making a yellow minion costume and goggles using (mostly) materials at home.
- DIY Yellow Minion Costumes for the Minion Movie
- 5 Easy Ways to Make a Pair of Minion Goggles
- DIY Yellow Minion Costumes a.k.a. the Silly Ones (from Despicable Me)
Our Pinterest Board for DIY Scarlet Overkill Costume
To share our ideas and inspiration for making your own Scarlet Overkill, Super-villain costume and to collect ideas from other Scarlet fans we have a Pinterest board especially for the DIY Scarlet Overkill Costume Ideas from the Minion Movie. Be sure to pop over to Pinterest and follow us for updates.
This board is a collection of Scarlet Overkill images that inspired her costume, hair and makeup along with a few minions added for fun.
Respect — Power — Banana