Not all X-Men costumes stand the test of time, but one of Jean Grey’s earliest looks remains popular, as an incredible new cosplay demonstrates. Jean’s 1960s attire may be controversial for some readers, but its longevity can’t be denied. The costume’s combination of color and angular design, along with nostalgia for X-franchise throwbacks, have kept it around – with this cosplay making the perfect argument that its legacy is deserved.

Odfel Cosplay (@odfel) has created the pitch-perfect recreation of Jean Grey’s iconic 1960s’ era minidress costume, and it really is a great reminder of exactly what works about the outfit. As captured by @patloikaphotoworks, Odfel stuns in Jean’s dress, yellow gloves, and mask, matching the Mutant powerhouse’s confidence in her posing.

The costume’s bright colors work because they compliment the sharp lines of its mask. As Odfel explains in her post, she was directly inspired by the recent X-Men ’97 animated series, and its cameo appearance of this very costume.

Jean’s Original Costume Continues To Define The Character’s Aesthetic

Cosplay Build: @odfel; Photography By @patloikaphotoworks

Jean’s iconic green costume first appeared in X-Men (Vol. 1) #39, when the original X-Men team received new outfits. By this time, Jean had already differentiated herself from the original X-Men uniforms by wearing a similarly pointed domino mask, which is one element of her previous attire that carried over into the Don Heck-designed miniskirt look, which put her in green and yellow. Jean remained in this costume throughout the 1960s stories, right up until she became the Phoenix in X-Men (Vol. 1) #101 – something that irrevocably changed her character forever, though not detaching her from her previous aesthetic entirely.

The use of the minidress outfit in modern comics has been mildly controversial. For some readers, it signals a regression, Jean going back to a look tied to a time she was ‘Marvel Giirl’. It’s also very traditionally gender-coded and tied to the 1960s in aesthetic, to an extent unlike few other long-lasting costumes. Fans who dislike the aesthetic have argued that putting Jean in the costume –as she was at the start of the recent Krakoan era in 2019 – regresses her and shows some level of disrespect toward the character, even if they can’t deny how iconic it is.

How to dress when Jean’s Feeling Green

Part of why Jean’s minidress costume has remained so prevalent is that it’s one of her only costumes in green that isn’t directly tied to the Phoenix. Throughout the 1990s, Jean was mostly in yellow and blue. If writers want to put her in a classic green costume, they’re limited by choice. However, Jean’s incredible recent redesign by Russell Dauterman proved so popular that its major features are carrying into a new green Phoenix costume. In this sense, it looks like Jean Grey no longer has a problem with finding green X-Men costumes to rock.