The X-Men‘s annual Hellfire Gala is an opportunity for mutants to dress up and show pride in their mutant abilities and identity. Some mutants incorporate their powers into their outfits, while others use their superhero costumes to inspire their ensembles. For the first Hellfire Gala, Laura Kinney took the latter approach, wearing an elegant asymmetrical dress whose blue and yellow fabrics evoked the costume she wore when she first took on the title of Wolverine. However, her outfit for the second Hellfire Gala digs even further into her history, drawing inspiration from her fashion sense as a teenager.
After Laura escaped the Facility, the sinister company that had genetically engineered her to be a living weapon, she went to live with her aunt. She grew close to her cousin Megan, a teenager like her. Laura had to wear some of Megan’s clothes and took a liking to Megan’s unconventional fashion sense. Megan’s clothing was edgy and goth, with lots of layers, dark colors, and spikes. Laura continued to wear goth clothing even after leaving her aunt’s house and joining the X-Men.
Eventually, as Laura became an adult, she grew out of this style and preferred more comfortable, neutral clothing over-elaborate goth outfits. In recent years, her alternative phase seems either forgotten or pushed aside. However, Laura’s outfit for the second Hellfire Gala references the styles she used to love.
Laura’s Hellfire Gala outfit consists of a ripped black bodysuit with a sheer yellow skirt, a studded leather belt, and spiky platform boots. She also wears a simple facial headdress and elaborate eye makeup, both reminiscent of the mask she wears as Wolverine. While several elements of this outfit evoke Laura’s identity as Wolverine, other aspects of the look call back to the goth and alternative fashion she wore as a teenager. In this way, this ensemble proudly declares who Laura is now while fondly remembering who she used to be.
Goth fashion initially appealed to Laura for a few different reasons. Growing up in the Facility, she had very little in the way of family. Though her mother helped to raise and train her, the scientists at the Facility tried to discourage familial connections to make her a more effective weapon. So when Laura went to live with her aunt, it was the first time she was part of anything resembling an average family. Megan was her cousin and her friend. Dressing like Megan helped Laura feel more connected to her.
Megan wore alternative styles of clothing because she felt different from everyone else. Laura could relate to this sentiment, given her unusual upbringing. Wearing spikes and studded belts helped Laura express her outsider nature and the side of her she felt was dangerous. In the Facility, Laura had very little bodily autonomy, but after escaping, she could dress how she liked. She chose edgy clothing, which she felt expressed her true nature.
Laura’s goth phase was a way for her to strengthen family ties, assert bodily autonomy and express her inner self. Yes, she has since grown out of this style. Still, her new Hellfire Gala outfit allows her to honor her past self and remember the fashion that was once so important to her.
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