Poison Ivy Costumes
Poison Ivy costumes tend to take two different tracks: the Poison Ivy look from DC Comics and the Uma Thurman Poison Ivy costume from that awful Batman & Robin movie (Batman IV). I want to provide pictures, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each, and give other suggestions for Poison Ivy related Halloween costumes.
Poison Ivy - Batman Villain
Poison
Ivy is Pamela Lillian Isley, a key member of the Batman Rogue Gallery who
debuted in 1966. In the various incarnations in various genres, Poison Ivy
tends to be a shrinking violet type female, often a florist, who is doused
with chemicals or otherwise exposed to plant toxins which make her immune to
poison. Poison Ivy uses the plant motif to commit crimes, usually of an
eco-terrorist nature. Often, she blames mankind for killing the plants, and
wants to gain revenge on humanity for their cruel disregard of the Earth's
flora.
Among her powers are immunity to toxins, the use of pheromones to control men's minds, the use of poison lipstick to defeat her enemies with a kiss, and an encyclopedic knowledge of botany, plant types, and environmental issues.
Poison Ivy Costume Ideas
The original Poison Ivy look was modeled by her creator, Robert Kanigher, after the adult model most famous in the 50's, Bettie Page. Pamela Isley was given a Bettie Page haircut and a southern drawl, much like the Queen of Pinups. You can find a pretty representative version of the original Poison Ivy costume here, though the model obviously isn't sporting the Bettie Page. You'll have to make that work yourself, either with a Bettie Page wig (dyed red) or hair styling of your own.
This is a minimal, yet sexy costume. All you need are some high heels, a nice pair of legs, and some plastic ivy to wear in your hair and perhaps snaking down your body.
Poison Ivy Film Version - Uma Thurman
Then there is the Poison Ivy look Uma Thurman had in the Batman & Robin movie. This involves more of a full-body stocking of light green on forest green, along with a long, straight red wig or hairstyle. The advantage of this costume is that everyone, even your casual Batman film fans, are going to recognize this costume. The disadvantage is that Batman fans are going to recognize the costume as a product of the worst of the Batman films to date.
As you can see, this Poison Ivy costume covers more skin, so if you have compunctions about showing too much flesh, this is a good Batman villain costume idea. If you really want to get the fanboys going, you and a friend can pair either of these outfits with another one.
Harley Quinn - Poison Ivy's Sometime Accomplice
Harley Quinn was a creation of the Bruce Timm Batman Animated Series. She began as Dr. Harleen Quinzel, a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum who falls for the Joker. Her devotion to the Clown Prince of Crime leads her into a life of crime as his sidekick, the clown-themed Harley Quinn.
Despite being highly unstable, the writers of the series clearly had a soft spot for their creation, because she was usually depicted in a relatively sympathetic light for a crazed supervillain. Harley generally tried to please the J-Man, who tended to denigrate or ignore his admirer--then want her back when she left.
Eventually, Harley Quinn left the Joker and made friends with Poison Ivy. They had a few Thelma & Louise type adventures in Gotham City, though Harley eventually went back to the Joker. This was a popular story idea, though, and was eventually incorporated into the regular DC Comics. Therefore, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn are sometimes seen as a criminal duo. Some rabid fans even suggested they were more than just friends, but that's not in DC canon, at least at present.
The point being, someone wanting to wear a Poison Ivy costume for Christmas, and if you want to coordinate with a friend or partner, you don't necessarily have to take a man with you.