Honestly, if you close your eyes and think of Wonder Woman, you aren’t seeing a CGI battlefield or a muted bronze breastplate. You’re seeing a spin. You’re seeing a flash of light and a woman standing there in a vibrant, almost impossibly bright red, white, and blue outfit that defined an entire era of television. The lynda carter wonder woman costume isn't just a piece of TV history. It’s a masterclass in 1970s costume design that managed to do the impossible: make a comic book drawing look like it actually belonged on a real human being.
It almost didn’t happen. Before Lynda Carter took the role, there was a 1974 pilot starring Cathy Lee Crosby where the costume looked more like a track suit than a superhero uniform. It was... questionable. But when ABC decided to try again with The New Original Wonder Woman in 1975, they went back to the roots. They hired Donfeld—the professional name of designer Donald Lee Feld—and he basically saved the visual legacy of the character.
The Man Behind the Stars and Satin
Donfeld was a Hollywood heavyweight. We’re talking about a guy who dressed Bette Davis and Audrey Hepburn. He didn’t just make clothes; he engineered them. When he took on the task of creating the lynda carter wonder woman costume, he wasn't just looking for "sexy." He was looking for "stately."
The construction of that suit is actually kind of wild. It wasn't just spandex. In fact, it was mostly a poly-satin blend. Because the show started out set in the 1940s, Donfeld wanted a look that felt like a vintage flag.
- The Bodice: This was a fully boned corset. It had to be. To keep that sweetheart neckline from collapsing during a fight scene or a high-speed chase, the interior was backed with a heavy twill blend.
- The Eagle: If you look closely at Season 1, the eagle on her chest is a thick, bugle-beaded appliqué. It’s heavy. It’s textured. It looks like jewelry, not a print.
- The Shorts: These weren't the "swimsuit" bottoms we see today. They were high-waisted "brief" cuts made of the same heavy satin.
Lynda Carter famously said she had about $25 in her bank account when she got the role. She was a struggling actress who suddenly had to step into a costume that would eventually sell at auction for over $200,000. Life moves fast.
Why the Season 2 Redesign Changed Everything
When the show jumped from ABC to CBS in 1977, the setting moved from World War II to the modern (well, modern for then) 1970s. This meant the lynda carter wonder woman costume needed a facelift.
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The "New Adventures" version of the suit is actually the one most people remember. The eagle on the chest got a redesign—the wings became more stylized and divided, and the whole thing felt a bit more streamlined. They also hiked the leg line on the shorts. Why? Because the 70s happened.
There’s this funny detail about the stars on her shorts. In the first season, they were scattered somewhat randomly, almost like pop art. By the time they got to the 1970s episodes, the stars were rearranged into a symmetrical starburst pattern. It looked more "official," like a uniform.
It Wasn't Just One Outfit
Most people think she just had the one suit, but that’s a myth. If Diana Prince was going underwater, she had a blue diving suit with a matching gold-trimmed swim cap. If she was on a motorcycle, she had a blue jumpsuit with a massive silver helmet.
And don’t even get me started on the cape.
The "Americana" cape used for formal occasions was a massive semi-circle of red, white, and blue satin. It weighed a ton. When she wore it, she didn't just walk; she loomed. The way the colors were divided—segments of white and blue with silver stars hand-stitched on—is the kind of craftsmanship you just don't see on TV budgets anymore.
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The Secret of the Bracelets and Tiara
Let’s talk about the gear. The "Bracelets of Submission" weren't plastic. They were hammered brass metal. In Season 2, they had a deeper texture and were less tapered than the early versions. Lynda actually had to use her own skills to make the action look real.
The tiara was another trick. It was actually made of leather, but finished with a gold-tone coating that made it look like solid metal. They had to use leather because a metal tiara would have been dangerous for a stuntwoman (or Lynda herself) to wear while running or doing that iconic spin.
Dealing with the "Sex Symbol" Label
It’s no secret that the lynda carter wonder woman costume was revealing. For the time, it was provocative. Carter has been very vocal over the years about her complicated relationship with the outfit. She hated the idea of being a "pin-up."
She once told US Magazine that she never intended to be a sexual object for anyone but her husband. She was frustrated that her body was being "tacked up in men's bathrooms."
But here’s the thing: she owned it. She insisted that Diana Prince be played as a capable, smart woman. She fought against scripts that made Diana look helpless. Because of that, the costume became a symbol of power rather than just a costume. When she put on those bracelets, you knew the "bad guys" were in for a rough afternoon.
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The Auction Reality Check
If you want to own a piece of this history today, you’d better have a Bruce Wayne-sized bank account. In October 2024, an original costume from the Stewart Berkowitz collection sold for $225,000.
A pair of those red boots with the white stripe? Those went for $52,000 on their own.
It turns out, people really value the nostalgia of that specific shade of red and blue. The boots were particularly interesting because they had a two-inch heel and were made of suede. Imagine trying to chase down a Nazi spy or a disco-era terrorist in suede heels. It’s a miracle she didn't twist an ankle every single week.
How to Get the Look (Without Spending $200k)
If you're looking to put together your own tribute, don't just buy a cheap spandex bag from a Halloween store. To really capture the essence of the lynda carter wonder woman costume, you have to look at the materials.
- Seek out Satin: The shine is everything. You want a fabric that catches the studio lights.
- Focus on the Eagle: The eagle should be the centerpiece. If you can find an embroidered patch or something with beadwork, it’ll look ten times more authentic than a screen print.
- The Spin is the Accessory: You can have the best suit in the world, but if you can't do the pirouette, are you even Wonder Woman? Lynda Carter, a trained dancer, invented that move herself because the producers couldn't figure out how to handle the costume change.
The legacy of this costume is about more than just fabric. It’s about a specific moment in time when a female superhero finally looked exactly like she did in the comics, and the world was actually ready for it.
If you're serious about studying the history of superhero fashion, your next step should be to look into the Donfeld design sketches. Seeing the original watercolors helps you understand how the "eagle" emblem was originally conceived as a piece of armor rather than just a logo. You might also want to research the "Wonder Girl" costume worn by Debra Winger—it's a fascinating, younger take on the same aesthetic language.
Actionable Insight: If you're a collector or a cosplayer, prioritize finding "Dutch satin" or a heavy-weight poly-satin for the bodice. Modern spandex lacks the structural "heft" that made Lynda Carter's suit look like a piece of high-end evening wear. Also, keep an eye on the Smithsonian's rotating exhibits—while Lynda says she has a few suits in her closet "falling apart," the official archives sometimes pull out the production-used pieces for anniversaries.