Martians, Latex, and Tim Burton Dreams: The Making of a Monsterpalooza Icon
Get a behind-the-scenes look at Vex Clothing’s hand-painted, latex take on the iconic Mars Attacks! dress for Monsterpalooza 2025. Created by Laura, with special effects by DYAD MUFX and Jennifer Corona, dress made by Laura PetrielliPulice
When it comes to iconic sci-fi fashion moments, the Mars Attacks! aliens are unforgettable. And this year at Monsterpalooza, I finally brought one of my all-time favorite Tim Burton designs to life—in latex, of course.
This dress was a one-of-a-kind collaboration between myself, makeup artist @jennifercorona, and the special effects powerhouse @dyadmufx. They were building out a showstopping booth for Monsterpalooza, and Jennifer reached out to ask if I’d be interested in creating a latex version of the Martian Girl look. My answer? A very loud YES.
Creating this piece was intense: the entire pattern and construction took one day, and the painting? Three days straight of hand-painting every swirl and hypnotic curve. We originally considered printing the pattern, but the placement had to be exact—especially on areas like the nipples, neckline, and sleeves. Plus, we needed glitter, and printed latex would have broken up the swirl design at each seam. So I painted the whole thing by hand.
The exaggerated bust shape came from a vintage cone bra that I modified and filled out to capture that unforgettable silhouette from the film. The entire piece was layered over this custom understructure to give the look that perfect retro-futuristic edge.
Seeing the final result on the show floor was beyond rewarding. The response was overwhelming—tons of fans tagged the piece in their posts, including @davidarquette! It made all the hours of work (and glitter!) totally worth it.
This look is a one-of-a-kind piece and not for sale, but we would be open to creating a printed version for collectors or performers in the future.
Collaborating with other artists always energizes me, and this project reminded me why I do what I do: to bring bold, unexpected visions to life in latex.
-- Laura
#Vex25 #MarsAttacks #Monsterpalooza2025 #VexLatex #LatexFashion #SpecialEffects #HandPaintedLatex #TimBurtonFashion #BehindTheScenes #OneOfAKind
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