Superhero style: Steel vs. Iron

However attached we may have been to our Spiderman costumes back in the day, the one part of superhero worship we can honestly claim we've grown out of has got to be the outfits. From too-tight body suits to masks you can't breathe or see through, quite frankly if it's not the actual, necroplasmic armoured Superman suit, we're just not interested any more.

Still, one has to admit to experiencing the tiniest twinges of jealousy watching Iron Man 3 - and not just because of the ridiculously attractive Gwyneth Paltrow, either. Iron Man's legendary armour is one of the most iconic superhero costumes around - it even has its own Wikipedia page - and a powered-up exoskeleton would definitely make for a great conversation starter.

Sadly, the high street doesn't seem to have wised up to this obvious gap in the retail market yet, so we're turning to the star of the show in his very human form of Robert Downey Jr. for style inspiration. And with DC Comics' Man of Steel starring Henry Cavill hitting cinemas this month (June 14), the stage is set for a good old fashioned superhero face-off.

Iron

Mr Downey isn't looking so junior when compared with Mr Cavill, with an 18-year age gap between our two heroes. Still, with age comes wisdom and the Iron Man has had years of red carpet experience to perfect his style.

One particularly suave look made an appearance at San Diego's Comic-Con, with a classic grey suit set off by a shiny red shirt, like this one (image one). Add some tinted sunglasses to complete the effect (image 2) - and of course, if you happen to have a red armoured gauntlet that fires repulsor rays, that never hurts either.

Steel

Henry Cavill is more of a newcomer to the international stage, but has had no shortage of bizarre costumes thanks to roles in The Tudors, The Immortals and now the latest Superman instalment.

In between ruffs and lycra, his style is pure English gent, with polo tees, pinstripe suits and Mr. Darcy-style white shirts all frequent sights. To quite literally follow suit, invest in a decent fitted jacket and trousers in classic white-on-navy (image 3). Investing some time in the gym is probably also a requirement.

Via: Style Pilot