Most people don't realize how complex of a character Catwoman is. Not only has she had a plethora of origins, she has also been depicted in numerous fashions in different movies and television shows. In September, Catwoman will be getting some possible tweaks to her character when DC releases a new Catwoman series written by Judd Winick.

With The Dark Knight Rises coming out next year, we still do not know a lot about how Selina Kyle's character will be portrayed when she returns to the big screen again. We have a good idea how Batman will look. There shouldn't be too much of a change, if any, to his costume. We've also had a glimpse of Tom Hardy as Bane.

When Anne Hathaway was first announced as being in the movie, she was listed as playing Selina Kyle rather than Catwoman. There has been word that Hathaway has had wardrobe difficulties during certain scenes and I have a feeling in my gut that we'll be getting a glimpse of her onscreen look pretty soon.

With all the different costumes (and origins) Catwoman has had, which would be the best for The Dark Knight Rises?

The one thing that recent portrayals and depictions of Catwoman have in common is a black leather/spandex look. This makes the most sense. Catwoman is largely shown to be a cat burglar.

I never really understood her early purple and green look with the cape. If she's sneaking around a rich person's penthouse suite, the last thing she needs to worry about is knocking something over with her cape.

The idea of a skin tight outfit allows for quicker movement and also makes it so she doesn't have to worry about any fabric fibers being left behind. There's also the fact that the cape and cat-mask look really won't work in the vision Christopher Nolan has established in his Batman films. Yes we may have a person dressed as a bat wearing armor but a more traditional spandex costume just wouldn't look or feel right.

What about some of the other big screen looks?

Michelle Pfieffer had the leather look in Tim Burton's Batman Returns in 1992. I always thought it was a little weird that her costume was a stitched up mess of a costume but thankfully it was black rather than the purple costume (with black thigh high boots) Selina wore in her 1993 series drawn by Jim Balent. Purple may have been a color she used on more than one costume but seeing someone run around in a purple outfit in live action is a different story.

Catwoman in Batman Returns wasn't really a cat burglar. People might like her costume but I don't like the stitching and the mask with pointy ears looks a little...silly. It might not make sense to say so since Batman's cowl has pointy ears as well but perhaps we should have a limit on the number of characters running around with pointy ears.

Then there was that other movie with Catwoman.

I feel I should avoid all mention to the 2004 movie starring Halle Berry. This movie was a disaster in more ways than one. Thankfully the character was not Selina Kyle but regardless, what was going on with her costume? It is completely ridiculous. For those that actually liked her costume...I'm not sure what to say to you. Ripped leather pants like this remind me of jeans that are carefully made with rips and torns from the clothing designer. Those jeans, to me, are one step away from acid washed jeans.

This outfit is not something Selina Kyle would wear. I don't even think she would wear it if she was in her prostitute days. I have not been able to watch this movie in its entirety and hopefully never will have to. If Nolan even went with something remotely similar to this, I'd miss the rest of the movie because my head would be bowed in shame.

There might be some options to choose from when it comes to selecting Catwoman's next big screen look but there really isn't. With all the variations she's had since her debut back in 1940's Batman #1, she's been wearing the same costume for a while now, black leather with goggles.

Last week, Hollywood Life reported that an insider revealed some information to them (wonder why the insider didn't report this to a...bigger news site). It was said that Hathaway would be wearing the goggles and her costume would be less sexy than Halle Berry and Michelle Pfieffer's costume. Would this really be a surprise? It's what makes sense and what would fit in with Nolan's vision.

Will she have a mask with pointy cat-ears along with the goggles? Other rumbling says her look will be similar to Darwyn Cooke's design. This again suggests the leather and goggles look along with cat-ears mask.

There really isn't a need for the cat-ears. This could explain why Hathaway was never officially listed as being cast as Catwoman. If it's made clear that she's a cat-burglar, there's no need to go all out and give her a complete cat-persona. If Selina Kyle is out to rob for the thrill of it, she doesn't want to get caught. She doesn't need any attention drawn to her. wearing goggles could help to hide her identity but wearing a mask with cat-ears would be going a little too far in the vibe set up in the films.

Why not have the Selina Kyle character wear a leather outfit along with goggles and that's it? For her to call herself or be referred to as Catwoman stretches the sense of disbelief further than necessary. Frank Miller may have suggested that Selina chose her guise after seeing Batman in action ("If there is be a 'bat,' can there not be a 'cat'"?). My vote is for black leather, goggles and no cat-ears. With all the insider talk and risk of images being leaked, isn't it time we get an officially released image to set this matter to rest?

What about Eartha Kitt's Catwoman costume? 

We don't really know if she'd be in a costume at all.

I, for one, LOVED Halle Berry's Catwoman costume. No joke.
But seriously, I think they should go with what Selina is currently wearing. It's got to be my favorite costume of hers besides the purple costume.

It's gotta be Darwyn Cooke, nothing else would would in the Nolanverse.

Selina Kyle being in the picture usually leads to romantic tension with Bruce Wayne. I feel it'd be well within movie logic for Selina's motivation to be at least partially romantic, and perhaps she WANTS batman's attention, and could possibly adopt the catwoman moniker  to get him to notice her in an ocean of nameless criminals? 
I don't think it would be too out of fiction for Kyle to be called Catwoman. 

I've been a fan of Catwoman ever since I started collecting comic books, she was the reason I even started, and my all time favorite storyline is Batman: Hush. That to me has always been the perfect Catwoman costume, despite how much I loved the Batman Returns Movie. In recent years they've made tweaks and changes but nothing major except the whole unzipped view of cleavage (but being a guy, and being me, I don't actually mine that too much).
 
I basically agree with everything you've said except the cat ears. I do personally like them, just not ridiculously huge ears like The Batman cartoon series. If Batman can have pointed ears in Nolan's "realistic" version of Batman, then why can't Catwoman, even to a small degree. The goggles to me also feel like a very good choice because they reflect light in the dark, and when my pet cat is hiding in a dark room, that's usually the way I find him. The mental visual of that is very appealing to me, and feels very productive for Selina: running across rooftops and through alleyways (protecting her eyes from wind, as well as protecting her identity), or even to use for infrared or some other form of enhanced visual.
 
However, one more thing, up until this article, everything I'd read about Selina Kyle in the Dark Knight Rises movie made me assume we'd only see her civilian form, most likely before becoming Catwoman, just as a new love interest to replace the former girl. The best I could've hoped for would be a few quips or jokes alluding to her future here or there (a joke about disliking skintight leather, or a joke about a whip), but once again Comicvine have done it again with all the latest in comic news and information. I love this site!

I assume (if she's in costume AT ALL) that it'll be the cat-suit/goggles outfit. 
It'd be nice to throw some ears on her, maybe with a hood or something, but I doubt Nolan would go for that.

The Darwyn Cooke has been able to leave a mark and become THE definitive Catwoman costume. Making it into games, cartoons, etc.. since then. And it won't even be redesigned by Jim Lee & Co in the reboot!
 
I'm guessing it will be close to that, draw some inspiration from it.

i am sorry but i adore the cat ears  besides is hathaway even gonna be catwoman ir selina with wicked fighting moves instead

@The_Tree: Agreed, but maybe with out the heels (so impractical)

Nope, cat ears gotta stay. While her costume has gone through many changes, the cat ears have always been consistent.  
 
 
Catwoman's best look yet, imo. 

I really have no problem at all with her having ears on the costume as long as it looks like the current incarnation of the catwoman look.

I don't think that Halle Barry  costume could be closer to a porn parody if they tried. It was kind of amazing in a way. That you could make a Catwoman movie that had no Catwoman in it. I didn't see her anywhere.
 
Her latest look is easily my favorite, but I just can't stand the ears. They're pointless. Batman is themed after an animal for a purpose. To inflict fear. Selina is already a Cat Burglar.

Out of all her costumes, I think they'll settle for Cooke's version.

But I like this one ( love my opinion or hate it ) this says catwoman to me ..

<troll mode>
omigod they should like totally go with this costume! 
 
 

I think it would be awesome if she wears the modern latex cat-suit with the cat ears and the googles so her current costume . I think it could definetly work !

Something like the Batman: Arkham City costume would be really cool. 

But I like this one ( love my opinion or hate it ) this says catwoman to me ..

it`s 90s catwoman ( from a simpler time where batmen were batmen and catwomen were catwomen ! ^_^ )

I, for one, LOVED Halle Berry's Catwoman costume. No joke. But seriously, I think they should go with what Selina is currently wearing. It's got to be my favorite costume of hers besides the purple costume.

What the problem with cat ears? She's Catwoman after all!
Without it, it's look Captain America wearing green and purple! The cat ears are a stable for the character and have been around in every incarnation that they have to STAY!

Purple ones look great along with the one from Arkham City game, ones from the MK games are a little more open (while looks good, doubt the thing would stay on while trying to move) & thought that the Catwoman costume from the last film was just looking like some 3rd rate stripper costume. Great article, liked the one panel image of Catwoman looking over her bed with the assorted costumes.

So far, it seems that it's just Selina Kyle, not Selina Kyle as Catwoman.

The animated series Catwoman was my favorite! Although the purple outfit looks nice too. I dislike the outfit with the goggles!

Preferably something with nipples.

Of course with Nolan... everything is more function rather than fashion. Cat ears or not... I'm sure they'll have good reason for it all:D

The Halle Berry costume was a complete abortion of costume design.  I mean, open toe shoes?  Deliberately torn pants?  Hell, even Michelle Pfieffer's costume was more functional than that.  I think a variation on Darwyn Cooke's costume design would fit best...although I think they'd need to downplay the cat ears a little bit to make the costume seem more functional and realistic in the real world.

I like the version from the Batman game =)

I love Bruce Timm design. It's great!! I believe in this movie the suit will be like the modern costume in comicbooks.

Purple costume for me was always the hottest...even though the current look is probably most iconic to me, but then again that is because I love goggles so...I'm conflicted...

Dam! How many people thought this was a costume reveal?

@J1ml33 said:

But I like this one ( love my opinion or hate it ) this says catwoman to me ..

it`s 90s catwoman ( from a simpler time where batmen were batmen and catwomen were catwomen ! ^_^ )

I'm with you on this one. I love this Catwoman costume. It's the absolute best. I've never liked the new Catwoman with the goggles and exposed face. She doesn't look mysterious anymore and she looks more like a regular burglar than a unique cat burglar. Boring and unappealing. Please Christopher Nolan. Please make this purple outfit for Anne Hathaway. 

Back when I was a child, Julie Newmar made me aware that women had enticing curves.  When I started seriously collecting comics later in life, I began with the Catwoman mini-series.  She's been my among my favorite characters since as long as I can remember, so after the travesty that was the 2004 movie, I have high hopes to see her image restored in the forthcoming Dark Knight movie and Arkham City game.  For her costume, I believe that the current one with the goggles is best for the movie, although I still love the simplicity of the Mazzucchelli/J.J. Birch design from Year One and the CW 1989 mini-series the most.  The tail is a bit much, though and I'm mixed on the whiskers.  I like them but they're also unnecessary and "costumey". 
 
I think she needs the ears in her costume design, but definitely lose the high heels seen in some versions.  Sexy, yes, but hazardous to someone leaping around rooftops for a living. 

Just stick with the newer outfit the comics been using. And a robber wearing a mask will work in the Nolan Batman universe because guess what,,, ROBBERS WEAR MASK ALL THE TIME TO HIDE THEIR FACES!

I totally love the cat ears, and would absolutely hate the costume if they left them out.  It's like making a Batman costume without his Bat-Ears, or a Superman costume without his "S".  You have to have it on there.   
 
A little off-topic, but I do believe Anne Hathaway will do a terrific job as Catwoman though.  

I want the Darwyn Cooke design too.  Its really the best, and most realistic for the character.  If she is a cat burglar she wouldn't wear some of her other costume designs I think.  They should go with the Cooke design for another reason, its low key.  Simple small cat ears on her helmet and cat shaped goggles would be allow her character to fit into the Nolan universe.  Like the Joker she could be another criminal element who has been somewhat influenced by Batman.  But they don't have to go as far as Burton's movie did, or as far as her comic character did in other designs.  It would be almost as if she wasn't wearing the ears and goggles at all.
The Joker didn't need the face makeup and the purple clothes, they put it in as much as they could without making it unreal.  Two-Face could have had a simple, real life looking, burn on the side of his face, but they went further.
Catwoman may not need ears and a stuff, but the Cooke design to me is enough of the real world and comic version to satisfy both sides.

Similar to what goldenkey stated earlier... whenever people start discussing Nolan's series, they always seem to completely ignore the fact that he's tried his best to make things 'realistic'... Batman in body armor rather than tights, Joker a maniac with facepaint rather than a survivor of falling into chemicals.... even Scarecrow had his mask, but it was a burlap covered gas mask.  The Pic of Bane so far... I didn't see a bunch of neon glowing hoses sprouting everywhere. 
Selina Kyle is a burglar... she'll have cat ears and goggles, but the rest is will be something practical, like black cargo pants to carry tools of the trade, etc.

Why NOT make Catwoman appear as Catwoman with ears, goggles and costume? If there is a Batman, a man dressed in a Bat costume in the Nolan movies, I fail to see why they couldn't make Selina appear cat-like. Just giving her an outfit with goggles and having her call herself a "catwoman" or cat burglar, I don't like it. Just my opinion.