Daryl, Daryl, Daryl. Someone summed it up best by describing you as an outdoor cat who thinks he's an indoor cat. You have so much strength, kindness, and goodness inside of you, yet you think you are not worthy of the love and friendship people want to give you.
Daryl Dixon is one of a handful of characters in the TV version of The Walking Dead who doesn't exist in the comics. I am so happy that his character was added to the show because I think he's wonderful. He, along with Carol, are two of my favorite people, and I might have to stop watching to mourn if he is ever killed off.
I had so much fun researching this costume and found more items than I originally thought you'd need if you want to know how to dress up as Daryl. From his angel wings vest, crossbow, and poncho to his zombie ear necklace, bandana, and squirrels, here is everything you need for a Daryl Dixon costume!
Can't get enough of Daryl? Then watch this video that showcases (up to season 5) Daryl's top 10 moments.
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Mandatory Accessories
Crossbow
What is the most important item needed if you want to dress up as Daryl Dixon? I'm willing to bet that 50% of the time people would say his crossbow. Daryl is wicked good with his bow and is rarely without his weapon of choice.
It should come as no surprise that there is a replica of Daryl's crossbow. It is made of safe plastic and pulling the trigger causes sound and vibration.
In case you want to know, Daryl's bow is a Horton Scout HD 125, but I wasn't able to find it for sale.
Vest With Wings
The other 50% of the time people would say that you need Daryl's angel wing vest. I don't remember when Daryl started wearing his iconic vest, but this piece of clothing is what I think of when I think of Daryl.
This vest is black leather, sleeveless, has criss-cross lacing along the sides, and has white wings on the back. Some versions are made of fake leather, while others are made of real leather like the one worn by actor Norman Reedus. The leather version is perfect for Cosplay costumes if you want to be as accurate as possible.
If you pay close attention to Daryl's vest (and I know that some of you reading this do!), then you already know that the wings on Daryl's vest are high up on his back. Some of the vests have the wings lower, so be aware of that when you shop for a vest if you are going for authenticity.
Clothing
Daryl's wardrobe doesn't change much but he has worn a variety of shirts. There is one thing that almost all of his shirt have in common - they rarely have sleeves. So no matter which shirt you choose, carefully rip off the sleeves to show off your arms!
Daryl's clothes usually look dirty and torn. You can achieve this look for your clothes by using a distressing technique to age it. Here is a video with one example of how to make your clothes look aged.
Red Plaid Shirt
There are tons of red plaid shirts for you to choose from and I'm happy to say that there are also many that are sleeveless so you won't have to remove the sleeves. You might want to rough up the arm holes to make your shirt look like the sleeves were ripped off.
Black Shirt
Daryl often wore a black sleeveless shirt that buttons up, but never button it all the way up! I found a lot of sleeveless biker shirts, though most of them have patches or designs on them. However, Daryl is a biker so I'm sure he would approve of any of the styles. It probably doesn't matter much if there is a design on your shirt because you should wear it under the winged vest.
Poncho
At one point in The Walking Dead series Daryl wore a poncho. It looks like a Mexican blanket poncho that is beige with red, black, and orangish designs on it.
There is an officially licensed poncho but it doesn't look exactly like Daryl's, which I think is odd. Fortunately, there are people selling ponchos that look the same as, or very similar to, the one worn by Daryl on eBay and Etsy.
Pants
Daryl has worn several different colored pants that usually have rips and tears, and I found it difficult to choose a style. He seems to have worn dark brown pants the most, but I'm also including black pants because you can buy them already distressed with holes and tears. You can distress a pair of pants that you already own, or you can buy them already distressed.
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Red Rag
Have you ever noticed that Daryl has frequently carried what looks like a red rag in his back pants pocket? It's been there since season one, and according to my research it was given to Daryl by a character named Anna Turner in the video game called "Survival Instincts." Daryl usually wears the rag, but he also uses it to collect berries or clean his weapons.
Some people claim that it is actually a red bandana or handkerchief, but I've looked at a lot of pictures and am convinced that it is a shop rag. But, as long as it's red, does it really matter? If you are worried that your rag might accidentally fall out then you can use a safety pin to secure yours in your pants back right pocket.
Shoelace And Black Bandana
Later in TWD series you might notice that Daryl has two items tied around the bottom of each pant leg. There has been a lot of talk about why he did this (a couple other characters also do something similar) but the general consensus is that this is a way of preventing bugs from climbing up his legs. Makes sense to me, and I'd probably do that, too, if i was spending long days and nights in the wilderness of Georgia.
There is a dirty white shoelace around his right leg and a black bandana around his left. Click here to see a picture of Daryl wearing these two items. FYI - There are rumors that the shoelace is from Beth, but this is false because he started wearing it before Beth was found.
Oh, one more thing. The black bandana can also be worn on your face, like Daryl wore his when illness broke out at the prison, seen here.
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Boots
According to research that I've done the boots worn by Daryl are a pair of Red Wing Heritage boots with a moccasin look, like the ones seen here, but I've not been able to determine the model name or number. What I do know is that they are brown so go with the brown boots that make you happy. On second thought, skip happy since Daryl doesn't often express that emotion and go with the boots that make you look as badass as possible!
Blood, Guts, And Weapons
There is no such thing as "too many weapons" in a zombie apocolypse, and Daryl is the perfect example of this. He has his weapon of choice (the crossbow) but he is totally open to using whatever weapons are available.
Because of this I have gathered just about any type of weapon you can use to battle the undead. Most of them are covered in blood, which you should proudly display as a sign of your ability to protect your loved ones.
As for the blood and guts, you do know that the dead are walking, right? Occasionally they need to be put out of their misery, which means things are going to get a bit gruesome.
Blood
Any given episode of The Walking Dead finds Rick and his band of survivors covered in blood. You can have fun by adding a little (or a lot!) of fake blood to your Daryl Dixon outfit, especially if you are going to wear the zombie ears necklace (seen a little further down on this page).
Fake Blood
Guts And Body Parts
It's a sad fact that guts and body parts are a fact of life in the zombie apocalypse. Feel free to incorporate body parts with your costume. You can string them into a necklace, put them in your pockets, or throw them at people if they get too close to you!
Body Parts And Guts
Daryl's Knife And Sheath
Daryl has used many different knives but there is one that he likes enough to wear it on his belt. The handle of his knife has a unique pattern on it, making it easily identifiable as his weapon. I recommend that you look for a knife that is con safe if you want to take it with to a convention such as Comic Con.
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Gun
A gun is probably the #1 must-have item. Just be sure to use your bullets sparingly, since you don't want to be caught with an empty chamber when surrounded by walkers.
Prop Gun
Gun Holster
Now that you have your gun you need someplace to carry it. Pockets aren't a good option because they can be awkward, too small, or in the wrong place. A gun holster will prove to be invaluable as you go about your life scavenging for food and supplies.
Hip Gun Holster
Rifle
Rifles are just as important as guns. They let you take out walkers from a distance, which means you get to stay safe while taking down the dead heads. Daryl has been known to use a rifle a time or two.
Prop Rifle
Axe
Axes come in handy when you need to chop off body parts. Perhaps your friend has been bitten and needs a quick amputation. Or, maybe someone is holding your son and won't let go as you are all swarmed by walkers. Regardless of the situation, you'll be grateful that you have an axe on hand.
Prop Axe
Knife
Knives are easy to use and aren't heavy. Plus, they don't require ammunition the way guns and rifles do, and they also do a good job of killing the brain if you are brave enough to use one on the undead. The knives seen here are different than the replica one seen above. You can choose one of these if you don't want to get the replica, or if you want to have additional knives on hand.
Bloody Knife
Machete
Machetes are very effective when it comes to cracking through the skull to kill zombies. I don't remember if Daryl has ever used a machete, but I'm sure he'd be great at it!
Prop Machete
Optional Accessories
Wig
Daryl's hair started out short at the beginning of The Walking Dead series but has gotten longer (and messier!) as time goes by. Messy is key - Daryl's hair is not neat and tidy! Regardless of which wig you choose make sure that you mess up the hair and have at least some hair hanging in your face similar to the wig below.
Zombie Ears Necklace
Remember the episode when Daryl came lurching out of the woods, covered in blood, and it looked like he had turned into a Walker? Our horror turned to relief when we realized that he was still alive. Not only was he alive, but he was sporting a necklace made from the ears of Walkers he'd killed. Daryl's necklace had three ears but feel free to have as many as you want for your Daryl Dixon costume.
Cigarettes
Daryl can't resist having a smoke whenever there is a break in the action. If you aren't a smoker then you can carry around fake cigarettes. Some of them even look like you've been smoking them.
Dead Squirrel
Walkers aren't the only things that Daryl is good at hitting with his crossbow. He's also an expert hunter and has been seen in several episodes with dead squirrels hanging from his belt.
Don't worry, you don't have to carry around dead animals to add this look to your costume. There is a line of unstuffed animals that are meant to be dog toys and they are perfect! They have a variety of different animals so you can hang more than just squirrels from your belt.
Patch
I've come across a couple patches that were either inspired by Daryl or remind me of him. Let's just ignore the fact that the arrow is going through a hand and not a head...
Shoes
Love Daryl? Yeah, I know, stupid question. Daryl rocks! You can show your love with a pair of Daryl Dixon shoes. There are a lot to choose from, including Daryl by himself, with Carol, and with Rick.
