Made by Neon Cowboys
LED Rhinestone Gem Head Piece
Hundreds of crystals across the brow and down the face, lit up in color so it reads from the back of the house.
$475 USD
For prop masters, costume designers and set decorators on holiday films: we build light-up wardrobe, crowns, hand props and set pieces that glow in white or color, with matched multiples for the whole cast. Most change color by remote, and packs hide in the costume. Email info@neoncowboys.com with “Production inquiry” in the subject for a quote.
What do holiday productions order from a light-up prop maker?
Holiday stories run on light: the tree, the house, the office party, the pageant, the parade. Strings of bulbs for the set come out of the set decoration budget. The pieces you cannot buy off a shelf are the ones an actor wears or holds in a close-up: a snow queen’s crown, a glowing gift, a lit pageant ensemble, the jacket that lights up at the office party.
That is our work. We design and build custom light-up wardrobe, hand props from scratch, light-up set pieces and multiples of our own pieces in your colors. Neon Cowboys is a designer-led light-up fashion house founded in 2014 by Asia Hall, a computer science graduate and the daughter of couturier Kevan Hall. The light is built into each piece, so it reads in a wide shot and still looks finished at arm’s length.
Light is the set dressing in a Christmas movie
Two holiday comedies show how much a single light gag can carry. In National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989), directed by Jeremiah Chechik, Clark Griswold covers the outside of the house with 25,000 lights, and they cause a citywide power shortage. The Griswold house and street are a set on the Warner Bros. Ranch in Burbank, California (source: Wikipedia: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation).
In A Christmas Story (1983), directed by Bob Clark, the Old Man wins a “major award”: a lamp shaped like a woman’s leg, which Mrs. Parker “accidentally” breaks (source: Wikipedia: A Christmas Story). Reportedly 10 or so lamps were produced for the film by special effects creator Martin Malivoire, made of breakaway glass and fiberglass so the lamp could be used in different ways (source: House From A Christmas Story). A light-up prop that the story breaks is a prop you order in multiples.
Hero, stunt and background versions for holiday scenes
Here is how the common holiday scenes break down into builds:
| Scene | Piece | Version | Light behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snow queen or angel close-up | Lit crystal crown | Hero | One color, set before the take |
| Office holiday party | LED fringe jackets and dresses | Hero for leads, BG for extras | Red, green or white by remote |
| Holiday parade or pep rally | Light-up pom poms for the squad | Multiples | One remote changes the whole line |
| The gift that glows | Hand prop built from scratch | Hero, plus a soft stunt version for the drop | Programmed to the beat |
| Snowball fight or a fall on the ice | Stunt version of the costume | Stunt | Simple, or off |
Tell us how many of each you need per character, and whether a piece breaks or gets wet in the script. We quote the hero, the doubles and the stunt versions together.
Which pieces read as Christmas on camera?
Color does most of the work. Red, green and white say Christmas from across a room; icy white and blue say winter. Our jackets and dresses change color by wireless remote, so the same wardrobe can play the office party in red and green and the snow scene in icy blue without a costume change.
Movement sells it too. LED fringe swings with every step, so a dancing cast reads as lit even in a wide shot, and the LED fringe on our jacket runs across the back as well as the front. For love stories set at a holiday ball, see light-up wardrobe for romance films.
Made by Neon Cowboys
LED Fringe Sequin Jacket
Holiday red, green or white, changed by wireless remote
$345 USD
Night exteriors, snow and long shoot days
Holiday films shoot a lot of cold night exteriors, and lit wardrobe has to last the night:
- Water resistant, not waterproof. Our fringe dress, fringe jacket and programmable LED harness are water resistant. Keep the packs dry and out of the snow.
- Charge between setups. The packs in those three pieces are rechargeable and run 4+ hours per charge. Keep charged spares on the cart.
- Coats that open at the front. Plan warm layers that still show the lit piece.
- Put the stunt version in the first quote. Anything that falls on the ice needs a soft double.
Send us your shoot date and we will tell you plainly what fits.
Made by Neon Cowboys
LED Fringe Sequin Dress
A fringe sequin dress with LEDs you switch between colors and light modes with the included remote.
$249 USD
How our pieces read on camera
A lit costume in the shot is a practical light. Next to warm set bulbs it can read cooler, and in a dark exterior it can be the brightest thing in the frame, so plan it with your DP and gaffer. On our fringe jacket and programmable LED harness, brightness comes down by remote.
Our pieces have been filmed for major brand campaigns: Apple used a Neon Cowboys LED cowboy hat to show off the iPhone 13’s Night mode low-light photography, and Google featured our Out Past Midnight boots in a Google Lens commercial and on six-story billboards. Every camera package and lighting setup is different, so talk to us about your camera and lighting plan before we build.
Request a production quote
Email info@neoncowboys.com with “Production inquiry” in the subject line, and send:
- Script pages or a mood board for every scene with light
- How many hero, stunt and background (BG) pieces you need, per character
- Cast sizes, including doubles and stand-ins
- Colors, and any color change inside a scene
- Your shoot date and which scenes are night exteriors
- Your camera and lighting plan
Send us your shoot date and we will tell you plainly what fits. Every piece is sold to the production and quoted, so it stays with you for reshoots and pickups. For brand and agency work, see brand partnerships; for stage and touring work, see performers and production companies. See custom light-up props and LED wardrobe for film and TV, plus comedy props that light up and romance film wardrobe and props.
What do customers say about the LED Fringe Sequin Jacket?
The LED Fringe Sequin Jacket holds a 5.0 out of 5 rating from 23 customer reviews. A few of them, unedited:
“I LOVE THIS JACKET!!!!!!!!!! I was so obsessed with it that I had to order it for my wedding!!!!!!! It was a total hit with all the guests, and needless to say, it looks incredible at night. THANK YOU!!!!!!!”
— Paula S.
“I love this jacket so much! It’s super lightweight which is great for when you’re dancing a lot and the power bank lasted for hours. Changing the settings with the remote is super fun too! :)”
— Holly T.
“So fabulous I can't even explain how pretty this jacket is in person. The lights are so bright & pretty much give you any color option you can imagine with the remote. Definitely a must have for your closet!”
— Rebecca N.
Frequently asked questions
Do you make light-up props for Christmas movies?
Yes. We design and build custom light-up wardrobe, crowns, hand props and set pieces for holiday films and TV, plus multiples of our own pieces in your colors. Every job is quoted.
Can you make a glowing gift or ornament prop?
Yes. We build hand props from scratch to the script, with a hero version for close-ups and a soft stunt version if it gets dropped or thrown.
Can one costume play several holiday scenes?
Yes. Our jackets and dresses change color by remote, so the same piece can play red and green at the party and icy blue in the snow scene.
Do the costumes work outdoors in winter?
Our fringe dress, fringe jacket and programmable LED harness are water resistant, not waterproof. Keep the packs dry, charge between setups and keep spares on the cart.
How long does a custom build take?
It depends on the piece and the count. Send us your shoot date and we will tell you plainly what fits.
Will the lights read on camera?
Our pieces were filmed for Apple’s iPhone 13 Night mode campaign and Google’s commercials. Talk to us about your camera and lighting plan so we can build to it.
See also: custom light-up props and LED wardrobe for film and TV, comedy props that light up and light-up romance film wardrobe.
Sources: Wikipedia: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Wikipedia: A Christmas Story, House From A Christmas Story.
The films, TV series, studios, designers and prop makers named here are industry references only. None is affiliated with Neon Cowboys or has worked with us.
Questions: info@neoncowboys.com.
