How to Make Ernesto de la Cruz Costume from Coco
Black Mariachi Charro SuitBlack Sombrero with Silver TrimWhite Ruffled Tuxedo ShirtSilver Bow TieBlack Cowboy BootsSilver Ring SetOrnate White Guitar PropSkeleton Face Paint KitSkeleton Mariachi Costume SetSaveTap any item in the photo to shop itClick any item in the photo to shop it
| # | Item | Description | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Mariachi Charro Suit | The jacket and trousers, cut close and trimmed in silver. Ernesto's screen suits swap between cream, blue and deep red depending on the scene, but a classic black-and-silver charro suit is the version sold for the role and reads instantly as "mariachi legend" on its own. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
| 2 | Black Sombrero with Silver Trim | Wide-brimmed and trimmed in silver scrollwork, worn tipped back rather than pulled low — Ernesto performs with his whole face on show. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
| 3 | White Ruffled Tuxedo Shirt | A standing collar with a ruffled placket down the front, worn buttoned under the jacket. This is what shows at the throat and cuffs. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
| 4 | Silver Bow Tie | Ernesto ties his moño in silver-grey rather than black, matching the suit's trim instead of disappearing into it. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
| 5 | Black Cowboy Boots | Plain black western boots under the trouser hem. They barely show, but sneakers break the silhouette instantly. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
| 6 | Silver Ring Set | A stack of plain silver rings for a showman's hands — Ernesto is never without jewelry when he performs. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
| 7 | Ornate White Guitar Prop | A cream-white guitar cutout with the same scrollwork inlay as Ernesto's signature instrument, the one Miguel steals from his grave. Carry it — nobody expects you to actually play it. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
| 8 | Skeleton Face Paint Kit | Black, white and light-grey cream paint for the Land of the Dead version. See the makeup notes below before you start on the suit. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
| 9 | Skeleton Mariachi Costume Set | A one-box alternative if you'd rather buy the whole Land of the Dead look at once — jacket, sombrero, mask and gloves together. Swap in the guitar and rings above. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
Ernesto de la Cruz reads two ways, and the costume splits the same way: the beloved star everyone in Santa Cecilia grew up idolizing, or the skeleton who turns out to be the film's villain once his songs are exposed as stolen. Both use the same charro suit, sombrero and guitar — the only real fork is whether you paint your face.
The living-world version
This is the simpler build and the one that reads best in a crowd. Wear the suit, shirt, bow tie and boots as they are, no makeup, and style your hair swept back off the forehead with a single curl breaking onto it — Ernesto's most consistent feature across every version of the character. Add the rings and carry the guitar, and you're done. If you want to chase his exact on-screen color instead of the standard black suit, look for a cream or ivory charro jacket for his "Never Say Never" stage look, or a royal-blue sequined one for the theater finale — plain black-and-silver is the easiest to find and the one most mariachi costume listings actually stock.
The Land of the Dead version — the makeup
The skeleton version is the one from the film's poster and its most recognizable image, and it's worth doing properly rather than pulling on a printed skull mask over your own face.
- Cover your face, neck and hands in the white/light-grey base from the kit, blending down past your collar and cuffs so no living skin shows at the edges.
- Paint the eye sockets in solid black, oversized and hollow, extending slightly past your natural eye shape.
- Add a small black triangle for the nose cavity and thin black lines along the jaw and cheekbones to suggest the skull's structure — Ernesto's paint is restrained compared to a full sugar-skull design, mostly bone-white with dark line work rather than bright floral patterns.
- A few fine decorative swirls at the temples and cheeks, painted thin in grey or black, nod to the floral tooling on his in-universe suit without turning the whole face into a Catrina pattern.
- Let each layer dry before adding the next, and set with translucent powder so the paint doesn't transfer onto the suit collar.
Short on time? Skip the fine detailing — a pre-made skull face paint kit with basic black-white-grey shades still reads fine from a few feet away, since the suit and sombrero are doing most of the work either way.
Ernesto pairs naturally with Hector Rivera, the skeleton he's most often photographed beside, or with Miguel Rivera carrying the same guitar for a family-vs-legend group costume. A trio with Hector and Miguel covers the film's whole musical throughline in one photo.
About Ernesto de la Cruz
Ernesto de la Cruz is Mexico's most beloved musician, an icon of the fictional golden age of Mexican cinema who died in 1942 when a giant bell fell on him mid-performance. Twelve-year-old Miguel idolizes him as the greatest musician who ever lived and believes Ernesto is his great-great-grandfather, chasing that belief into the Land of the Dead on Dia de los Muertos. The film's turn is that Ernesto poisoned his songwriting partner Hector Rivera to steal his music and his legacy, and has spent decades making sure Hector's family — and Hector himself — stayed forgotten.
Ernesto was voiced by Benjamin Bratt, known for Law & Order, Miss Congeniality, and Star Trek: Prodigy. His signature song "Remember Me," written by Hector, anchors the film both as Ernesto's stolen hit and as the lullaby that ultimately saves Hector from being forgotten.
