How to reimagine a character design while still keeping them recognizable?

I've been doing a series where I re-imagine different DC characters in different historical eras (mostly female characters, as men's fashion hasn't changed very dramatically.) However, I'm running into some problems with one design in particular: Black Canary.

Her fishnets are an iconic element of her costume design, but they don't fit with most of the eras I've tried to illustrate her in, and I don't want to sacrifice historical authenticity. I still want the design to read "Black Canary", but fishnets look really out of place with 1880s clothing. So that got me thinking: how does one reimagine a character design in a new context, while still making it look like the character?

Edited by Spottedleaf on Jun 4th 2019 at 1:06:56 PM

Depends on what you have so far. Maybe you could have a skirt with something similar to a fishnet pattern draped over it? Maybe a bunch of criscrossed ribbons?

I don't know a whole lot about period-specific fashion, but there's probably a way to incorporate the look of the tights into something that isn't tights.

Maybe over her skirt there´s something similar to a veil with a webbing pattern?