More than 60 latex catsuits were created for the six-month shoot at $1,000 each. The initial concept for the design came from Tim Burton, who envisioned a stuffed cat with its stitches coming apart at the seams. The costume was created around a body cast of Pfeiffer so that it would fit her exactly, and painted with white silicone rubber to imitate stitches. It was extremely tight and very laborious to put on – Pfeiffer had to be covered in talcum powder to squeeze into the costume, which was in turn brushed with liquid silicone on every take to give it shine. Pfeiffer would wear the suit for 12 to 14 hours at a time, except lunch breaks when it was removed, which was her only opportunity to use the bathroom during the workday. Audiences at test screenings responded positively to Michelle Pfeiffer's performance, and the studio wanted to make it clear Catwoman survived, so two weeks before release the final shot of her was added to the film. Pfeiffer received universal critical acclaim for her performance, and is consistently referred to as the greatest portrayal of Catwoman of all time by critics and fans. Janet Maslin described her performance as "captivating... fierce, seductive", while Peter Travers wrote in "Rolling Stone" "Pfeiffer gives this feminist avenger a tough core of intelligence and wit; she's a classic dazzler". "Premiere" retrospectively lauded her performance: "Arguably the outstanding villain of the Tim Burton era, Michelle Pfeiffer's deadly kitten with a whip brought sex to the normally neutered franchise. Her stitched-together, black patent leather costume, based on a sketch of Burton's, remains the character's most iconic look. And Michelle Pfeiffer overcomes "Batman Returns"' heavy-handed feminist dialogue to deliver a growling, fierce performance." Todd McCarthy of "Variety" praised her performance: "Pfeiffer proves to be a very tasty Catwoman indeed." "Entertainment Weekly"s Owen Gleiberman wrote: "The runaway star here is Pfeiffer, whose performance is a sexy, comic triumph." Kenneth Turan of the "Los Angeles Times" gave the film a mixed review but praised Pfeiffer: "The only exception to the overall doom and gloom is Michelle Pfeiffer’s stylish and funny performance as the frumpy Selina Kyle and her alter ego, the whip-cracking gender-bending Catwoman.