12 Costumes in Harry Potter That Held Precious Details About the Characters’ Story

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was the only film from the epic saga that got a nomination for Best Costume Design at the Oscars. However, the costume and wardrobe department from the other 7 movies in the saga never stopped giving the fans intricate outfits, that only enhanced the magical plot. In fact, we collected examples of hints in the clothing of the beloved characters which pointed to their future or background.

1. Harry Potter’s contact lenses

The books about the most famous wizard in the world describe Harry’s eyes as green (like his mother’s). Initially, it was intended that actor Daniel Radcliffe would wear green contact lenses, as he has blue eyes, but the idea was discarded because they hurt his eyes. Thus, the plot was changed so that Harry Potter would have blue eyes.

2. Goodbye to uniforms

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban brought with it many changes: a new director (Alfonso Cuarón), the main characters no longer looked like children, and costume designer Jany Temime joined the production. For this film, Temime decided that the main trio should wear clothes they would “wear on a normal day,” so she left behind the classic Hogwarts school uniform to show that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were teenagers.

3. Hagrid’s pink umbrella

The appearance of the forest man, Hagrid, is quite deceptive: at first glance, he gives the impression of a contented stern and an unkempt giant in a worn-out fur coat. However, there is actually a kind and sensitive soul hiding behind this rather rough shell.

As we know, Hagrid doesn’t have a magic wand — it was broken at the Ministry of Magic when he was a student. However, he has kept a part of the wand and inserted it into an umbrella. The choice of the color pink says that Hagrid is a tender and sensitive person. Moreover, try to remember how he tried to impress Madame Maxime who arrived at the wizards’ tournament — he decorated his old coat with a huge brooch in the shape of a flower.

4. Hermione’s delicate gown

In the fourth installment of the saga, another one of the most iconic scenes took place — the Christmas ball. In this scene, we can see a very different facet of the magical world and even the main characters. Hermione’s dress, which Temime herself describes as that of a “doll,” tries to precisely show that Hermione can be very delicate underneath her “rough” exterior.

5. Luna’s peculiar earrings

When Evanna Lynch was accepted for the role of Luna Lovegood, her passion for the Harry Potter saga soon became public. In order to portray the eccentric girl from the Ravenclaw house, Lynch worked closely with Temime. Their goal was to design clothes that her character would really wear to show her strange personality. She helped design jewelry for Luna Lovegood.

6. Ginny Weasley and her passion for fashion

Temime revealed that most actors just put on their costumes and have no opinion on anything. However, the exception to this was Bonnie Wright, the actress who plays Ron’s younger sister, Ginny Weasley. Bonnie is the daughter of 2 well-known jewelers, so she inherited their fashion sense, which she put to good use in the film.

7. Dolores Umbridge and pink

One of the most hated characters in the Harry Potter saga is undoubtedly Dolores Umbridge. This antagonist stands out from the rest because she doesn’t wear dark colors or shabby clothes. On the contrary, she wears “adorable” shades of pink and has a love for cats, which was reflected in a scarf that, Temime revealed, was one of her favorite accessories and one of the most contrasting with Umbridge’s unpleasant personality.

And that particular accessory has a revealing detail that says a lot about her character and inclinations. Her scarf, which seems to be made in the form of a cat, looks almost exactly like a snake — it has a narrow head and a long tail. Thus, the costume designer gives us a hint that Umbridge secretly worships Lord Voldemort.

8. Very expensive uniforms

Temime wanted the Hogwarts uniforms to be of the highest quality, so she spared no expense in designing them. Only the ties were made of the finest silk, which made the uniforms the most expensive of the saga.

9. The Battle of Hogwarts required many changes of clothing.

In the last film of the franchise, we can see the whole school fighting against Lord Voldemort’s followers. For the designers and dressmakers, this scene was complete chaos since they had to show the wear and tear of the clothes due to the battle, tearing between 10 and 15 sets of clothes a day during the 4 months that it took to film the scene.

10. Voldemort’s clothing and its connection to Horcruxes

In the sixth installment of the saga, it is revealed that “The Dark Lord” had divided his soul into 7 parts, called Horcruxes. However, what few people noticed is that Voldemort’s robe wore out every time a Horcrux was destroyed, so his clothes went from a deep dark to a dusty gray that, for the sake of redundancy, ended up turning to dust.

11. Sons were dressed like their fathers

The costume designers did all they could to make the most loyal and attentive fans melt. Look at the clothes Harry and Neville are wearing while fighting for Hogwarts in the final film. And after that, compare their clothes to the clothes in the photo we saw in the Order of the Phoenix. The sons were dressed almost exactly like their fathers.

12. The change of Lucius Malfoy’s wardrobe

Lucius is one of the trendiest characters in Harry Potter’s universe. He is always dressed in perfect outfits and he even uses a walking stick like a true dandy. However, in the last part, before the final Battle of Hogwarts, we can see that the style of his outfits changes. He is no longer an aristocrat but a warrior. His new quilted leather outfit with massive shoulders is somewhat similar to armor.

In the last part of the movie, we can see a tattoo on Lucius’s neck — the number of the prisoner of Azkaban. All in all, it becomes clear that after returning from Azkaban, he became a different person: he lost his gloss, and stopped shaving and taking care of his hair. As a result, by the end of the story, the moral and physical defeat of the villain becomes obvious.

Is there any garment from this franchise that you’d like to wear in your daily life? Share it in the comments.