Yesterday I fulfilled a lifelong ambition... to visit the Harry Potter set and to enter the magical world of Hogwarts.
To say it was utterly amazing is an understatement. The work and craftsmanship which went into each set and prop is just unbelievable, but whilst the hubby was in awe of the special effects, I found myself drawn to another type of craftsmanship entirely... the costumes.
Ahh yes, the wonderful, intricate, stunning costumes. From Dumbledore to Bellatrix the wizarding robes and glorious gowns have always caught my eye even from the very beginning of the series, but as the films have become gradually darker, so to have the gothic theme used to inspire the costumes.
Bellatrix and Narcissa's costumes are by far my favourite; the corsetry, the design, all the little details that went into making the two sister's gowns look so gothic and dark.
Then at the other end of the scale you have the pink lady herself, Dolores Umbridge, a thoroughly unpleasant character with a penchant for all things pink. Imelda Staunton's portrayal of Umbridge was just spot on I found. She looks sugary sweet in her twinset and pearls, but underneath all that girliness is a nasty piece of work!
I also adored the Yule Ball costumes for Hermione, Cho and Fleur which were proudly on display yesterday next to a giant ice sculpture. Fleur's pale blue silk and chiffon number was just stunning, but I think Cho's gold Chinese inspired gown was also beautifully designed.
The boys didn't look so bad either, aside from poor Ron and his dress robes, most of the time Harry and co. scrubbed up pretty well! The elder wizards got to steal most of the fashion thunder however, as Dumbledore’s pale silvery robes were the highlight for me, closely followed by Horace Slughorn with his dusty tweed robes and Snape's high collared navy blue (not black!) sweeping bat like robes.
All in all a brilliant day out!
