Though the greater majority of us are bound to our Muggle existences, we can still pretend we're heading to Hogwarts, can't we?
JK Rowling provided a truly unique history and explanation behind the styles and clothing of the wizarding world on her website Pottermore.com.
"Wizards at large in the Muggle community may reveal themselves to each other by wearing the colours of purple and green, often in combination. However, this is no more than an unwritten code, and there is no obligation to conform to it. Plenty of members of the magical community prefer to wear their favourite colours when out and about in the Muggle world, or adopt black as a practical colour, especially when travelling by night...
By and large, wizard clothing has remained outside of fashion, although small alterations have been made to such garments as dress robes. Standard wizard clothing comprises plain robes, worn with or without the traditional pointed hat, and will always be worn on such formal occasions as christenings, weddings and funerals. Women's dresses tend to be long. Wizard clothing might be said to be frozen in time, harking back to the seventeenth century, when they went into hiding. Their nostalgic adherence to this old-fashioned form of dress may be seen as a clinging to old ways and old times; a matter of cultural pride."With these guidelines in mind, let's come up with some basic ideas on how best to dress up for a trip to Diagon Alley that is not only Muggle appropriate (therefore not breaking any Statute's of Secrecy) but also wouldn't make you a target for the likes of the Malfoys.
PURPLE AND GREEN
As written above, the colours green and purple alone but most especially in combination is an unofficial rule of signalling to fellow wizards in a large Muggle setting that you too, are of magical blood. And while Diagon Alley is far from a "Muggle" setting, the excuse here is that you did have to enter it by way of Muggle streets, right?
The mint coloured hi-low dress with a collar is summery and fun (mint being the big colour this year) while also maintaining a studious back-to-school attitude. I kept the purple to accessories and accents as too much purple risks evoking memories of the world's most famous purple dinosaur, which is why I kept the sandals to a neutral black. A silver owl necklace, a symbol of Harry's paramore finishes off this wizard-y outfit.
STANDARD BLACK ROBES
The Hogwarts black robes is the main component of the school wardrobe. All students are required to have them, and during class hours are required to wear them.
This outfit takes a feminine take on the "black robe" (which in my eyes are really just a big black mumu/dress) with its black lace overlay. Another owl necklace breaks apart the dress and gives it a little character while the white, gemstone sandals are to make the outfit a casual and simple yet elegant piece that's easy on the feet.
To further emphasize the simplicity of the outfit, have your hair in soft waves across the top to give it a natural feel that looks almost... well magical.
THE STUDIOUS ONE
This last outfit is actually my favourite one. Drawn from the movie-verse's ideas of what the uniforms at Hogwarts looked like, I put this together as a great back-to-school outfit that's clean and not entirely uniform-like. The sleeveless white top informalizes the look with the black belted skirt while the red cardigan reminisces the robes somewhat, but also emphasizes one's House affiliations as well (in my case it is Gryffindor, but you can change the colour to the house that suits you best)
A snitch around your neck gives the outfit an athletic appeal while the flats keep it casual, neat and feminine. Throw a good book bag around your shoulders for all those quills, inkwells and textbooks you'll have to worry about in class (A Gilderoy Lockhart book costs 5 galleons to the Standard Book of Spells Grade 2's 1 galleon. Isn't that just atrocious?) and you got a ready-made outfit that's not only great for on the road, but in the classroom as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment