The costumes in the Harry Potter movies are an essential part of bringing J.K. Rowling's magical world to life on the big screen. From Hogwarts robes to Death Eater outfits, each costume was meticulously designed and crafted to convey a sense of wonder, danger, or intrigue.
The costume department used a combination of historical research and creative imagination to create unique designs for each character. Some costumes, such as Dumbledore's embroidered robes, took months to make due to their intricate details. As the story progressed, the costumes became darker and more ominous, reflecting the growing threat of Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
Costume designer Jany Temime oversaw the creation of costumes for the last six movies in the series. She worked closely with director David Yates to ensure that the costumes fit within the world of Harry Potter while also being visually stunning. Many of the costumes included subtle nods to the characters' personalities, backstories, or affiliations. For example, Hermione's Yule Ball dress was designed to reflect her intelligence and elegance. While Dolores Umbridge's brightly colored outfits were meant to convey her oppressive nature.
Out of a total of more than 25,000 costumes that have been created for the entire
Harry Potter series, we dive into the hidden details behind 12 of the most iconic costumes in this beloved series.
#1 The scarves of Hermione, Ron, and Harry
Source: © Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone / Warner Bros. and co-producers
The scarf shows a part of each character's personality by the way they tie it. Hermione tightens it as neatly as possible, Harry throws the end of the scarf over his shoulder while Ron doesn’t tie it.
#2 The friends’ hoodies
Source: © Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix / Warner Bros. and co-producer
In the 3rd part, the main characters turned from kids into teenagers, so their looks also change. The costume designer wanted to give the mages' clothes a modern look so they didn't look like magicians but more like fans of the same age watching them on the other side of the screen. As a result, Hermione, Ron, and Harry wore ordinary jeans and hoodies in the "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" movie. Bonus fact: Ron’s and Hermione’s clothes became similar as the characters grew up. For example, they both have striped hoodies on as a hint of the sweet love chemistry that is slowly developing between them. At the same time, Harry's outfit stands out in this trilogy as a foreshadowing that he is quite far away from his friends.
#3 Fleur Delacour’s wedding dress
Source: © Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I / Warner Bros. Pictures
“Fleur’s dress is made in organza and decorated with a pair of phoenixes that face one another on the bodice and form the silhouette of a heart”, says Jany Temime.
#4 Number 7 on Harry’s Quidditch uniform
Source: © Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire / Warner Bros.and co-producers
We know that Harry Potter plays Quidditch as number 7. In J.K. Rowling's universe, the number 7 really has symbolic meaning. Also, Harry was the last of Lord Voldemort's seven Horcruxes. However, the choice of this number for the Quidditch outfit, according to the costume designer, is a nod to David Beckham, who once wore this number while playing.
#5 Hermione’s dress color
Source: © Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire / Warner Bros.and co-producers
Hermione Granger wears a pink outfit at the Yule Ball in the movie. However, in the book, her dress is described as blue. Jany Temime decided to alter the color of Hermione's clothing to make Hermione more feminine as she was previously depicted as one of the boys. “People look at her as being a girl, and a very pretty one, which was not established before. It was a lovely dress. It was quite difficult to design because...I didn’t want her to look like she borrowed a dress from her mom or her sister or whatever. It was her sweet sixteen dress, and she loved it”, the film’s costume designer explained.
#6 Severus Snape and Gryffindor’s scarf
Source: © Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 / Warner Bros. and co-producer
The Gryffindor striped scarf that is hanging on the wall in the scene where Severus Snape is slain is there for a reason. Perhaps he represents Severus' actual nature, and Slytherin was not where he should have ended up in due course. In the novel, Dumbledore once says “Sometimes I believe we sort too soon” (relating to the distribution of students by faculty). Perhaps, the professor was right. Perhaps, the scarf hanging in the closet is saying that people can change for the better.
#7 Gilderoy Lockhart’s wig
Source: © Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets / Warner Bros. and co-producer
In "Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets", if you look closely, you'll notice that the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor has a wig on his table. As we would later find, Lockhart is a liar, who was scamming everyone and hadn't done any achievements. In other words, he lies about everything, including his golden curls.
#8 Molly Weasley’s knitted dresses
Source: © Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 / Warner Bros. and co-producer,
Because the Weasley family not the richest around, Molly knits her own clothes rather than purchasing pricey, trendy apparel for herself. She gives her family handmade sweaters for Christmas. She herself is dressed in a dress made of vibrant yarn. It's a sure guess that this yarn came from the scraps of the numerous sweaters, socks, and other items Molly creates for her family. Molly simply adds knitted accents to the hem or sleeves of her garments to embellish them. After all, just like any other woman, she wants to feel pretty despite her financial difficulties.
#9 The changing costumes of Dolores Umbridge
Source: © Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix / Warner Bros. and co-producer
Dolores is powerful but conservative. For example, she wears the same hairdo and sticks to the same colors. Pink is Umbridge's favorite color, and as the story progresses, its shades change. The costume designer commented on it in the following way, “I started with a lighter pink, and then as the film developed the pinks get hotter and hotter and hotter because she’s getting more and more hysterical.” At the same time, to make Dolores' appearance contrasts with the stereotypical image of the villain, the designers use the apparent softness hides absolute cruelty.
#10 The medieval outfits of Bellatrix Lestrange
Source: © Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I / Warner Bros. Pictures
The costume designer said that Bellatrix is one of her favorite characters and that creating her clothes was a true pleasure. Bellatrix's maiden name was Black, which explains why all of her clothing is black. It was crucial to underline that she is from an ancient noble family so her attire features recognizable medieval fashion aspects. Take notice of the sleeves; they were tied up, like Lestrange's skirts, throughout the medieval era rather than being sewed. Another important detail is that the hem of her skirt is cropped. This is because ladies in that era wore trains-adorned gowns with their length depending on their social standing. Perhaps, Bellatrix may have exaggerated her social status a bit. Also, Lestrange constantly wears a corset — the integral part of a medieval outfit.
#11 The outfits of other schools’ pupils
Source: © Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire / Warner Bros.and co-producers
In "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," students from other schools, including innocent girls from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and macho guys from the Durmstrang Institute for Magical Learning, arrive for the competition. The costume designer said that she took inspiration from different cultures and folklore. Beauxbatons Academy of Magic's uniform has a reference to France. French culture usually places a lot of emphasis on the color blue and French ladies often wear hats. The students from Durmstrang were perfectly equipped: warm crimson robes, fur hats, and capes which were inspired by Slavic folktales from the Habsburg epoch.
#12 Neville Longbottom’s reminder
Source: © Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone / Warner Bros. and co-producers
Neville is perceived by many as being zany from the very beginning. Although coming from a long line of magicians, he struggles with magic and frequently finds himself in awkward situations. So, in "Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone", he gets a remembrance that turns red if its owner has forgotten something. Neville admits to his buddies that the issue is that he can't recall exactly what slipped his mind. The students surrounding him are all dressed in robes, but Neville forgot his.
However, as he grows older, Neville gains power and strength, and in the final act of the story, he develops into a brave hero. An interesting detail — during the final battle for Hogwarts, he apparently copied an appearance from an old photograph of his father. Maybe it is the idea of generational continuity.
#13 Hagrid’s pink umbrella
Source: © Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone / Warner Bros. and co-producers
At first glance, Hagrid appears to be a contented stern and unkempt giant in a worn-out fur coat. Beneath this sometimes abrasive exterior, however, is a kind and sensitive soul. Hagrid's wand, as we all know, broke when he was a student at the Ministry of Magic, so he no longer holds it. However, he kept a piece of the wand and placed it inside an umbrella. The choice of pink shows that Hagrid is a gentle and sensitive person. Remember how he embellished his old cloak with a big brooch in an attempt to please Madame Maxime when she came to the wizards' tournament?