Last week renowned Hat Designer to the stars, Philip Treacy OBE, supported the launch of the new Wizarding Wardrobes feature set to open at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter on Friday 21st July.
Philip, known for creating beautiful and bold hats for celebrities and royalty, was asked to design the hat that would complete the uniform of the French wizarding school, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The final design from the film series was inspired by a pointed “wizarding” version of a trilby.
Philip launched the new display that shows visitors how the beautiful Beauxbatons hats were carefully designed, moulded and finished and revealed the inspiration behind the iconic hat that can be seen within the new addition at the tour. This six-week feature sees the costumes, hair and make-up effects from the wizarding world brought to life between Friday 21st July and Monday 4th September 2017.
Philip said “It was a personal thrill for me, as a hat designer, to come up with a hat for something as iconic as Harry Potter, it’s about as iconic as it gets. As part of Wizarding Wardrobes at Warner Bros. Studio Tour, you’ll see a hat maker’s studio showing the tools, materials and magic that it took to make the Beauxbatons hat”
In addition to the hats, there will also be on display for the first time a selection of outfits designed especially for glamourous Daily Prophet reporter Rita Skeeter. Inspired by 1940s Hollywood gossip columnists, Costume Designer Jany Temime was careful to always match Rita’s ensemble to the story she was reporting such as the patterned leather suit worn to mirror the scales of the dragons used in the first Triwizard Tournament task. Other new costumes on show will include those belonging to Hogwarts professors Lupin, Umbridge and Lockhart.
Another exciting feature on offer as part of the Wizarding Wardrobes showcase is the chance for visitors to step inside Professor Slughorn’s armchair suit in an all-new demonstration of the unforgettable practical effect used during filming. Used as a disguise to evade capture by Death Eaters in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, actor Jim Broadbent would have to sit on a specially-created rig with his arms out to mimic the shape of an armchair. Enhanced with Visual Effects the final scene shows Professor Slughorn shake himself out of his armchair form into a lilac-striped pyjama suit of the same material.
Alongside the Costume Department, the Hair and Make-up Departments were responsible for creating the visual identity of beloved characters through the use of wigs and prosthetics. An all-new Hair and Make-up display featuring artists Amanda Knight and Lisa Tomblin will show the skills of the team who applied Harry Potter’s iconic lightning bolt scar almost 6,000 times during filming. The feature will show exclusive footage illustrating the processes used to create the look of both Bellatrix Lestrange’s pointed teeth and the wounds of Muggle Studies teacher, Charity Burbage.
Wizarding Wardrobes will take place from Friday 21st July – Monday 4th September at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter. www.wbstudiotour.co.uk
