Harry Potter Costumes: An expert shows us some famous looks

Wizard couture was on display at Harry Potter: The Exhibition—and if you couldn’t Apparate or get there through a Portkey, exhibition creator and curator Eddie Newquist is bringing you as close to the magic as you can virtually get in an exclusive interview with SYFY WIRE.

You might already be familiar with the Hogwarts school uniforms and the standard robes and hats for wizards and witches, but some of the supernaturally gorgeous costumes from Bill and Fleur’s wedding definitely deserved more screen time. Who didn’t want Ginny Weasley’s ethereal black dress that Harry zipped up before an impromptu makeout session that George so casually walked in on?

Mischief was managed for the Weasley Twins when the costume designers decided the shirts in their appropriately glitzy black suits would tell them apart. It’s been almost impossible to tell who was Fred and who was George since they pranked their mother in Sorcerer’s Stone, so if the glaringly obvious bandage around George’s head didn’t set him apart enough in Deathly Hallows, his purple tie and collar sure did.

Luna Lovegood’s dress from the Slug Club Christmas party may be iconic or infamous depending on how close your fashion sensibilities are to those of a girl who wears Spectrespecs, but you can’t deny that here was some serious design wizardry behind it. It almost floats away on layers and layers of shimmery silver fabric that’s been painstakingly detailed for a frosted Christmas tree effect. That was the look Luna was going for.

Venturing over to the dark side, you have to admit the black robes and snakes and leather that the Death Eaters conjured dark magic in are easily some of the most badass costumes in the exhibition. A closeup of the clasp on Lucius Malfoy’s fur-trimmed robes reveals two entwined serpents. The battered leather corset on Bellatrix might have been pure serial killer, but it obviously didn’t scare off Molly Weasley. Don’t mess with her daughter. Ever.

Also in the exhibition are Viktor Krum’s Durmstrang uniform, Hermione’s dress from the Yule Ball, ’20s-era finery from Fantastic Beasts, magical artifacts, and even a menagerie of creatures that only exist in the wizarding world.