Dumbledore is one of the most beloved characters of all time, despite the way he kind of played Harry by the end of the series.
He was a mentor, a father-figure, and a friend. And there were a lot of hidden details about his costume!
1. Dumbledore’s rings
Believe it or not, but there is some importance to the rings that Dumbledore wears (and it may be a reason you don’t expect).
Keep in mind, he doesn’t wear these during Fantastic Beasts , either.
They might be used to explain the time when he was born, which was around the Victorian era.
During this time, wearing a lot of rings was fashionable.
A lot of them were Celtic in design as well.
However, the most important ring is the one shown here.
Why? Because it was one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes.
He secretly wore it around for months. Man, that guy sure was brave!
2. Dumbledore’s robes
Ever wonder why Dumbledore’s style of robes (and even hair) changes so drastically?
Well, it actually had nothing to do with the costume designers.
The director of the third film commented on the difference in style.
“It is slightly different,” he said . “From the get-go we made changes to give the continuity, but at the same time it was not about imitating Richard Harris.”
“That would be so bad for both: for Richard and for Michael.”
“Richard was very regal – as Dumbledore is described in the books – and very beautiful, and we wanted to do it more hippyish, cheekier and a little more shabby. And sometimes more distracted.”
3. Why does Dumbledore wear gray?
Have you ever noticed that even though in the book J.K. Rowling always talks about his brilliant robes, in the movies ( Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts alike) he’s always wearing a shade of gray?
While never confirmed, gray is a shade that represents “ashes, humility, mourning[;] the mortality of the body and the immortality of the soul.”
It’s very possible that the costume designers did this purposely, knowing that Dumbledore has regrets about his past .
4. The different hats
We know that we got two different versions of Dumbledore: Richard Harris and Michael Gambon.
They not only look different (slightly, albeit) but they also wear two different hats.
Richard Harris’ Dumbledore wears a more traditional, pointy wizard hat.
However, once Michael Gambon took over, it all changed.
So this time around, he got a flatter hat.
Michael Gambon, who played the character after the first two movies, wanted to bring his own style to the role.
He detailed it in an interview.
“No one ever spoke to me about it. Not a word.”
“On the first film I did which was directed by Alfonso Cuaron I walked in there and I’m naturally Irish and my first accent is Irish, I will speak Irish with my parents, and I played just a slight touch of Trinity College Dublin.”
“That light lilt. I did that and Alfonso said, ‘What’s the accent here?’ I said, ‘Irish.’ He said, ‘That’s OK.’ And no one’s ever mentioned it. I’m a little bit more camp, I think, a bit lighter. A bit more ethereal.”
5. His famous half-moon glasses
We all know about Dumbledore’s half-moon glasses.
They’re mentioned so many times in the book and they’re on display a lot in the movies (I mean, they are on his face).
We know that he likes to peer over the top of them.
Fans think that, when he does that, he’s using Legilimency (a spell that allows you to look into someone’s mind).
Whenever Dumbledore would peer over his glasses, Harry would feel like he was being x-rayed.
It’s not too much of a far-fetched fan theory considering the fact that we KNOW as a fact that he’s one of the most powerful wizards in the world.
What do you think?
6. Had they known he was gay, they would have changed his wardrobe.
We didn’t find out about Dumbledore’s sexuality until after the movies (and the books, for that matter) so there was no opportunity to explore that in the original films.
Well, had they known, that might have changed.
Jany Temime (one of the lead costume designers for the Harry Potter series) said in an interview with Fashionista that his costume may have changed based on his sexuality.
“But she [J.K. Rowling] told me about Dumbledore being gay at the fifth film.”
“I had already designed for Dumbledore [for two movies] so I said, ‘What?! Now you say that?’ I don’t think that she knew. I think it’s a creative process, being a writer, which lets you roll with your characters.”
“I always believed in her. She was much more interested in the kids.”
“She had a relationship with every single kid, through her writing. I think she’s the sort of woman who just says something when she’s unhappy or when you really need it.”
7. Dumbledore’s Suit In *Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindlewald*
Ever wondered why Dumbledore wore a suit in Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindlewald rather than his robes?
RELATED STORIES
Well, the costume designer, Colleen Atwood, answered your question in an interview with MuggleNet .
She said:
“Dumbledore’s wardrobe is a combination of comfortable elegance and professorial simplicity.”
“David Yates and I wanted Dumbledore to be the professor the kids all love, their go-to guy.”
“He needed to look professorial but at the same time approachable, so I used softer fabrics and textures in tones like heathery greys, which add to the approachability of the character.”
“I also love corduroy, so I made a wide wale corduroy coat for him and Jude just loved it!”
Well, it definitely all worked out because he looked great!
Do you know any Dumbledore details? Let us know below in the comments!
