Dúnedain Formal Wear? Court Dress? Etc.

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Manveruon
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Dúnedain Formal Wear? Court Dress? Etc.

Post by Manveruon »

So I've been thinking lately (dangerous passtime, I know)... we all tend to mostly focus on practical garb and gear for a Dúnedan in the wilderness - rough-wearing clothes that suit the nomadic, hard-living lifestyle of such a people. But some of the discussions around here lately about permanent Dúnedain settlements and so forth, as well as my own experiences earlier this year at our Misty Mountain Ranger feast, have led me to consider other, alternative modes of dress.

What I'm getting at, specifically, is how do you think a Ranger might dress on the rare occasion that a more refined appearance is required? For instance, Aragorn is described as "clad in dark green cloth" when Frodo first sees him in Rivendell - he even goes unrecognized for a moment by the hobbit, which seems to suggest that he had cleaned up a bit, leading to Frodo's momentary confusion. This is reinforced later during the Council of Elrond when he is described thus: "in a corner alone Strider was sitting, clad in his old travel-worn clothes again." So this has led me to ponder what a ranger might wear at court, in some capacity, or even just, say, at a feast - or basically any other occasion when they might not wish to be clad in roughspun and covered in dirt.

For a while now I've been thinking of working up a set of clothes loosely based on the look of Aragorn's Rivendell costume in the Fellowship movie, which appears to consist of a long green velvet surcote over a patterned silver/green tunic, with a simple belt. Not sure if you can see his feet in any of these scenes, but I assume he was likely wearing some form of alternate foot and leg wear as well. I like the silhouette this creates. To me it feels in keeping both with the aesthetics of Rivendell (which is presumably where he got the new duds), and also with the simple-yet-regal bearing of a Ranger of the North.

Obviously Tolkien was sparse on the details about this sort of thing, but I'm curious about what you all think would be culturally appropriate garb for a ranger on such an occasion. Any feelings about what styles or cuts of garments might be worn? How much elven influence might be present, vs. how much Dúnedain cultural motifs would prevail? Etc.

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Re: Dúnedain Formal Wear? Court Dress? Etc.

Post by Elleth »

I'm actually quite fond of the lines in those garments: I think Lee / WETA did a fantastic job.
Also, I think it reasonable that (what remains of) Arnorian fashion would be influenced by the elves, though still very much retaining its own identity.
This is another piece you might look for inspiration:
gondorien_clothing_for_men_by_tindarien.jpg
gondorien_clothing_for_men_by_tindarien.jpg (172.01 KiB) Viewed 13222 times
http://tindarien.deviantart.com/art/Gon ... n-40117837


There's so little to go on though, I can only definitively say two places I personally would NOT go -

1. Anything with an inspiration post-1250 or so. The high medieval 15th c. lines can work for some other fantasy settings I think, but feel far too late to work well in Middle-earth. Personal opinion only, of course.

2. Any deeply embroidered or ornately woven fabrics UNLESS you're talking Gondorians or very-very highly ranking Dunedain. I just don't think there's that much surplus labor in late Third Age Eriador. Maybe the odd piece of silk from Dale or Imladris, but for the most part I'd stick to fairly simple wools - quite probably with fur trim where appropriate. Precious metals being mostly impervious to time, I can can imagine a number of pieces of family jewelry from grander days are still in use.
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Re: Dúnedain Formal Wear? Court Dress? Etc.

Post by Kortoso »

Looks very Byzantine.
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Re: Dúnedain Formal Wear? Court Dress? Etc.

Post by Manveruon »

Elleth wrote:I'm actually quite fond of the lines in those garments: I think Lee / WETA did a fantastic job.
Also, I think it reasonable that (what remains of) Arnorian fashion would be influenced by the elves, though still very much retaining its own identity.
This is another piece you might look for inspiration:

gondorien_clothing_for_men_by_tindarien.jpg
http://tindarien.deviantart.com/art/Gon ... n-40117837


There's so little to go on though, I can only definitively say two places I personally would NOT go -

1. Anything with an inspiration post-1250 or so. The high medieval 15th c. lines can work for some other fantasy settings I think, but feel far too late to work well in Middle-earth. Personal opinion only, of course.

2. Any deeply embroidered or ornately woven fabrics UNLESS you're talking Gondorians or very-very highly ranking Dunedain. I just don't think there's that much surplus labor in late Third Age Eriador. Maybe the odd piece of silk from Dale or Imladris, but for the most part I'd stick to fairly simple wools - quite probably with fur trim where appropriate. Precious metals being mostly impervious to time, I can can imagine a number of pieces of family jewelry from grander days are still in use.

Good thoughts, thank you! In general, I completely agree. I also prefer an earlier-Medieval/Dark-Ages aesthestic for most of Middle Earth (excepting, of course, the parts with more 18th/19th Century influences). The Vikings, the Saxons, and to some extent Crusades-era England are where I draw most of my inspiration, with some Byzantine influences here and there. I also feel the Dunedain would be more inclined to follow some elements of elven fashion than other men - Breelanders, for instance.

I think that settles me on the overall silhouette then. I'd like to try working on a set of "feast clothes" soonish, and they will probably consist of a knee-length tunic and surcote, for the most part. I will probably add a collar to the tunic, like the one Viggo wears, just because I feel that sets the look apart from Medieval clothing, which generally lacked collars of any sort in that period.
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Re: Dúnedain Formal Wear? Court Dress? Etc.

Post by Manveruon »

...I'd be curious to know, however, if anyone around the forums has put together a "fancier" set of ranger clothes for such occasions. Anybody? Any pictures? I'd love to see them if you have them!
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Re: Dúnedain Formal Wear? Court Dress? Etc.

Post by Greg »

Manveruon wrote:...I'd be curious to know, however, if anyone around the forums has put together a "fancier" set of ranger clothes for such occasions. Anybody? Any pictures? I'd love to see them if you have them!
I believe THIS is the droid you're looking for, as far as member-projects go. The only of its sort posted to date, though he's long been absent.
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Re: Dúnedain Formal Wear? Court Dress? Etc.

Post by Manveruon »

Oh yeah! I remember that thread!
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Re: Dúnedain Formal Wear? Court Dress? Etc.

Post by Straelbora »

Manveruon wrote:...I'd be curious to know, however, if anyone around the forums has put together a "fancier" set of ranger clothes for such occasions. Anybody? Any pictures? I'd love to see them if you have them!
I've got a left over royal blue Saxon tunic with fancy brocade trim that I used for SCA events. I've often thought of having the tree, stars, and crown put on it as an Arnorian livery. Just moved and it's in a box somewhere, otherwise, I'd get a photo posted.
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