Movie ithilien ranger “shoetoppers”

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Scarxik
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Movie ithilien ranger “shoetoppers”

Post by Scarxik »

While i was browsing http://www.alleycatscratch.com I found one detail about the the ithilien ranger shoetoppers from the movie..on the website its described like This:

'Shoetoppers' covering the lower legs and the tops of the shoes/boots, in rust-brown leather, with a strap running along the bottom of the boots.

While i was looking on the pictures one think hit me these looks exactly the same (with some modification of course) like an WW2 US army legins or how to call them

What do you think I’m planing to get one of those change the bottom buckle for more “medievalish” and run in with my leather boots.
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Re: Movie ithilien ranger “shoetoppers”

Post by Harper »

---

Gaiters.
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Re: Movie ithilien ranger “shoetoppers”

Post by Taurinor »

Harper wrote:---

Gaiters.
Yep, gaiters. Make sure you look up the sizing, if you go that route - it can be hard to find ones that fit wider calfs. The ones that I have also don't accommodate a very thick sole (I wear them with chukkas).

I suspect that the gaiters used in the movies were just to save money, though, as opposed to being used because the costume designers thought gaiters would be what Rangers would use. It's a lot easier to whip up a few sizes of those and have extras wear their own shoes than fit boots for guys that really don't get much screen time.
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Re: Movie ithilien ranger “shoetoppers”

Post by Elleth »

That's my read to: that they're less intended as a "Rangery" clothing item in themselves so much a wardrobe shortcut - cobbling together custom shoes for hundreds of extras just wasn't practical, *especially* in the late 90's / early 2000's when they did that filming. These days there's a LOT more choices in period footwear coming out of India that could be (and probably would have been) be purchased in bulk.

That said, there's absolutely precendent for the general idea from Anglo-Saxon winnegas to early modern gaiters to WWI puttees. They're certainly an economical way of handling brambles for a people that can only afford so much shoeleather and time.
So I wouldn't call it wrong... just not what I'd personally do.
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Re: Movie ithilien ranger “shoetoppers”

Post by Scarxik »

i understand why they use gaiters for rangers who are less on screen. But I like that idea more than just the long leater boots like faramir has for example.

I’m trying to make my impression of the itihilen ranger impression screen/book acurate as much possible I can but I want it to be practical at the same time.... and In my opinoin are gaiters more practical than long leater boots..(you can take them off when its too hot you can dry them by the fire more easily and of course they are cheaper and more easy to repair in field)

My only concern is if this is a good impresion of the gaiters from the movie or it will look much better if I make them myself from the scratch... :(
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Re: Movie ithilien ranger “shoetoppers”

Post by Eledhwen »

The Marines called them 'leggings'. I have a pair. They are khaki canvas, lace up the side. They have a strap that goes under the foot in front of the heel. They work an absolute charm for hiking. Leggings in a variety of forms have been around since the paleolithic. Generally without the underfoot strap and most of them don't lace up the side...they are stitched tubes. Sometimes held up with a small gaiter or belt just below the knee. Longer ones laced to the braes, shirt, or a pourpoint. I use mine for Steampunk. For medieval style things, none or winingas.

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Re: Movie ithilien ranger “shoetoppers”

Post by Elleth »

This is one of those "how accurate do you want to be" questions, with a dose of "accurate to WHAT?"

I don't believe gaiters are ever mentioned in the books. The closest thing we have is Strider's "tall boots of supple leather" - which of course tells us nothing about the Ithilien Rangers. Could the Ithilien Rangers have used gaiters instead? Sure, I suppose.. they're certainly practical.

Though as Eledhwen says, they're too recent a design to give a truly medieval feel.
The materials even moreso: I'd bet that's a cotton canvas body with a cotton webbing strap. 1900s-1950's vintage through and through to anyone who knows historical costume.

Which isn't to say don't use it, of course. And if you want to be accurate to the films, it's certainly close enough to use as a base.
Were I trying to Ranger-fy them, I'd replace the entire bottom strap with leather (or remove it entirely), dye them a darker brown, and if I was feeling industrious remove the metal grommets and hand-stitch eyelets in their place - or perhaps cover the edge over with a piece of soft leather, and use buttons or buckled straps in their place.

... though starting with some deerskin or linen canvas and making your own from scratch would give you a better result with arguably less work.
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Re: Movie ithilien ranger “shoetoppers”

Post by Udwin »

Elleth wrote:Which isn't to say don't use it, of course. And if you want to be accurate to the films, it's certainly close enough to use as a base. Were I trying to Ranger-fy them, I'd replace the entire bottom strap with leather (or remove it entirely), dye them a darker brown, and if I was feeling industrious remove the metal grommets and hand-stitch eyelets in their place - or perhaps cover the edge over with a piece of soft leather, and use buttons or buckled straps in their place.
Yes, what is your intention--to put together a 'screen-accurate' Ithilien Ranger Costume, or a book-accurate (movie-inspired?) Ithilien Ranger outfit?
I was thinking it would be easier and more sturdy to simply buttonhole-stitch OVER the metal eyelets, which would look (be) hand-done but also still have the strength of the eyelets. Doing that, replacing the bottom strap with something period (something handwoven, leather strip, &c), replace the lace with cordage or something finely braided, and giving a good dunk in dye/mud would do a lot to make them look less milsurp and more handmade. Really, the main thing that would give them away (aside from style and machine construction) would be the little metal bit the laces go around...hard to translate those into period fastenings.
FYI the more recent versions have less eyelets than the WWII ones (7 on my pair), ergo 6 lace-up loops.
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Re: Movie ithilien ranger “shoetoppers”

Post by Scarxik »

What is your intention
Thats a tricky question because I dont have answer to that. I’m 27 and movies was the first time I came a cross to lotr trilogy after that I read the books so I was heavyli influenced by PJ and his movies. But now I understant some of the screen gear will not work in real life even books describtions are not so good. So when I start to make my kit I research a lot here on this forum, instagram (fell&fair) and pinterest. After that its just a cherry picking... I see a lot of kits lot of them inspired me but I don’t want just straid copy paste someone kit...thats why I wrote that :)

Ok back to gaiters I need to get hands on one not to buy it but to inspect it because pictures are not so good.... and maybe will be much better to start it from the.cratch and make them to work for me :)
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Re: Movie ithilien ranger “shoetoppers”

Post by Greg »

Scarxik wrote:
What is your intention
Thats a tricky question because I dont have answer to that. I’m 27 and movies was the first time I came a cross to lotr trilogy after that I read the books so I was heavyli influenced by PJ and his movies. But now I understant some of the screen gear will not work in real life even books describtions are not so good. So when I start to make my kit I research a lot here on this forum, instagram (fell&fair) and pinterest. After that its just a cherry picking... I see a lot of kits lot of them inspired me but I don’t want just straid copy paste someone kit...thats why I wrote that :)

Ok back to gaiters I need to get hands on one not to buy it but to inspect it because pictures are not so good.... and maybe will be much better to start it from the.cratch and make them to work for me :)
Gaiters have plenty of real-world function, and would very well make for an economical means of making non-period shoes "look the part" quite cheaply, so if that's the goal, you're on the right track. If you're after actual medieval footwear, I'd try a different route (maybe looking into Bohemond's high medieval shoe, which Taurinor owns and has reviewed?) For what it's worth, there isn't a whole lot on fellandfair that will work in the real world, but Tolkien's books have an awful lot of practicality going on behind the scenes so don't write them off.

Best advice? Try it in the field!
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Re: Movie ithilien ranger “shoetoppers”

Post by Taurinor »

Scarxik wrote:Ok back to gaiters I need to get hands on one not to buy it but to inspect it because pictures are not so good.... and maybe will be much better to start it from the.cratch and make them to work for me :)
If you're interested in making some from scratch, this tutorial goes into a fair amount of detail about the pattern drafting and construction. It's for a steampunk costume, but the basic construction she uses (seam placement and the like) looks to be pretty similar to my milsurp ones.

I don't think a replica of the movie gaiters would serve you very well - I'm pretty sure they're fastened with velcro (you can see in this picture that the front and back aren't aligned correctly, the whole gaiter seems to have slipped the side in this one, and this one seems to have come unfastened and is sort of just flapping in the breeze), and I'm getting a definite faux-suede vibe off of some of them.

You make some good points about the practicality of gaiters, but I don't know that I'd write off boots as totally impractical - some very pragmatic and extensively field-tested kits on this forum include boots (those by Greg and Ursus come immediately to mind, but I'm sure there are others). If you're interested in what the Professor has to say on footwear, I did a quick overview in my review of Bohemond's Medieval High Shoes in the Summer 2016 Edge of the Wild newsletter.

If you'd be interested in considering some leggings that are of a little less modern style, you could take a look at those used by Urthgard and Udwin. Some half-leggings might also give you a look similar to the movie Ithilien rangers, but with (what seems to me like) an older feel.
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Re: Movie ithilien ranger “shoetoppers”

Post by Scarxik »

You make some good points about the practicality of gaiters, but I don't know that I'd write off boots as totally impractical - some very pragmatic and extensively field-tested kits on this forum include boots (those by Greg and Ursus come immediately to mind, but I'm sure there are others). If you're interested in what the Professor has to say on footwear, I did a quick overview in my review of Bohemond's Medieval High Shoes in the Summer 2016 Edge of the Wild newsletter.
Maybe its sound like that but I dont write off long leather boots compleately.. few years back I play lot of airsoft and I hike with mid long modern boots and with long military boots quite a lot and for my feet and comfort in the woods mid size boots whas the best. In the woods I always have a gaiters so Im pretty use to it so for me gaiters work quite well. Thats why I chose this path. And of course its cost less money and for me its more affordable right now :)

And thanks for the tutorial I will chcek it and i need to figure out materials and overall design :(
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Re: Movie ithilien ranger “shoetoppers”

Post by Kortoso »

Don't gaiters go a little further back than WWI? I checked Jas. Townsend & son to verify.
The thigh-length gaiters were worn for extra leg protection by sporting men, laborers, and the military from the early 18th century into the 19th century. Half-length spatterdashes were preferred over these by the time of the American Revolutionary War.
http://www.townsends.us/thigh-length-ga ... w-986.html

Of course, this is not a historical period we are presenting. Tolkien's people wear an amalgam of clothing from a variety of periods, from early medieval to early 20th century country folk. Gaiters may prove to be more practical than high leather boots in the long run.
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Re: Movie ithilien ranger “shoetoppers”

Post by Elleth »

Yup!

Hence Taurnior's links to Urthgard and Udwin's leggings, and the Southwest frontier period product at Crazy Crow.
(FWIW, "Early Modern" is a term of art referring to (roughly) the mid/late Renaissance through to the mid/late 18th c., depending on who's doing the telling. And yes, gaiters of that approximate design were used in lots of militaries in the 18th c. I can't recall seeing examples in the medieval period, but they're on a continuum with similar-ish hosen. There's only so many ways to cover a leg, after all. :) )

All that said, the particular gaiters in the OP strongly betray their period by cut, material, and - as I can't believe I didn't see until Udwin pointed out - very modern hardware.
(eyes/brain are weird - I saw metal grommets on both sides until Udwin pointed out the "bootlace keeper" hardware. Bizarre)

Anyhow, if cost is an issue I think the best route forward might be finding a leather coat from goodwill, cutting apart the sleeves, and piecing a set from that. Tons of great work here has been done with goodwill finds. :mrgreen:
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Re: Movie ithilien ranger “shoetoppers”

Post by Greg »

I think that, ultimately, unless you're pursuing more complete leggings, gaiters would serve as an excuse mostly to hide incomplete/not-quite-right footwear. That extra layer-over-the-top could be pretty easily nixed entirely by just making a solid pair of mid-calf boots. Just one more thing to worry about/carry...but that's just my experience.
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