Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald costume designer explains why Dumbledore is in a suit
By Callum Gunn
Wondering why Young Albus Dumbledore was wearing a suit in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald? Well costume designer Colleen Atwood has an answer.
OK, so there is quite a lot about Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald that has made us scratch our heads wondering where on earth things are going. It’s the beauty of J.K. Rowling’s wiring. She keeps you guessing right up until the end.
From that shocking reveal at the end of the movie that has made us all go back and revisit the timelines to see if we missed something. To the appearance of a certain Hogwarts Professor that doesn’t look possible at all but there are some insane theories to suggest otherwise. There is a lot going on that has made us seek answers.
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One thing that isn’t hugely important, compared to the other questions we have about Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, but has still made us wonder, is Dumbledore’s attire.
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During Harry Potter‘s era Dumbledore would be seen in billowing wizarding robes of fine detail and beauty. Whereas in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, he is suited and booted in a three piece number that wouldn’t go amiss at Oxford university.
So why the change? Well costume designer Colleen Atwood has an answer for us all.
FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Our friends over at Hidden Remote got the full scoop while Atwood was attending Vulture Festival, and the reasons behind the decision makes perfect sense. Here is a snippet of what she had to say:
"“We wanted to give it a sort of comfortable aristocracy: education, but approachability,”“We used materials and made them worn-in so they didn’t look like it was self-conscious.”“We wanted to convey an approachability to Dumbledore that he was the prophet everybody talked to in the school,”“I made it very kind of cozy so you felt like snuggling up to him and telling him a story.”"
You can get the full details from Hidden Remote here.
So ultimately Atwood had the vision of making Dumbledore more approachable rather than as an authority figure. Which is, if you think about it, a smart move really. A teacher should be approachable. Someone you could talk to. Whereas once Dumbledore became headmaster that role changed. He would have still had to be approachable but more assertive than before. And what Dumbledore choose to wear would have helped with this. A suit, worn and comfortable, to give a more approachable appearance, and huge, billowing wizarding robes of fine detail to give the sense of command and authority.
How he aged so much is still beyond me however. My best guess so far is from the stress of teaching.
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What do you think of the reason for Dumbledore not to be wearing robes? Would you have liked to have seen him adopt them? Drop a comment below sharing your thoughts.