The long and short of Middle-Earth fashion

By FIONA HAWTIN

Luckily for Ngila Dickson, Middle-earth is much like Earth with plentiful supplies of wool, leather, metal and silk velvets.

Otherwise The Lord of the Rings costume designer's job would have been much harder. As it was, since April 1 1999, she and her team of up to 50 had to come up with enough costumes to clothe another world. Ask how many costumes were made though, and Dickson has lost count.

"Too many. Thousands," says the woman who worked on Xena: Warrior Princess and her sexy Amazonian mini.

While she may have seen to Hercules as well, she's anxious not to be typecast as a designer of costumes for mythical and superhuman beings. Dickson has also designed for mortals in films including Ruby and Rata and Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures.

The Lord of the Rings was bigger than all of them, as nine different cultures had to be catered for.

Although Jackson is not known for his sartorial elegance, he did have some idea as to how he wanted his hobbits and Elves to look.

"Pete was a man with a vision. He knew exactly what he wanted even though he couldn't tell you. He didn't know the process."

So Dickson produced several options. Eventually, it was decided the hobbits would have an 18th to 19th-century look with frock coats, short trousers and waistcoats with brass buttons. Elves were other-worldly in fine silks and velvets.

All were a result of using Tolkein's story as the original source, much research and Dickson's embellishment.

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John Rhys-Davies is a big man. He plays the dwarf Gimli. Dickson describes his costume as "a bit of a toe-curler" because of the complex, individual pieces, although the perspective problem of making him look smaller was made easier because of Rhys-Davies' solid frame. Tall and gangly would have been harder to disguise.

"Dwarves are a tough old bunch. They are great hoarders of wealth and gems and precious metals, so we had to create that. But we also wanted to make him a slightly more practical dwarf because he is a traveller. The devil is in the detail." Three fittings later, here's how they kitted him out.

1 Face: Heavy use of prosthetics and makeup.

2 Facial hair and hair: Achieved with wigs and stick-on beards. Rich red colour gave the dwarf his striking, almost regal appearance.

3 Helmet: Made by the special effects people at Weta Studios. Provision had to be made for the vast wig that would sit underneath.

4 Chain Maille: Weta also made the heavy armour as light as possible. Also, the hexagonal armoured sleeves helped to give the actor a stocky look.

5 Cloak: Over-dyed blue wool to help age it. As dwarves have a lifespan of about 250 years, wool has longevity. Even so, one cloak would not last a lifetime.

6 Tunic: Also over-dyed wool, this time in maroon. The royal feeling Gimli has is symbolised in the rich, jewelled colours he wears. It also represents the gems dwarves secret away. The tunic is finished with rich, plaited leather.

7 Cuffs: Tooled leather. Practical for a traveller but the ornate pattern suggests a certain wealth.

8 Trousers: Well-cut linen. On modern Earth, linen is a traveller's curse because of the inevitable wrinkling. Middle-earth must take care of trouser creases in a magical way.

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Feature: Lord of the Rings