I’ve been costuming as a Slytherin student for ten years now. (Don’t judge me. I’m just waiting to be old enough to do a good Professor McGonagall #ultimatecostumegoals ) I started gathering pictures from the various years with the intention of talking about how this costume has changed over the years.
Only there’s a problem.
It hasn’t really.
With the exception of my original 2004-2005 costume, of which I have no pictures (the robe was the same, but the skirt was different and I didn’t have the sweater yet), I am wearing the exact same thing in the earliest picture I can find and in the most recent picture I can find. As far as I can tell, only a few things have changed:
1. I replaced the original sleeves of the robe a few years in after one ended up with a giant hole.
2. The patch changes to a more accurate one at some point. (Accurate patches from the first two movies weren’t initially available)
So, instead. I’m just going to post pictures from 10 years of wearing this costume at DragonCon. Because this is an art blog. So I can do that.
(NB: If you are a costumer in one of these pictures and you want to be identified, let me know! I decided to not name people by default, since they span so many years and I know that not everyone wants to be associated with their former costumes/selves.)
2005
Edit: Wiccy found a picture of us from 2005! Look at us as baby costumers! Fun fact: This was before I started wearing makeup for costumes, so it’s one of the last years where you can actually see my birthmark. I also completely forgot that I was brunette for a year in the mid-2000s. So weird to see myself that way.
2006
Marching in the 2006 DragonCon parade. Wearing a blouse, a sweater and a wool robe. 2006 me was not very smart.
Thing to note about this version: My wand is actually a knitting needle. I’ve been through a lot of wands over the years.
2007
I found a Snape! Pretty sure I still have the knitting needle as well. However, this year I had added a wand pocket in my sleeve so that I wasn’t continually gesturing with a knitting needle and endangering the people around me.
2009
I had ditched the sweater this year, for some reason. Probably because I was in Atlanta. However, you can actually see the skirt in this one. I think one of the reasons this costume has lasted me so long is that all of its pieces are actual clothing: The skirt is from the school supply store that made the skirts for the first two movies (Yay for fitting into kids clothing), as was the tie. The sweater was knit like a real sweater and has held up really well over the years. I still don’t have accurate shoes because the shoes I have are so comfortable that I don’t care.
Also, can we talk about how long I had a Scully haircut? This is a full 16 years after the show debuted. And yet there I am. Rocking the Offical Skeptic Lady Red Bob. Can we also talk about how badly my talc-based mineral makeup reflected camera flash? Just say no to powder foundation with talc if you’re going to be taking photos, costumers. It won’t end well unless you have a good photographer who knows how to use their flash properly.
2011
Ooh, something new! This year I decided to do a Steampunk Draco Malfoy rather than my typical Slytherin getup. (I also have the pants to do the canon boy Slytherin costume. I just don’t wear them often.) Skepchick’s Jamie Bernstein is responsible for both the picture and the fact that I’m advertising the Women Thinking, Inc. Vaccine Clinic. Because she is a superhero in pretty much every way.
2012
This was the year that Colonial Fleeter Garrett started herding the Harry Potter costumers in the fleet into groups and making us take pictures together. This was an excellent decision. Photo by Kurz Photography Atlanta. I love that we have a Slytherin from every movie era here, including Tom Riddle as a student.
I am dead. RIP me. And RIP the Marriott carpet that I’m lying on. You will be missed, hideously endearing carpet. Photo by Russ Creech.
Most importantly: NO MORE SCULLY HAIR. Photo also by Russ Creech who always makes me look awesome. Even if my hair had just been pulled out from whatever wig under which it had been trapped all day.
Also no more playing by the Hogwarts rules. Hey, by this year I would have been a seventh year, so *shrug* Ten points from Slytherin *and* Ravenclaw.
2013
I haven’t been able to find many full group pictures of our Hogwarts groups, so I’ll end with a few photos from our 2013 group from KAS Photography.
Lookit the little Nagini! Evil has never been so cute!
And oh fine. Have some Gryffindors too. I love the formal robes Ron and Hermione. As well as that fantastic Quidditch uniform. I mean, even if they are from the worst house, they still look great.
I’ll end with even more cuteness: Professor Sprout and an adorable little Mandrake root!
