Carbon Costume

Hester Shaw (played by Hera Hilmar in the movie) is a remarkable heroine. She is strong-willed, smart, and determined. She is also easily identified by her scar, received at the hands of a man she now wants revenge on. The scar is less obvious in the movie but still an important part of Hester’s story. And that’s where any good Hester cosplay is going to start.

Scar wax is key for  Hester cosplay, as is a long auburn wig. With those elements in place, Hester’s outfit becomes a snap. A long dark green coat, a long sleeved grey shirt, black fingerless gloves, black pants, black boots, and a long red scarf wrap up the rest of her look.

Tom (played by Robert Sheehan) is a young historian working on the city of London. He idolizes Thaddeus Valentine and wants to serve his city through his work at the museum. His life takes a wild turn, however. And for all that he starts out a London boy, it’s not long before he’s swept up into wild adventures that take him far from home.

A windswept brown wig starts off any good Tom cosplay. Unless, of course, you already have dark hair of a similar cut, in which case all you need is a little styling. From there you’ll need to layer a dark blur shirt under a silver brocade vest and add a black military-style jacket. Black pants, a black belt, and black boots finish off a look fit for anyone hanging onto their roaming city.

In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, while the Dursleys intended to send their nephew Harry Potter to the local state school, they enrolled their own son Dudley (Harry Melling) in the fancier Smeltings Academy. Dudley proudly models the Smeltings uniform, which consists of a maroon tailcoat, orange knickerbockers, a straw boater hat, brown socks pulled up to the knees, and a knobby wooden cane called a Smelting stick, which was mainly used to hit other people.

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Dudley Dursley (Harry Melling) and his gang torment his cousin Harry Potter on the playground. Dudley taunts Harry, asking him “Where is your mum, Potter? She dead? Is she dead?” In this scene, Dudley is dressed is casual athletic gear, as opposed to the formal attire of his Smeltings Academy uniform.

Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) is the antagonist of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. He is the son of pureblood wizards Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, and a first-year student at Hogwarts. The Sorting Hat places him in Slytherin. Draco bullies Ron and Hermione, thinking himself better than them. He extends friendship to Harry Potter, who declines, for he doesn’t like his pompous arrogance. This begins their well-known rivalry. In contrast to his power-hungry cruelty, Draco is actually quite a coward, as he’s known to whine: “Wait until my father hears about this!” Use hair gel to slick the wig or your own back.

Sophie Foster returns in Shannon Messenger’s fifth entry into the Keeper of the Lost Cities series.  In Lodestar, Sophie finds herself fighting against dark forces as she questions whether she can trust the people around her.  As always, Sophie is shown on the cover wearing dark tights and with a short Renaissance-inspired dress and cloak.  To recreate her look, you may have to be a little flexible, as finding an exact replica of her costume can be difficult.  Focus on similar silhouettes such as a pinafore dress that will mimic the fitted bodice of the one she’s depicted wearing, or a handkerchief hem if you’re more interested in replicating the movement of her skirt.

There is no official actress for Rowena Ravenclaw as the founder died long before Harry Potter attended Hogwarts. And while there are descriptions in the book, cosplaying as Rowena still leaves lots of room for personal interpretation. The one thing you don’t want to forget, however, is her diadem.

For this version you’ll need a long auburn wig, a blue gown, matching blue slippers, a wand, and a leather journal with a blue stone. An eagle necklace rounds out the bewitching look.

Hannah Marie is a character in the Scary Godmother books and movies. The children’s books were written and illustrated by Jill Thompson. Hannah is the protagonist of the series. On Halloween, her older cousin, Jimmy, takes her trick-or-treating. Yet Jimmy plays a mean prank and locks her in a haunted house. As Hannah begins to cry, Scary Godmother comes to comfort her. She invites Hannah to Frightside, an alternate dimension fueled by Halloween magic. At first, she’s scared of the monsters, but she quickly befriends them. Hannah becomes particularly close to Scary Godmother, Bugaboo, and Orson. While also sweet-natured and friendly, Hannah grows into a brave, assertive, and admirable character. This costume guide features her Fairy Princess/Queen costume seen in both movies.