Costume Designer On Harry Potter Laurent Guinci Reveals Mrs Weasley Made Ron's Yule Ball Outfit Herself

The new year marks 20 years (no, we can't believe it either) since the Harry Potter franchise first hit cinemas, and the rest, as they say, is history.

The adventures of Harry, Ron and Hermione are still beloved by millions, with families across the world settling down to one of the eight films over Christmas.

But while the franchise is remembered for its fantastic beasts, intense duels and eccentric characters, the Harry Potter series also boasts some of the most iconic and instantly recognisable costumes in cinema.

And it's in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire that the franchise's wardrobe department given a chance to shine, with many of our favourites forced to get suited and booted for the Yule Ball - the Hogwarts Christmas party that sees students dress in their finery.

However, Ron Weasley found himself in very old fashion dress robes for the big night, which he mournfully describes as smelling "like his great aunt Tessie."

Now, Laurent Guinci, founder of Lolo Creative who also worked on the garments Harry Potter franchise has explained just why Ron's suit had to be quite so ghastly.

"You spend a lot of time developing garments for films," he tells Tyla. "It's not like something you'd make for Topshop or for the high street. We have to put way more details into it.

"Ron's dress robes for the Yule Ball had to be clumsy. We made it look as if Ron's mum picked up bits and bobs and put it together. You have to create this costume keeping in mind it's the mum that's making it."

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However, Laurent admits that the outfit suited Ron actor Rupert Grint down to a tee.

"The outfit was totally him," he laughs. "It was as clumsy as he was! I want to say it's ugly in some ways, but it's fashionably ugly. It's done on purpose. It's iconically ugly!"

Of course, Ron's outfit is not the only iconic outfit from the Yule Ball.

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Every Harry Potter fan will remember the moment Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) walks down the grand staircase in her layered pink dress, transforming from geeky know-it-all to Belle of the Ball in just one scene.

"That dress is made from layers and layers of chiffon silk, which is dyed in an ombre colour, from a light pink to a dark pink - It's not like a simple fabric," Laurent explains. "It allows it to give depth to the dress and is emphasised from all the layers you see on the dress, with that kind of magical, if not mystical effect when she comes down the steps in the Great Hall."

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And Emma's transformation was just as magical behind-the-scenes as it appeared on screens.

"I must say yes, we were all taken aback to see Emma in the dress," Laurent says. "Because we all work in different departments behind the scenes, not everyone sees what the other departments are doing.

"Of course we do liaise with the other departments so we can see what sets look like so we don't pick something that clashes with the sets. There is also sometimes that element of surprise when the actor or actress turns up on set where you all go wow. I think as a designer it's a real achievement."

Potterheads have often questioned why the dress, which is described as being blue in the book, was changed to pink in the film.

Laurent explains that it's because pink was better suited to Emma's natural colouring. He adds that each character they designed for had a unique colour palette to help build their character's wardrobe.

"We got JK Rowling's permission to make the change," he says. "Emma suits pink colours and denims, which is why in the final battle in Hogwarts, she's got that pink hooded cardigan underneath the denim jacket.

"When you decide to give an identity to a character and that identity was kept throughout the films, we felt it was very important. We felt at the Yule Ball it was more appropriate to give a hint of pink of the best for Hermione, instead of making it blue.

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"Rupert's colours were green and orange, while Daniel Radcliffe will always be seen in light blue, purple and grey."

It certainly explains why we always saw Harry in a light blue polo shirt when he wore Muggle clothing - something that has now established itself as a meme.

"The fans love it, it's almost as if we have a Harry Potter fashion," Laurent laughs. "It's funny!"

While Laurent's favourite costume to work on was Dumbledore's elaborate and hand-stitched robes, it was designing for Bellatrix Lestrange that was particularly exciting.

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"I absolutely adore Helena Bonham Carter as an actress," he explains. "She makes it a pleasure to work onset.

"Her outfits were definitely much sexier. The moment she would put it on, she would become Bellatrix.

"Her outfit is provocative. She wears black leather corsets that have been handmade that are all laced up tightly. It's not S&M but it is definitely much sexier. She's a very sexy Death Eater!"

Topics: Harry Potter, Christmas, Entertainment News, Celebrity News, TV & Film

Kimberley Bond

Kim is a journalist at Tyla, and has previously worked at the Evening Standard, Radio Times as well as several national newspapers. A showbiz obsessive and a television fanatic, Kim is particularly interested in celebrity gossip, A-list events and the latest releases on either the big or small screen. Contact her at [email protected]

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