Fantastic Beasts Ravenclaw Build

In honor of the Crimes of Grindelwald film becoming the next chapter in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, I decided to put together a 1920s-inspired witch costume with some Ravenclaw flair. The traditional go-to for a women's Roaring Twenties costume is a flapper dress, bobbed hair, and T-strap shoes, but I'm actually going for more of the look of the MACUSA aurors (ex. Tina Goldstein).



I got my inspirations for this costume from the costumes in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and from other 1920s sources.



It was still unusual for women to wear pants in the '20s, but jodphurs or wide-legged flowing slacks weren't too far gone. You can see some interesting examples of this in Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, an Australian mystery drama series set in 1920s Melbourne with award-winning costume designs. Below are a pair of their fabulous outfits for characters Phryne Fisher and Dr. Macmillan.


So in this build I'm going to try to emulate these examples of 1920s fashion, with color and details to reflect the Ravenclaw aesthetic. It's meant to pick up or echo the Ravenclaw colors of blue and bronze.

 These are mostly items collected from thrift stores.

1. Blazer
I found this tan blazer for about $7 in a thrift store, which has a good length and striking profile. I picked



2. Vest
A thrift store find for about $4. I was looking for a nice vest in bronze or blue or something clearly Ravenclaw. I found this, and though I wasn't sold on it right away, I think it adds something quirky to it. And really, what Hogwarts house is dorkier or more eccentric? Luna Lovegood would agree. The blue works, and the celestial suns, moons, and stars adorkably witch-like.



3. Shirt
Also a thrift store buy, pretty standard collared button-down white shirt, maybe for $3 to $5. It only extends to the elbows but since it's under the coat it doesn't really matter.



4. Pants
I looked at a couple of options for this, but eventually found this pair of brown slacks with a herringbone texture, which fits all right with the aesthetic. I got this maybe for $4 to $7.


5. Scarf
I looked through thrift stores for a plain blue scarf, but was unable to find any on hand. So I picked up about a quarter yard of blue silky fabric from Joann's, which on sale came out to about $2.



6. Hat
I've had this fedora for a long time and I jump for the chance to wear it. I got this as a gift awhile ago and I added new feathers to go along with the Ravenclaw colors.



7. Shoes
Another thrift store find, about $6. They're somewhere between brown and black, which works well for this costume.



8. Wand
I made this wand out of a dowel, candlestick, and some wooden beads, and will write a how-to for simple wand making (updated 11/29/18). The materials cost about $2.


9. Pin
Found this at a thrift store for $3. Clearly it's an American eagle emblem, but I like to think it kind of reflects a Ravenclaw expat who immigrated to the United States.



10. Cane
I got this sword cane as a birthday gift some years ago. It's not in Ravenclaw bronze and it kind of reminds me of Lucius Malfoy's wand-cane, but the bird head is pretty cool. I didn't affect this for every occasion, but it's a good prop.


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