Horse King

Sometime last year, I was asked to do a costume closely resembling King Theoden, of Lord of the Rings fame. I knew the work involved would be tremendous, but I had no idea just HOW much so!  It took me eight months to complete the embroidery for the green surcoat.   All of this was done by hand.  Because of the time, I chose to find an appropriate trim for the brown velvet surcoat, rather than attempting more embroidery.   The Layers First, we have the red velvet shirt.  This was a slight mistake.  I ended up replacing it with a red linen version, as the armholes ripped in short order.  I definitely learned my lesson with that type of velvet.   Next time will be cotton velvet or nothing.  My client wanted something lighter weight as the convention he intended to wear it to was bound to be HOT!  So linen it was.  It is just a simple tunic with a keyhole style neckline. Then comes the monster: the green surcoat.  The pattern was deceptively simple.  Once I had it down pat and the math in my head, cutting it out was a breeze.  The embroidery, however, was not.  As I said above, it took 8 months.  Admittedly, this was not solid work.   I probably could have done it in three, but then I wouldn't have been able to use my arm for a year.  The design was as close as I could get to the original based on visuals from the movie and costume exhibits. I can't take all the credit, however.  Celefinniel (I'm sure I butchered your name) of the Lord of the Rings costume group was a tremendous help, by the research she did for her own costume. The brown velvet surcoat was maddening to sew.  Putting trim on velvet is always difficult, as it creeps and crawls.  Rayon velvet is worse, nearly as bad as silk velvet.  I'm in the process of remaking this surcoat to more accurately resemble the publicity shots.  The trim will be embroidered rather than actual woven trim. The cloak wasn't nearly as easy as it looks.  It's made of a dull medium to heavy satin.  The fake hood, or mantle, had to be drafted to get it just right, hand tacked on, and then sewn down.  The trim was then applied over it. The clasp.  THAT was a challenge.  I avoided it for months until I finally pulled out the sculpey and went to town.  It only took one try, but long work into that one try.  The back has two pins in order to keep it balanced. All in all, I'm very happy with how it turned out. Pricing In its entirety, this costume costs no less than $800.  The price may vary according to size and fabric choices. Individual pieces are possible.  Email me for quotes.