The Blog
Costume Breakdown:
Éowyn
Some products listed in this article contain affiliate links, others are one of a kind, handmade (OOAK), items, or made by other eternal non-affiliated artists and/or brands. Links are provided whenever possible to assist readers in building their own costumes regardless of whether or not the creator is an affiliate.
This shoot was a three-way collaboration of partnerships both old and new.
A newer creator by the name of Sarah, or the brand Fit For The Gods, had initiated collaboration projects with both Tasha Reid, a longtime personal friend of mine, and with Sally of It Is Known Scalemail, a crafter with whom I have collaborated with several times over the years and respect immensely. Both of these fine woman mentioned the new creative partner to me, mentioning they had expressed interest about working with me as well. Therefore, I reached out and details of our upcoming projects were arranged and eventually bore some wonderful results.
I arranged to shoot a few garments solely for Fit For The Gods and others to be paired with various scale & chainmail works from ItIsKnown. The later is how this collection, Éowyn, was born.
Other results of our collaborations can be seen in my Emerald Sorceress & Brigid photo collections as well as on the Instagram pages for Fit For The Gods and It Is Known.
Element Breakdown
Renaissance Chainmail Headdress
by It Is Known
To me, there is something so perfectly fantasy, yet simultaneously timeless, about a delicate chainmail circlet. So simple yet so regal.
ItIsKnown used to only offer these as OOAK pieces for photo collaborations, but I am so glad they now offer them in their shop regularly as well.
A tip for wearing these; take your time to make a very clean center part in your hair. A small amount of oil or product to smooth the top down also helps to keep everything in place around the chains.
“Atlantis” Scalemail Collar
by It Is Known
Of all the It Is Known collar & shoulder pieces I have donned for photos, I believe this one has been my favorite.
The garment is large and imposing. Evoking the feeling of queenly armor with the comfort of a delicately draping shawl and paired with the satisfyingly metallic chimes of scales meeting and parting with every movement.
Chainmail Maxi Overskirt
by It Is Known
I first modeled one of these overskirts back in 2017 for a shoot styled by the maker along with photographer Andrew J Bacha, and it is safe to say I was instantly in love with the style. It is something I have truly seen nowhere else.
Sally, creator of It Is Known, gifted me this piece after our many years of working together and I could not be more thankful.
Anduril Replica Sword
by Swords Kingdom
This was not originally intended to specifically be a LOTR shoot. The inclusion of Anduril was originally purely due to the fact that the sword itself is fairly simplistic in style and can easily pair with most fantasy costume styles. However, its inclusion did end up influencing the naming of this shoot, as I do believe the resulting images did capture the feel of Éowyn’s character without being an intentional or direct cosplay.
All of that aside, I will admit that this is not the nicest replica of Anduril you can find, although it is a sturdy blade. If you would like the prop on a budget or for costume use, the link above is for you; If you are a serious collector of fine LOTR wares, I would recommend looking elsewhere for a replica.
Le Fay chemise
by Fit For The Gods
This chemise by Fit For The Gods was such an unexpected delight. The billowing gown is exquisitely handmade and features the most unique shoulder and sleeve customization I have seen on this style of garment.
The neckline and three sections down the arm feature adjustable ribbons which can be used to tighten or loosen the fit of the dress; resulting in either the look of a traditional chemise or a romantic open-shouldered alternative style. The ties down the arm also allow for the option of decoratively puffed sleeves or they can be undone to create the effect of drapey goddessy sleeves which expose the arms.
I would absolutely love to see this garment eventually offered in a super sheer linenny fabric.