The "Original" McGonagall

     This picture is from the Salt Lake ComicCon's FanX event that we attended at the end of January.  This was my first outing as Professor McGonagall from the Harry Potter movie/book franchise.  MiniBoo LOVES anything and everything Harry Potter, and with Tom Felton (who played Draco Malfoy) attending the event, it made sense that we must have a Potter-themed cosplay for the day we would meet Draco!

    

     After getting MiniBoo's outfit sorted (yep...into Gryffindor...haha!), I raided my fabric and pattern stash to start getting my outfit arranged.  This cloak pattern, McCalls 4340, was the pattern I chose for McGonagall's green cloak.  It's not screen-accurate by any stretch, but it was in my stash, and I had made several other cloaks from the pattern before.  This pattern would give the "appearance" of McGonagall, even if it wasn't built like the actual cloak worn in the movie.  The convention time was rapidly approaching, so I was looking for any way to shortcut the costume assembly process.

     One of the primary concerns for me when making an outfit to wear at a convention is comfort. The hall is warm, so I needed breathable materials.  For the cloak, I chose to order some forest green cotton velour from NaturesFabrics.com.  I am SO pleased with this website!!!!!  Prices are great! Fabric is high-quality and easy laundering care.  Shipping is also super-fast.  I will DEFINITELY order materials from them in the future!

     We don't really see McGonagall's underdress, so I used a black turtleneck and an old Ren Faire linen dress for this go-round.  In studying the pictures of her costume, we can only see that the dress is long and black, with snug, wrist-length sleeves.  In my mind, my first version looks OK, but not great.  So my underdress will be a target for the upgrade process as well as remaking the cloak.

     My brooch that I chose also came from my own personal accessory collection.  I purchased this black and silver brooch in 2000 when I toured Scotland.  Since it's actually Scottish, like the character of McGonagall, I thought it fit well for a first Potter outing.  But again, it's not screen-accurate, so it, too, becomes a target for cosplay upgrade.  (But it will look nice on a suit or sweater for work, so it gets to remain in active circulation in a different role!)

    The wand I originally used was not the McGonagall wand, but a Hermione replica, purchased from one of the vendors at the convention.  Shortly after the convention, I bought a McGonagall replica wand made from resin.  Looked great, but the thing broke in its first 15 minutes out of the box!!!  (see the SuperGlued wand in the above picture) This prop ALSO goes into the "UPGRADE" pile, as I can't carry SuperGlue into the convention to keep repairing it.  Luckily, McHusband knows a guy who's willing to make one out of wood for me that SHOULD be able to stand up to some wear and tear.

    Finally, the McGonagall hat...this is the only item from the original outing that will stay in cosplay rotation, as is.  I found it on Amazon.com for a steal of a price and have been very happy with it.  It's comfortable, and closely replicates the screen version worn by Maggie Smith in the first two Harry Potter movies.

   With the reaction I received from MiniBoo, McHusband, and the convention attendees that I interacted with on the day we wore our costumes, Professor McGonagall has become one of my favorites.  And because she's one of my favorites, I want to do right by her.  Getting as close as possible to replicating her picture below will be the goal of the overhaul! Thus, the next few blog entries will detail the complete remaking of this costume to make her even better and brighter than her first outing!