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Just the Shirt Legolas's  shirt... V1.6 Aug, 2003 Rough draft... we know it's not correct, but it's just the starting point for our discussion. The shape show here is OK... but not the decoration or details.  Note: the shirt decorations here are basically from the art book.

(We now know the sleeves are raglan, not set in and the collar rolled.  Picture to be updated.)

This is hard. There are not a lot of pictures and they're all blue, slightly soft focus.

The hero version of Legolas's shirt/tunic is only seen by itself during the fellowship's first evening in Lothlorien.  The scene which the elves sing Gandalf's lament has an other worldly soft blue tone.  Much detail is obscured. 

The DVD and the ROM exhibit show that the shirt is not really light blue.  It is actually silver-grey.  So, if you are going to reproduce the shirt you must decide on movie colors or real life colors, baby blue or silver.

The mid-thigh length shirt is made out of mid-weight duponi silk. It has side pleats/gores inserted from the waist down. It is close fitted to the point that the body pulls a bit and the sleeves wrinkle.  (In real life, not the type of stuff an archer would like.)  The shirt opens down the front and has 4 silver fastenings that start at the top of the chest bone and end at the waist (though he wears his belt lower).   It has a rolled color so the shirt and collar have been cut out of a single piece to give it a sweep upward.  This sweep is accentuated by the low top closure.

The sleeves are a raglan cut.  The sleeves bell as they go toward the wrist, but not too much. 

There is lacing on the underarm seam from about 4 inches above the cuff to mid-upper arm.  Depending on the shirt seen, there are either grommets (or for the "hero" version) thread eyelets.  Though even this definition gets complicated.  The picture from the poster shows the bottom half thread eyelets and the top metal.  However, the version in the "Traveling Exhibit" has metal eyelets from the wrist up to to beyond the vambrace and then all the upper ones are thread eyelets.  (So, make your choice.  Everything goes.)

Special note: the main shirt used during most of the filming does not have a back, at least not of the real material.  It is just full sleeves and a collar, w/ only the front being real.  Underneath is what looks like a black t-shirt.  The assumption on why the shirt had no back was to keep the  silk shirt  smooth in front while all the gear is strapped under it.  Also, the non hero version does not an opening in the front.  Again this is probably so it lays right.

Photo of the poster,  You're looking at the underside of the sleeve.  Sleeve at the bottom, vambrace at the top.

There is a belt made from 5 flat braided strips.  (Same technique and Gandalf the Grey's belt.)  There is a small leaf buckle on this.  Only worn with the "hero" version of the shirt.  It comes to a bit of a point in front.

We see Legolas bending over a monitor with PJ in a shot in the LOTR fan magazine (vol3) Drawing by Naomi	Here is the design flattened.  Note it is not symmetrical.  (Though we're still debating how much of this is caused by fabric stress.)  Soon we will also present a straightened version. (Artwork by CDR)

The sleeve hem is turned under to stiffen the bell slightly.  Over the sleeve and shoulder is a decorated appliqué that has been top stitched down.  The exact boundaries of the appliqué are not yet know. BUT, it is flat... so it must narrow going toward the neck

(note, some pics will have two sources and some groups together are close but not exact because the sources here appear to be screen caps.)

• Just in shirt - continuity shot
  • http://www.legolas.ipm.cgm.pl/detail5.jpg
  • full shot, fuzzy
  • Can see the shape of the sleeve - obviously raglan sleeve
  • see how the laces end a few inches short of the bell.
• Back of the shirt - black open version - continuity shot
  • http://www.legolas.ipm.cgm.pl/detail6.jpg
    • full shot, fuzzy
    • Note how the back is open.  We can't quite tell if there are two full layers, w/ the black being long sleeve to protect the silk shirt from the skin or not.  Note there does seem to be a gap on the sides where the black is tighter.  Seems to be same fabric we see on Gandalf's sweater.
• Continuity shot of shirt center, belt, buckle and sleeves
  • http://www.legolas.ipm.cgm.pl/detail9.jpg (slow load)
    • cu of center of shirt w/ belt featured.
    • Color of shirt here is the original silver dupioni.
    • Good shot of claps.
    • Looks to be about a 1 1//2 inch facing on the inside of the shirt.
• Walking right, basin in the foreground  - set of shots
  • http://www.warofthering.net/photos/fotrlegolas/imagepages/image78.shtml
  • http://www.elbakin.com/film/images/galerie/Legolas2.jpg 
  •  
    • 3/4, w/ Leg is background
    • Can see the full shirt
    • Just make out the pleat/gusset in the shirt (from waist to hem)
    • Note: the sleeves fit the upper tight enough to wrinkle the fabric, they bell
• Looking up, listening to lament (slightly different) -set of shots
  • http://www.warofthering.net/photos/fotrlegolas/imagepages/image79.shtml
  • http://www.warofthering.net/quintessential/movieshots_bk2/legolas_listening_to_elvensong1.jpg
    • cu, good rez
    • Look on shoulder, can see the start of the appliqué patch on top of the arm
    • Is the appliqué cord like Elrond's
    • Look at collar... seam?  No seam???
    • There is machine top stitching all along the edge of the shirt collar and down the front opening.  Appliqué is stitched over the shoulder
• Looking up, hobbits behind (soft focus)  Almost same shot as above
  • http://www.warofthering.net/quintessential/movieshots_bk2/legolas_listening_to_elvensong1.jpg
    • mcu
    • More shots of the collar
• Lookup up to right, listening to the lament, holding pitcher
  •  
  • http://www.legolas.ipm.cgm.pl/legolas187.jpeg
    • Medium, fuzzy
    • Can see the appliqué designs going way down the shoulder, narrower on op
    • Bit more design detail.  Here is does look like cord
• Twist to right, looking straight at camera
  •  
    • CU - high rez... large
    • Can just see a bit of the sleeve cap. Can see a wrinkle where it shapes over the shoulder.... but doesn't look like we've got a seam there either at the shoulder or up the center of the appliqué.
• Holding pitcher, looking down, with PJ and  Sam
  • http://www.fantasyplanet.cz/lotr/picture_show.asp?id=756&obr_url=../gfx%2Fpictures%5Fclanky%2Flotr%5Fgal%5Fvelky%5F2001%5F11%5F28%5F9%5F43%5F27%2Ejpg
  • http://www.fantasyplanet.cz/gfx/pictures_clanky/lotr_gal_velky_2002_3_5_8_43_50.jpg
    • ml shot, fuzzy, BtS
    • can see front of the full shirt 
    • Look all 4 clasps.  
    • Note their position.  
    • They start at the top of the chest bone and go down to natural waist, even though belt drops lowed 

• Set of pics with the blue shirt - Gandalf's Lament
  • http://www.legolas.ipm.cgm.pl/page_09.htm
    • cu to med, all fuzzy
• BtS, Legolas and PJ looking at a monitor
  • http://www.legolas.ipm.cgm.pl/nsb3.jpg
    • ml, fuzzy
    • look at belled sleeve
• A break during shooting, Eomer, Gandalf, Legolas and Gimli mini-me
  • http://www.fantasyplanet.cz/lotr/picture_show.asp?id=4604&obr_url=../gfx/pictures_clanky/lotr_gal_velky_2003925163934290.jpg
    • 3 1/2 shot - waist, dark and fuzzy
    • long break in shooting means that they are wearing their underlayers
    • See the raglin sleeves in the back.  They're attached to that black "t-shirt" fabric.
•  

About the undersleeve lacing

This seems to vary depending on what shirt he is wearing. 

• The "shirt only" hero shirt has bell sleeves and does not seem to have any lacing
• There are three version with lacing, one seems to have little silver grommets, the other has button holes for lacing.  Then the hero version doesn't have any lacings.

• Legolas stabing orc with arrow in eye
  • http://www.warofthering.net/photos/fotrlegolas/imagepages/image20.shtml
    • med, large, good focus
    • arm is extended to get a look at the underside button hole lacing here.
• Reaching for his knives
  • http://verthandi.www7.50megs.com/legolas_lacing.htm
    • med, large, good focus
    • arms up, best shot of the lacing.  Here they look like pure eyelets, not grommets

Extra places to look

• Many screen caps of Legolas from the movie
  • http://www.dazzled.com/theobfiles/pictures/fellowship4.html
    • scroll down to the bottom for the "blue" pictures to see more shirt detail.
    • picture #173 best of sleeve design
• Volume 3 for the Fan magazine.  There is the clears photo of the side embroidery.

Those elf collars

• http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LOTR_Costume/message/2500
• Collar is a rolled collar.  We now have instruction on how to do rolled collars.

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