Hobbits: The Costumes of Middle Earth

In this video, I do a deep dive into the costumes of the hobbits, both in the books and the films. Does Frodo wear cargo shorts? You'll have to watch and find out. Leave a like, subscribe, and comment whatever I might have missed!
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Citations are available upon request!
Intro 00:00
Context 3:02
LotR 5:35
The Hobbit 12:43
Wrap-up 15:14
Thanks to D.B Spear for editing this one for me. Check him out here: / spear.dillon
Contact me: [e-mail]

[@simbelmyne7767]

When you pointed out how they all wear the cloak and Lorien brooch even after being split apart I almost wanted to cry 😭

[@camille_la_chenille]

Costumes in LOTR are my favourite costumes ever. The level of detail is just stunning and I can't spend too much time looking at the clothes. And this video reminds me of a detail in the books about Bilbo's clothes. As he is packing to leave after his birthday party, Bilbo retrieves an old, oversized, hood that was dark green once; in The Hobbit, Dwalin, who wears dark green as his main colour, gives his spare hood to Bilbo when there is rain. When I read the lord of the rings for the first time I stopped on this detail and went to heck in The Hobbit to see if I remembered correctly, and this is one of my favourite details in Fellowship of the Ring.

[@liveforlife2494]

I love that detail, too! It's such a sweet touch canonically and great continuity.

[@S.A.S.H.]

"Picking apart brilliant work is how more brilliant work is made." Such a great statement. So very true!

[@simbelmyne7767]

I will say in defense of Ngila putting Frodo in velvet, I have a pair of cotton velvet capris that are shockingly comfortable for outdoor activities :D I think them being natural fiber makes all the difference, which the Hobbits clothing would be. Combined with the (I'm guessing) linen shirt and wool coat honestly I bet it was a pretty comfy outfit c:

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

Natural fibers are always so much more comfy! I just can't imagine the kind of dry cleaning he had to do when he got home lol

[@IonIsFalling7217]

It tracks that hobbit clothes wouldn’t be like, super built with climbing into Mordor in mind. 😅

[@KS-xk2so]

Costume does so much to inform characters, and yet I never really notice it until its pointed out. I suppose that means its good work, as it simply seems like those characters normal clothes, which is the point. Now that you point it out, its so obvious that Frodo is dressed as a casual, yet wealthy gentleman. Sam's garb screams his simple and humble origins, and a focus on function over everything. What I'm most impressed by is actually Merry and Pippin. Those two are actually just as wealthy as Frodo, they are basically Hobbit Princelings, given they will be Master of Buckland and the Thain of the Shire one day. So while they dress well, its more shoddily applied and maintained, as you said, because they are still young and carefree, still decades until they need to focus on their family responsibilities. Whereas Frodo, given his loss of family and close relationship with Bilbo, would've learned at Bilbo's knee the lessons of living as a Hobbit Gentleman, and put those lessons to use immediately.

[@joejawson5264]

Every time I watch the LotR movies, I watch all the extras too. The behind the scenes about the horses are my favorite.

[@kathleenhensley5951]

I think one of the most touching moments in the Lord of the Rings is about clothing. It happens on the field of Cormallen. Sam and Frodo have awoken after their ordeal in Mordor. Sam asks what they will wear to see the king.. Gandalf answers the clothes they wore on the way to Mordor. "Even rhe Orc rags that you bore in the black land, Frodo , shall be preserved . No silks and linens, nor armour or heraldry could be more honorable." The sewing skills shown in the Lord of the Rings is amazing. As a very poor seamstress, knitter, crocheter and even unskilled weaver.. I know the challenges of that those seamstresses faced and I am in awe. It takes my breath away when I see the garments they created.

[@allisongliot]

These connections are so cool! I’m totally one of the 95% who never thought about this before.

[@Snagprophet]

I love the Extended Edition Making Of, the costumes and miniatures documentaries make me feel immersed in the world and I think it stimulates my brain inspiring my own fantasy ideas.

[@AW-uv3cb]

true, they have been a part of my official yearly Tolkien marathon for years, I wish they gave us even more!

[@vigortheone3527]

I especially loved the acorn buttons on Bilbo’s waistcoat but in the hobbit movies. The connection between the dwarfs and Bilbo was most significantly shown by the mithril shirt.

[@matthewarant377]

As a huge tolkein fan who thinks the costume design of the LOTR trilogy is massively underappreciated, fantastic content. Earned my sub.

[@Thraim.]

I'm sorry, but they literally won an Oscar for costume design.

[@johnsiegmund7504]

Welp, guess I need to re-watch the trilogy while paying attention to the clothing! Your channel is criminally underrated, keep on making excellent videos!

[@Humdebel]

I cannot agree more

[@sbskinner369]

Please make more Lord of the Rings costume breakdowns! I love this.

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

I'm glad you enjoyed! I'm thinking of covering the elves or wizards next, should be up in a few weeks!

[@neodigremo]

I don't think we are reading too much into things here. We have people who spent countless hours detailing the undergarments that the actors would wear and we would never see. Who ruined their fingers making chainmail by hand. Who used different sized fibres so that the scale models would look correct with each other. I also think it matters that as they shed their outer layers Sam looks less and less out of place and his clothes seem more comfortable, while Frodo just looks worn down and tired. Somehow despite wearing the same thing for Sam it shows the true hero he is coming through, while Frodo is stripped of all the protections he once had.

[@prongsmydeer6553]

the fellowship’s brooches=friendship bracelets

[@deborah.r.g3379]

Great interpretation of details that I hadn't registered myself, yet they make a lot of sense as you point them out 🦉

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

It's so interesting how much detail can make a difference in storytelling...thanks for watching!

[@mayalackman7581]

I couldn't tell Merry and Pippin apart for the longest time either! Those actors look relatively similar and it really makes distinguishing them difficult at first.

[@Alex-ds3py]

one of my favourite costume things in the hobbit is thorin and bilbo starting to wear some of each others colours (thorin getting a red shirt, bilbo the blue coat, they both wear red cloaks when leaving laketown...)

[@andeeanko7079]

Capris / Cargo shorts - love that, yes! 😅 Your attention to details is amazing! Wasn't Ngila and team absolutely genius? I smiled throughout your entire video, loved it ❤

[@dd11111]

I didn't notice all of the cloak closures but I did spot that Sam's was just tied. And, you're right it clearly marks him out as working class.

[@albertbradfield1945]

hobbit pants, breeches without stockings

[@blarbysliggelberry3896]

13:53 bilbo's frock gives a dentarthuredent vibe from the beginning scenes of hitchhiker's guide.

[@yellowsrunchielizardnou3614]

Thank you Thank you!!!!! I love ALL of your fashion videos! I wanted a back to school outfit that expressed different chapters in lotr (for the rings of power, pray that it’s actually good) I was able to come up with a cute outfit that expresses both the elf and the hobbit fashion. AND your not boring which is always a plus LOL

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

That's such a fun idea for back to school outfits! Maybe I'll have to make a video sometime specifically about that... thanks so much for watching and commenting!

[@humblesparrow]

The Hobbit pants do look a bit like navy trousers of the 1700s, so I guess that's where the "half-mast" thing comes from. I'm bingeing your content and enjoying every minute. I've always admire these costumes but a lot of these details I didn't even notice. But I guess that's the sign a thing's been done well.

[@timeforlaurynsopinion5138]

this whole video was so brilliant, and i don't even necessarily know if you meant to imply this or if i'm just inferring it for myself, but oh my god the thought of pippin's mother taking the time to handmake a scarf for him (not out of necessity like sam's handmade clothes, but purely as a labor of love) and him keeping it with him all the way to minas tirith and back is making me so emotional.

[@thedarkdane7]

I really appreciate your video essays. Never apologize for the deatails - that is part of what makes them good!

[@danielmejorado6098]

I'd love to see a comparison of the gear they carried too. Like the backpacks and such.

[@d.edwardmeade3683]

That was excellent!! I never saw those visual interpretations before... and it really deepens the films for me now. I love the symbolic connections. Thanks for a great presentation!! ❤😁

[@estebanfernandez5393]

Wow the amount of detail!! Thanks so much 😊

[@rickjanzen2180]

Well done. I applaud your work and analysis.

[@kevinroche3334]

Wow, great analysis! Subbed like a shot!

[@CepiTheNomad]

These videos are so well thought out! I absolutely love your analysis. Just discovered the channel and subscribed within a few videos

[@cofimaker_3874]

really like you’re content. feel like I can enjoy the movie in a different way now😊

[@Blackadder75]

I think Merry and Pippin are much richer than Frodo, at least potentially , when they will inherit some of their families (Tooks and Brandybucks) vast wealth. the Tooks being the richest clan in the Shire

[@densandwitch1251]

What an enjoyable video. You really made me even appreciate the Hobbit, as well as the characters changes in LoTR in the books.

[@tubelarbelly]

If anything teaches us best, it is living the contents of your presentation. You are so pleasing to watch during your lecture, I believe and suck up all of the little details you talk about while looking at all the details of your "costume", make-up and background display. It feels so well prepared and structured. You are one of the few I watch full screen and full HD without regretting to do so. And that also means I have no part of my monitor left for distraction. Thank you very much for your consistent style.

[@martinmould2598]

I found your videos by accident. What a marvelous addition to all the lore analyses. I've been a lover of all things lotr since the 60s, learned to read and write in elvish, reread all the books many times, loved-hated all the movies, recently reread the silmarillion and lotr appendices, and was recently fascinated and horrified by most of the rings of power first season. Your work is a most valuable, delightful, thoughtful, and thought provoking addition to the legendarium, both erudite and charming. I know I've missed a number of your earlier videos; I'll find them and eagerly look forward to new ones. Among other lotr commentators, you are like a silmaril, shining like the light of the two trees. Thank you.

[@GravesRWFiA]

the hobbit costumes are early 19th late 18th english rural dress- they are not capris, they are Breeches-left open at the knee and without stockings or shoes. like wise waistcoats with no frock/top coat and no stocks but some scarfs. Pippin's actor has said the scarf is his touch of home he doesn't want to give up

[@liveforlife2494]

One thing I just thought about around 12:00 - we all know hobbits wear warmer colors, but notice how Frodo alone wears brown at 12:00, the only color reminiscent of dying (or dying leaves, if you like) which can speak to how among all four of them, he is the only one who lost something irreversibly during his journey.

[@akechijubeimitsuhide]

There is a brief scene early in the first Hobbit movie where Bilbo wears the yellow waistcoat with a deep blue coat, which evokes Werther (a popular thing in the late 18th century). Probably a coincidence.

[@LovacDotCH]

thank you

[@Berzelmayr]

Maybe it's worth to mention that the Hobbit-trousers are butoned “a la Bavarois", like in Lederhosen or Amish pants.

[@jonathanphillips4168]

When you said “the hobbit with a capital T and H” my dumb ass thought “HobbiT

[@TrekBeatTK]

The whole “short pants/big feet” thing started in a Bakshi’s movie and ai kind of hate it, though there’s a little bit of it in Tolkien’s own drawing of Bilbo in The Hobbit.

[@ebarobyre2720]

I honestly only watched the movies once at 10 years of age after finishing the books and never really got "into" LotR but your videos are amazing and after watching pretty nothing else for a week I think I'll revisit the books :3

[@Fontoflife]

Interesting video and great channel by the way. I know you already did reviews of Rankin Bass's Hobbit and Bakshi's LOTR, but how bout doing a style and outfit review for these versions of the story too? Seem there'd be good grist for analyzing these versions also. For example Gandalf's in RB. A gray outfit, like in the book, but the hat melds into a hood that he wears atop his other clothes. Then for the ROTK he wears what appears to be a cloak and outfit of silver gray. Not white to be sure, but given their constraints in making this movie and not wanting to retell the first half of the Quest, that Bakshi already covered, they cut some corners to make things line up with their story in The Hobbit. Anyway, it would be neat to see you look at the style and design of these other movies too.

[@bladed.i.6547]

You caught a number of things I had missed (at least consciously!) so thank you! If I may, the one thing you missed was lineage: Sam was the only member of the Fellowship who was not "of the nobility" in one way or other. Aragorn was a king in exile; Boromir and Legolas were princes of their realms; Merry and Pip were the heirs of the Master of Buckland and the Thane of the Shire, respectively; Gimli was the heir of one of the illustrious company that had reclaimed Erebor, as well as being of the line of Durin; Gandalf was one of only five "angels" sent to Arda to guide and aid mortals; even Frodo was the heir and close kin of one of the most storied (and possibly immensely wealthy) Hobbits to ever exist. Then there's Sam, the Bag End gardener, definitely NOT of lofty birth. When they start out of the shire, the relationship between Frodo and Sam is more like that between Lord Peter Wimsey and Bunter: no matter how well they get along, they are basically a noble and his manservant, and the manservant is aware of it as part of his job. The War of the Ring ennobles Sam, or perhaps makes him confident in his innate nobility. Towards the end of his time in Arda, Frodo makes Sam his heir, giving him the mansion of Bag End and thereby the home and the lands (and the immense hidden wealth!) and the rank that he had not been born with. Sam goes on to become Mayor multiple times, showing how much he grew into a leadership role during the War. (Plus I'm sure Rosie made sure he dressed more neatly when on official Shire business!)

[@tiskihuora]

I always marvel the elven cloaks that are gifted to the Fellowship in Lothlorien. The intricate weave pattern is so beautiful and the fabric was probably custom made for the movie, a great example of the level of detail and effort in the making of the movies.

[@davidkglevi]

Ngila Dickson, did choose to cut the hobbit trousers to capris, however, she's really not telling the truth when she says it's her (original) idea, since they were depicted like that in various illustrations a long time before the trilogy.

[@1000dots]

This was fascinating. These movies get more detailed the longer you look.

[@cabbol5012]

Brilliant!

[@simonmorris4226]

In my grannies generation mean wore trousers just below the knee. That way your trousers don’t get drenched in the fields, gardens and mines. Although they did wear boots!

[@dillonspear3734]

Real Hobbit-Heads know every detail, up and down, of Peter Jackson's true masterpiece trilogy

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

I'm just glad it's going to get so many oscars

[@dillonspear3734]

@@Jess_of_the_Shire I think we'll definitely be seeing upsets across the board this Sunday

[@BanazirGalpsi1968]

I discovered Tolkien in very late 1977 , or more correctly in early 1978. I had seen a float of smaug in a Thanksgiving parade on tv. My tenth birthday being in 78 , and i was also hugely into star wars. But this also prickeled a different but not unwelcome part of my imagination. That sppring my brother took the argo records adaption of the hobbit out of the library, and i stumbled over the first or possibly second edition hardbacks of lotr in the school library with their poster sized insert maps. ( I was attending a private Christian school.) Also one of my friends on ky bus had the illustrated hobbit coffee table book with pictures from the reinken bass film. I listened/ saw all of these . Hey Tolkien and star wars both have swords! But they were different. No matter. That same year read all of Narnia as well. Finally in about 1980 i got the gumption to read hobbit ( for myself) and Lord of the rings. Dude, when i tell you i broke down and cried at the" death" of frodo to shelob, yelling at the late j.r.r. t that how dare he! You cnt kill off the main character loke that! Believe me, it really really messed with my head and my soul. Anyway, so glad to have discovered your channel, keep up the good work.

[@threecedarshomestead1330]

What about Rosie and the other Hobbit Maidens and Married Ladies (I almost called them "Matrons")?

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

@parttimehobbit >>> Great video.

[@paulbrickler]

I wanted to hate the Hobbit for being a 'trilogy'. I really did. Then, I watched it. Not bad. Actually, pretty good. So I bought the DVD's. Watched it again. Still difficult to hate. Then, a buddy of mine was like - Have you seen the Director's Cut Blu-Rays? Bought it again for the added content. Even better.

[@mmcgartland2095]

Thanks for talking...with me designs and meanings

[@alanr8702]

I can tell that you also love the source material.

[@nochsoeiner1]

Your profile picture is so damn beautiful 0.o

[@j.s.c.4355]

for some reason, the most memorable costume I can remember Bilbo is at the very beginning of the second movie. I remember him with his shirt untucked and unbuttoned as though he hasn’t given a thought to his clothing in weeks. am I mis remembering that?

[@pleh7019]

Costume video!!!

[@terrydaigle3184]

You said the seamstresses had their work "cut out" for them. I see what you did there

[@reeyees50]

The hobbits living in the future compared to all other cultures. 1800s fashion

[@diegooland1261]

Well done. I think the things you point our are very intentional. Peter Jackson hired very smart and talented people who spend their waking hours thinking about this stuff.

[@robertnunziata2950]

Sam and frodo are the biggest contrast were sam is obviously blue collar and working class frodo is the rich kid at school

[@HighKingTurgon]

It was a rough month from Caras Galadhon to Cormallen.

[@blarbysliggelberry3896]

costumes? it's just the clothes they wore during the filming of their "day-in-the-life" hobbit-culture documentary.

[@nicktrueman224]

It's hard to see this if you are not a history buff. But the people of the lake the Mayor and some troops wear eastern European type clothing seen in the 16thc and 17thc. The guards look quite allot like Muscovites. The mayors clothing could be of a Nobleman in any country in the east. Just something I noted. The weapon work in both trilogies are a little silly and some completely possible starting with Aragorns sword at Minus Tirith. It is of a type called a hand and a half sword with long pointed blade designed to stab enemies in armour. He does skewer orcs and if you look close you can see that he is having issues drawing the blade out of the bodies of orcs. As it is near impossible to pull out a blade that fast witn a stab the whole blade penetrates. There is more but there is one eg.

[@kevinsullivan3448]

Dwarves would be wearing Cargo pants, Hobbits cargo shorts. Because they are short...

[@NoahBrown69]

Ive been wondering recently why many of the depictions of Tolkien show the hobbits with curly hair. I remembere the hair on their feet being described as curly, but does he at any point mention the hair on their heads?

[@Lethgar_Smith]

One of the things that the movie appears to eschew is the fact that the characters, more often than not, wore their cloaks with the hoods up.

[@leonwilkinson8124]

Wonderfully informative. I hadn't thought about any of these details. I'd like to hear you interpret poetry sometime.

[@k-man1481]

I could listen to your voice all day.

[@johnmarchetti3815]

Hey... if their work was "cut out" for them it would have been easier... get it 😅

[@jonrolfson1686]

Spot on! The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) painstaking attention to detail by the costumes, art and props departments was one of the most important parts of the translation of Professor Tolkien’s almost extravagantly generous, preternaturally effective word-smithing to graphic visual world building.

[@MDVBIGDADDYQ007]

Just found You,Very astute,awfully Cute. Well Done Ma'am

[@stevelivingstone4616]

Hey! I am not sure if you are aware or even care but you may be interested to know that you are pronouncing Tolkien incorrectly. I only mention it as it may interest you, if not, no issue, your work is great either way.

[@michaelsommers2356]

I am not a fan of the movies. Although they did some things well, the movie makers fundamentally misunderstood the books. They seem to have thought that Aragorn was the central characters, and the hobbits were mere sidekicks.

[@Laurelin70]

That's not the movie I watched...

[@michaelsommers2356]

@@Laurelin70 If you watched the Jackson movies, then that was indeed the movie you watched. Jackson clearly put Aragorn at the center of the story, and did anything he could to reduce the hobbits to childishness.

[@Laurelin70]

@@michaelsommers2356 That is YOUR take on the movies. Because I watched the same movies and I didn't saw that. So please, change your expression in "I THOUGHT the hobbits were too childish"

[@michaelsommers2356]

@@Laurelin70 Maybe after you change yours to "I _thought_ the movie didn't make the hobbits childish". At any rate, consider the scene when, after some sword training with Aragorn (or was it Boromir?) The fall in a pile giggling, just like a bunch of kids rough-housing with Dad.

[@Laurelin70]

@@michaelsommers2356 But they were so at that time. Merry and Pippin ARE young (Pippin has not even come of age yet!) and they don't grasp fully the huge significance of their quest: they know about the Ring, but they wanted above all being with Frodo. And until they are kidnapped by the orcs, they always relied on their more experienced companions for decisions and defence. That's so in the book too. And in the book they do the same stupid things they do in the movies: Pippin is the one risking to reveal Frodo's identity at the Prancing Pony; Pippin throws the stone in the pit in Moria just to check how deep it is; Pippin (again) watches into the Palantir just because he was curious; they sing and dance at every chance they get; Merry makes jokes about breakfast and pipe-weed even after he's re-vived by Aragorn after the adventure with the Witch-King; they make fun of their friends when they meet again after the defeat of Isengard. And in the movies they try to defendo Frodo on Weathertop (it isn't so in the book), and they fight valiantly in Moria (in the book is never depicted); they're BOTH at the Black Gate for the Last Battle (in the book only Pippin is there) and they're the FIRST to follow Aragorn charging into the Black Army. If ever, the movies make Frodo even MORE serious and tormented and fragile than he is in the book, so much that a lot of people found him annoying. And you base your judgment on THREE WHOLE MOVIES on a SINGLE scene? It's YOU who are not objective, so I won't change MY affirmation.

[@Paredification]

You are a beautiful girl. I found your make up to be too much and a distraction in this video. you usually do a great job. It wasn't broken, don't try and fix it. Keep up the good work Jess!

[@Alex-ds3py]

one of my favourite costume things in the hobbit is thorin and bilbo starting to wear some of each others colours (thorin getting a red shirt, bilbo the blue coat, they both wear red cloaks when leaving laketown...)