Ah, gotcha. I'm not much of an expert on fabrics.

Maybe we're barking up the wrong tree with the light, flowing stuff. After all, snakeskin isn't all that flexible.

That's an interesting thought! It would be interesting for the gown to be rather stiff and structured initially—hearkening back to "dead", treated snakeskin—and then become shockingly flexible and alive when she begins to transform. I'm having a hard time imagining exactly what it would look like, though.

I saw this painting and immediately thought of the Lady of the Green Kirtle. It looks like a heavier gown, and I can definitely imagine her wearing something like that when she appears for her final scene. She would make quite an impression! Even the accessories, too; for a woman who is going to transform into a serpent, a thick braid (?) bound with gold might be a nice touch. Vaguely evocative of Medusa.

I also ran across this painting and thought the dress looked like something the serpentine LotGK would wear, but I wonder if it wouldn't be too over-the-top.

I can't quite imagine anything yet either, but I really like your description of the transformation. Perhaps the hem would be ragged, like a flaking skin...

I like the first painting for her riding dress. It looks like something where you'd trust the wearer at first and only later begin to wonder.

I also ran across this painting and thought the dress looked like something the serpentine LotGK would wear, but I wonder if it wouldn't be too over-the-top.

The first one, yes, the second one--ugh! Not that I think you are wrong--it could work quite well but--ugh!

The hair style of the first matches the Pauline Baynes illustration to a remarkable degree--just stick a mandolin in her hands, a whiff of green powder, and she'd be ready to go--sweet, gentle expression and everything.

I really like the textures and embroidery on this 1580s doublet and can easily imagine a skirt and sleeves to go with it. Scrumptious!

Or maybe it's the basis of a complimentary outfit for Rillian.

I can't quite imagine anything yet either, but I really like your description of the transformation. Perhaps the hem would be ragged, like a flaking skin...

Ooh, that sounds rather pretty!

The first one, yes, the second one--ugh! Not that I think you are wrong--it could work quite well but--ugh!

I think I know what you mean. I'll be pretty upset if they have the LotGK show a lot of skin. She's not so much a seductive character as she a person who appears to be lovely and loveable. If they're really over-the-top with her costume design, then it'll tip people off that she's a Bad Lady.

I really like the textures and embroidery on this 1580s doublet and can easily imagine a skirt and sleeves to go with it. Scrumptious!

Or maybe it's the basis of a complimentary outfit for Rillian.

Oooh! That's absolutely beautiful. I can easily imagine that as being part of her riding outfit or, as you said, a complimentary outfit for Rilian. Although I do recall Lewis saying that he was dressed all in black when the questers met him in the Dark Castle.

I know this thread is mostly for the LotGK's costume as a woman, but I can't resist posting pictures I found of a eyelash pit viper. The look (of the head at least) is so perfect!

It would be so amazing if LotGK had really distinct lashes and then the snake looked like that.

Wow, Anfinwen, what a great find! I love the look of that snake species. Of course, I'd want it to be a poison green color, but those "eyelashes" are amazing and totally look like a feature that the LotGK's serpentine form would have. It would add some femininity to the appearance of the serpent as well. I also love the idea of her actress having very distinct eyelashes, since long eyelashes are often associated with youth and innocence.

Double-posting, but we were talking over on the Calormene Style thread about the possibility of drawing influence from some of the outfits found in John William Godward's paintings (here is an example), and it occurred to me that the style and fabric reminded me of something the Lady of the Green Kirtle might wear. The fabric looks very light and almost crinkled; kind of evocative of the look of a shedding skin, as we were discussing earlier. The dresses are loose, like a kirtle, and the styling is almost nymph-like as well. I can easily imagine the LotGK wearing something like that when she meets Rilian.

That is an interesting idea, Rose. I kind of like it! It would (potentially) be similar enough to things that Rillian and even Drinian are familiar with that they don't catch on to her ulterior motives. It seems the LotGK would try to fit in enough fashion-wise (unlike Jadis who is rather obviously doing her own fashion thing) to catch the unwary.

Something I thought about the other day: I hope that the fabric of the LotGK's dress has a slightly resplendent quality, either from jewels or the sheen of the fabric itself. I really love the idea of the folds of her dress softly, bewitchingly sparkling in the light of the green fire when she is playing her mandolin, and then suddenly turning dark and ominous-looking when Puddleglum has stamped out the flames—thus mirroring her own sudden, terrible change of disposition. I think that would be such a neat visual!

I really love the idea of the folds of her dress softly, bewitchingly sparkling in the light of the green fire when she is playing her mandolin, and then suddenly turning dark and ominous-looking when Puddleglum has stamped out the flames

I like that idea a lot!

This painting of Lady Macbeth by John Singer Sargent really remind me of LotGK https://www.pinterest.com/pin/401101910540443683/

And this design by Omani designer Amal
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/401101910540443786/

I was looking up Arthur Rackham's illustrations of Siegfried and the Twilight of the Gods after seeing Lewis mention them in Surprised by Joy, and a couple of them make me think of costume possibilities for the LotGK:

I like the full, flowing dress in this one; the visual the LotGK enfolded in a lot of beautiful, billowing fabric, as though to conceal her true form, could be a good one. (See also this Waterhouse painting.)

This illustration made me think of when the LotGK approaches the questers in Underland. I like the design of the sleeves and the weird symbols embroidered on the dress (makes me think of the strange, creepy designs carved into the giant bridge), and I also like her long braided hair—I think it would be neat if they styled the LotGK's hair like that at some point in the film.

Those design ideas would definitely fit LotGK, Rose. I particularly like the thought of her hair being in two long braids at some point - braids have such a youthful and almost naïve look which would be perfect.

Interesting, Rose. I know we'd discussed sleeker dresses to hint at the snake aspect, but the idea of loose-flowing clothes to conceal that aspect also makes sense. Perhaps her dresses could subtly but progressively get sleeker throughout the film? Though I feel like there should be something about her clothing when Drinian sees her that is a bit "off" with the innocent image portrayed in her first meeting with Rillian; that could subtly signal Drinian's discordance with Rillian.

I like the idea of the LotGK's dresses becoming progressively sleeker (and more snake-like) throughout the film, Valia!

I have a harder time making up my mind about what her first dress should look like, though. On the one hand, I feel like something should give the audience a slight clue that this woman is not all that she seems — that she is concealing a secret of some kind — but I'm quite against the idea of a poison green dress as Lewis describes, the sort of thing that might immediately tip the audience off to bad magic and Drinian's own reaction. That all depends on whether or not the filmmakers try to conceal her true nature from the audience for as long as possible, though!

In other Narnian fashion news, I ran across some Edmund Blair Leighton paintings the other day that offered some inspiration for the LotGK's wardrobe.

Stitching the Standard, as well as this painting which shows a similar (or the same?) dress from the back, struck me as being a good possibility for the dress that the LotGK might wear when Rilian first sees her. It looks very simple and unassuming, almost like something a peasant-girl would wear. I can imagine the overdress being a light, soft green. The loose-fitting overdress also makes me think of a kirtle, which were "loose-fitting garments without a waist seam" prior to the fourteenth century when they started to sport fitted bodices. (I wonder what style Lewis had in mind when he chose the word for her name, if any? I'm sure he had some knowledge of medieval fashion, but I don't know how extensive it was.)

Another set of paintings that caught my eye were these two, which seem to depict the same dress: this one and this one. I love the color and the design... so very pretty, and exactly the sort of thing that Jill might call a scrumptious dress, but also quite evocative of the scales of a snake! I can easily imagine her wearing a dress like this when the questers meet her in the mountains, or in her final scene in the Dark Castle.

That said, the lady in the latter painting looks so pious, I was almost hesitant to connect her ensemble with the evil LotGK, but it also got me thinking: do you suppose the LotGK might wear a head-covering similar to the one she is wearing, as if to bolster her false innocence? (I can also picture it transforming into the hood of a snake, which is seen on species such as the cobra.)