Éowyn’s Starry Mantle

They were clad in warm raiment and heavy cloaks, and over all the Lady Éowyn wore a great blue mantle of the colour of deep summer-night, and it was set with silver stars about hem and throat. Faramir had sent for this robe and had wrapped it about her; and he thought that she looked fair and queenly indeed as she stood there at his side. The mantle was wrought for his mother, Finduilas of Amroth, who died untimely, and was to him but a memory of loveliness in far days and of his first grief; and her robe seemed to him raiment fitting for the beauty and sadness of Éowyn. – From The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

I’ve always loved this description of the mantle Faramir gave Éowyn. It sounded beautiful and comforting.

Then one day, years ago now, I discovered what the version designed for the movie looked like:

And I was dismayed, because this isn’t what I envisioned AT ALL.

It’s a weird shape. It has way too many “stars”. And all that beading makes it look stiff and scratchy instead of something soft and warm to wrap around yourself.

It’s beautifully made and the result of much thought and work, I’m sure, but it just doesn’t fit the description.

So I made my own.

By which I mean, I quickly made an enormous, dark blue cloak, did the embroidery I wanted around the top, and then didn’t do the rest for ages.

But some friends of mine have a Lord of the Rings-themed party every September, and last year I had an idea for a modern day Finduilas costume. I’d never felt like making a dress in the “right” style to go with the cape, but it occurred to me that no rule says I have to.

We don’t know much about Finduilas. She grew up near the ocean, and after she married Denethor, she missed her home and didn’t cope well with living so close to Mordor, and she died about 11 years later. I suspect Denethor didn’t help either; he loved her, in his way, but he’s a jerk.

So my goal for this costume was a balance between beachy and sophisticated, and I think it worked. I even had someone just know who I was, which I didn’t expect because it was fairly obscure.

I wanted to get pictures to share at the time but it didn’t happen, so I finally got some today. Thanks, Mom!

I went to a thrift store and found the perfect dress. It FIT. And was WHITE but somehow had no mysterious stains. The only thing I had to do to it was snip off its tiny cap sleeves, because they were uncomfortably tight and one was ripped (maybe they were too tight for the previous owner, too).

Then I went to Joann’s and found a little ocean-y colored, sparkly tulle, and I literally just sewed it into a long tube to tie around my waist as a belt. Turns out tulle makes for a great decorative belt; I tied it once and it just stayed where I put it. I didn’t have to constantly adjust it.

I wanted something sparkly for my hair, so I did some Googling for ideas. Apparently hair rings are a thing. You can buy them. Or you can get much cheaper jewelry wire and charms and make your own. They’re super simple, and I wear them sometimes now just because I like them.

And I did the rest of the embroidery on the cape in two days. My hand did not thank me. It didn’t end up visible in the pictures, but I put larger versions of the same stars you see at the top around the hem and a few down the opening in the front.

The movie version of the cape has too much sparkle. Mine has none and could use a little. But I still think it’s much closer to the book’s description, and I’m glad I did the work to make it.