Why isn’t Dumbledore wearing robes at Hogwarts in The Crimes of Grindelwald?

Colleen Atwood, the costume designer for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, shared her inspiration for young Dumbledore’s suits at Hogwarts.

You do not need to be a hardcore Harry Potter fan to pick up on the fact there were timeline issues and questionable choices made in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and a few center on young Albus Dumbledore. Though we learn in the Harry Potter series that Dumbledore taught Transfiguration at Hogwarts, in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, he teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts.

It’s Voldemort who remembers Dumbledore as a Transfiguration professor, but as this film takes place decades before Tom Riddle’s time, it does make sense that in his earlier teaching years, Dumbledore would be tasked with the DADA curriculum, especially given his skill set and well-known resume in the Wizarding World. Something that fans have also questioned though, is why Dumbledore is wearing a suit — instead of robes — when we see him as a Hogwarts professor.

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For costume designer Colleen Atwood, the fabrics and cuts of Dumbledore’s Hogwarts wardrobe was focused on showcasing his role within the school’s culture for professors and students.

Wearing worn-in tweeds and corduroys, Dumbledore’s style is very tactile and professional, but Atwood recently shared at Vulture Festival how she perfected his wardrobe to convey a specific message to the audience about his characterization.

Atwood explained she first talked along with Jude Law, who plays young Dumbledore in The Crimes of Grindelwald, about how British society in this era would have impacted and influenced Dumbledore’s attire. “Well, Jude and I, you know Jude being a Brit and knowing all the levels of society and dressing in Britain. We wanted to give it a sort of comfortable aristocracy: education, but approachability,” Atwood explained.

“We used materials and made them worn-in so they didn’t look like it was self-conscious. People that have their clothes made, and did have their clothes made in that period, may have — and I’ve seen it in tailor shops — they may have a coat made, but they keep it for ten years,” she said.

Atwood felt as though Dumbledore would have done the same. “They bring it in every year and have it relined, so it keeps its life. It’s like having a great pair of shoes with a new sole put on, so it lasts forever because it’s such a good fit.”

For Atwood, creating young Dumbledore’s look for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald was focused on highlighting his role as a friend, leader and role model at Hogwarts. She wanted to make it just as much about his demeanor as his status.

“We wanted to convey an approachability to Dumbledore that he was the prophet everybody talked to in the school,” Atwood said. “He was the one that knew the inner-workings of the students’ souls and their spirits, and in doing that, I used softer materials. I aged them; I made it very kind of cozy so you felt like snuggling up to him and telling him a story.”

Do you think Dumbledore should have still been wearing uniformed robes during his teaching scenes in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald? Let us know in the comments below.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is now out in theaters.