The first time we see Arwen, in Fellowship of the Ring, she comes to the aid of a dying Frodo. Frodo, seeing things in their shadow-world form, views Arwen as an angelic being of light wearing a stunning, floating white gown.

There seems to be an issue of continuity here, in which Arwen wears not one, but two dresses in this scene. The first, the Halo Dress, seems to have been mostly cut from the final versions of the film, but images of it can still be found floating about on the internet.

The reason behind the change from one dress to the other was this: the halo dress was very heavy and bulky in the close-ups � so much so, in fact, that it had to be changed for the close-up scenes with Aragorn and Frodo. Therefore, all that can be seen of the halo dress is the fleeting moment when she rides up on her white horse, bathed in whitish-blue light.

It is very apparent from the image on the left that the dress itself is a different one from the Angel Dress, although they are similar. This can be seen quite obviously from the high neckline of the Halo Dress, in comparison to the Angel Dress. Furthermore the sleeves on this dress are different to those on the Halo Dress.

About her neck, Arwen wears what was originally thought to be a cape, but is actually a shawl (see image of Arwen dismounting below). The shawl, like the dress, is made with a wool and metal blend crocheted into the metallic fabric of the gown.

The shawl is long and triangular in shape. The fur seen on the gown looks to be some sort of long angora/ metallic fiber blend. The shawl appears to be quite wide, perhaps a full length of fabric in width.

Arwen's hair is also pulled back at the crown in this version,and she wears a circlet across her brow.

I have lightened the image to the left for more clarity (the original was much darker and one could scarcely see a thing). Although it looks like a cloak in the other pictures, this one defines that the �Halo Cape� is actually a shawl.

The Halo Dress itself, like the shawl, is made from a wool & metal blend, hence why the dress was so heavy and bulky.

The Halo Dress differs from the Angel dress in that it has wider sleeves and a higher neck. The split in the outer dress, revealing the under dress below, occurs much lower down than in the Angel Dress, which splits just below the center bust line. The outer sleeves are stitched closed from her shoulders to approximately 2 inches above the elbow. The outer sleeves are long, descending to Arwen�s knees.




This image to the left isn�t exactly clear, although it does give a good perspective on how the cape seems to sit around her neck. Sadly, the exposure is too high to determine the details from her shoulders downwards. A pity, this photograph might have been quite helpful in other circumstances.



My sources for the Halo Dress being utterly exhausted, we will now progress onto the Angel Gown without further ado. This is the gown that you will perhaps more readily remember from the rescue scene.



A clear view of the dress, though I�m not sure if this is the original version as wore by Liv Tyler in the movie. It appears in other shots of the dress that the inner sleeves are not bell sleeves, but close fitting about the arms, whilst the outer sleeves, like the Halo Dress, are split about 2 inches from the elbow and travel down to the knees.

This split is also replicated with the inner and outer layers of the dress � the outer layer splitting just below the breasts to reveal the crinkly dress underneath. Whilst the hem of the inner dress skims the ground, the outer layer pools around at Arwen�s feet, almost like a train, except that it is the same length all the way around.

The outer dress has a full, scooped neck, which is deep but not as wide as some of Arwen�s other gowns (e.g. the Requiem Gown). It is made from mid-weight synthetic white/ metallic silver blend, and a slightly stretchy material. It splits below the center bust line to reveal the under dress. This split is also present at the back of the gown, at the base of the spine.

This next picture is a bit vague in detail, but has a good view of the dress as per the movie. Note how the sleeves in this dress, compared to the above version, are not bell sleeves, but rather hug at the hands (fingertip length with what looks to be a zigzag hem), allowing the outer sleeves to flow to the knees. See also how the fabric of the under dress is quite stretchy and pulls across the body, making for a very figure-hugging fit.

The picture to the left shows the bugle beading on the splits in the sleeves and the splits in the center of the dress.

In the picture directly below, the artwork of the beading in the collar trim is depicted more clearly. It is visible here that the trim is very ornate and structured, with more bugle beads lining both the inner and outer edges of the trim. The trim itself has intricate beadwork mounted on white netting with scalloped edges.





<--- The picture below this one is probably the best when it comes to the detail of the dress� fabric. The under dress is made from a metallic, crinkly fabric, which is very sheer (as you can see from the full shot of the dress, above).
















If you want a more in-depth look at Arwen�s Halo Dress and Angel Gown, I strongly recommend you visit this site. It has tips on making the dress yourself, and a more in-depth glimpse into the dress.



















A bugle-beaded edge trim, like that on the splits in the Angel Gown, can be found here.






Furthermore, a fabric almost identical to that of the under dress is available here.








Much thanks and gratitude to LotR Costumes and The Costumer's Guide. Without these two sites, mine would not have been at all possible.


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